The ultimate field manual for identifying distant raptors
The ultimate must-have guide for identifying migrant raptors, Hawks at a Distance is the first volume to focus on distant raptors as they are truly seen in the field. Jerry Liguori, a leading expert on North American raptors, factors in new information and approaches for identifying twenty-nine species of raptor in various lighting situations and settings. The field guide's nineteen full-color portraits, 558 color photos, and 896 black-and-white images portray shapes and plumages for each species from all angles. Useful flight identification criteria are provided and the accompanying text discusses all aspects of in-flight hawk identification, including flight style and behavior. Concentrating on features that are genuinely observable at a distance, this concise and practical field guide is ideal for any aspiring or experienced hawk enthusiast.
The first guide to focus on distant raptors as they are viewed in the field
New information and approaches for identifying distant raptors
Illustrates twenty-nine species in various lighting situations and settings
558 color photos and 896 black-and-white images depicting plumage and shape characteristics
All aspects of in-flight hawk identification, including flight style and behavior
Jerry Liguori has been studying raptors throughout North America since 1984. He has conducted hawk migration counts at spring and fall migration sites, such as Cape May Point, Sandy Hook, Derby Hill, Braddock Bay, Whitefish Point, and Dinosaur Ridge, and the Goshute, Wasatch, and Sandia mountains. He is the author of Hawks from Every Angle (Princeton).
Table of Contents
Foreword by Pete Dunne ix Preface xiii Acknowledgments xiii Introduction 1 How to Use This Book 1 Terminology 2 Glossary 3 Hawk Migration 4 Helpful Hints 4 Anatomy 5 Flight Positions 6 Hawk Counting 8 Optics for Hawk Watching 8 Photography 9 Accipiters 14 Sharp-shinned Hawk 17 Cooper's Hawk 25 Northern Goshawk 31 Northern Harrier 37 Buteos 44 Red-shouldered Hawk 47 Broad-winged Hawk 51 Swainson's Hawk 59 Red-tailed Hawk 67 Ferruginous Hawk 83 Rough-legged Hawk 91 Falcons 101 American Kestrel 103 Merlin 109 Peregrine Falcon 115 Prairie Falcon 121 Gyrfalcon 124 Vultures, Osprey, Eagles 127 Black Vulture 127 Turkey Vulture 131 Osprey 135 Bald Eagle 137 Golden Eagle 147 Uncommon Migrants and Others 157 California Condor 157 Mississippi Kite 159 White-tailed Kite 159 Swallow-tailed Kite 162 Hook-billed Kite 162 Crested Caracara 163 Short-tailed Hawk 166 White-tailed Hawk 167 Zone-tailed Hawk 169 Shapes 171 Photo Credits 191 Bibliography 192 Index 193
"Jerry Liguori's book takes the hawk identification guide to a whole new level. It is hard to imagine the amount of time that went into this book—countless hours on mountaintops and other hawk-watching sites taking the photographs, then selecting and arranging them. The result is simply the best collection of hawk ID photos ever assembled, combined with Liguori's clear and concise identification tips. This book is a gold mine of information for anyone interested in hawk identification."—David Sibley, author of The Sibley Guide to Birds"Liguori has done it again. Fresh on the heels of his highly acclaimed Hawks from Every Angle, we now have the new Hawks at a Distance. He never missed a beat. Not only did he pick up where he left off, he has taken it to a higher plane. This twenty-first-century offering does for raptors what the seminal Ducks at a Distance did for waterfowl in the mid-twentieth century. It makes a quantum leap in the complex art and science of hawk identification, taming these shape-shifters like never before."—Clay Sutton, coauthor of Hawks in Flight"Jerry Liguori presents an innovative concept tackling the age-old problem of identifying flying raptors when seen under field-viewing conditions. Optimal grasp of each species and age class is obtained with a multitude of photographs depicting various flight modes and lighting conditions of dorsal, ventral, and head-on views. The concise text is easy to read and very informative. Liguori's field identification prowess is impeccable and is articulated throughout this guide."—Brian K. Wheeler, author of Raptors of Western North America and Raptors of Eastern North America"Finally a raptor identification guide that depicts hawks the way you are likely to see them—at a distance! Liguori's unique approach to raptor identification will help birders quickly focus on the field marks that matter, to understand broad plumage patterns, and ultimately extend their reach and abilities as hawk-watchers. This guide is an absolute must for anyone interested in raptors, and will become an instant classic among hawk-watching enthusiasts."—Brian Sullivan, eBird project leader, Cornell Lab of Ornithology"This book is a winner. The spectacular, cutting-edge photos effectively highlight important aspects of raptors in flight and are simply mind-boggling. This is the one guide that almost everyone will take to the field."—Keith Bildstein, Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation Science, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary"Clear and concise, I found all the information presented in this book to be accurate and accessible for both neophyte and more experienced hawk-watchers. I congratulate the author for coming up with such wonderfully illustrative photographs."—Tony Leukering, senior ornithologist, Geo-Marine Inc."An intriguing concept—take a few hundred of the most distant, silhouetted, weird angle photos and combine them into a field guide. . . . Very useful to raptor enthusiasts and hawk counters!"—Christian Artuso
