Birds of the Yukon Territory

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

This folio-sized volume is a summary of written knowledge of Yukon birds
accumulated over the past 140 years. Boasting an extensive contributors
list and bibliography, Birds of the Yukon Territory is a landmark work
that fills a large regional gap in the bird books of North America.

The work is detailed and includes data that is not normally found in
average field guides. Each species account includes a status chart, a
pen-and-ink drawing, a distribution map, a seasonal occurrence chart,
photographs, and text describing distribution, nesting habitat,
noteworthy records, conservation concerns, etc. The noteworthy records
often include first record, first confirmed breeding record, and high
counts from various parts of the Yukon. For example, for Baird’s
Sandpiper, 18 high counts are given for various locations on dates
ranging from 1972 to 1998.

The book has been illustrated with photographs taken in the Yukon. The
result is that sometimes there are 5x7-inch photographs that show only a
thumbnail-sized bird. For identification purposes, superior stock
photographs would have been preferable to mediocre photos of Yukon
provenance.

The introductory material gives a good overview of the history of Yukon
birds and birders and also of Aboriginal bird culture. There are
numerous appendixes (including place names, bird count data, First
Nations and Inuvialuit bird names) and an index.

Birds of the Yukon Territory is a major work and a must-have volume for
any Canadian ornithology collection.