Northeastern Naturalist
Noteworthy Books
2017 Vol. 24, No. 2
B2
The Naturalist’s Notebook. Nathaniel T. Wheelwright
and Bernd Heinrich. 2017. Storey Publishing,
North Adams, MA. 208 pp. $19.95, hardcover.
ISBN: 9781612128894. Nature changes in
small ways every day, but those shifts are easy
to miss if we're not paying attention. Become
a more attentive observer and deepen your appreciation
for the natural world. The Naturalist's
Notebook is a one-of-a-kind guide that teaches
readers to hone their observation skills by keeping
a 5-year record of the natural world around
them. The journal makes it easy to jot down
one observation a day and then compare them
as the years go by. Over time, it will become
a treasure record of the patterns and highlights
in readers’ own backyards. Biologist Nathaniel
T. Wheelwright and best-selling author Bernd
Heinrich teach nature lovers of all ages what to
look for outdoors no matter where you live, using
Heinrich’s classic illustrations as inspiration.
This deluxe book, with a 3-piece case, gilt edges,
a burgundy ribbon bookmark, and a belly band
with gold foil stamping, is a perfect gift for all
nature lovers.
Oneida Lake: Long-term Dynamics of a Managed
Ecosystem and Its Fishery. 2016. Lars G.
Rudstam, Edward L. Mills, James R. Jackson and
Donald J. Steward (Eds). American Fisheries Society,
Bethesda, MD. 541 pp. $79.00, softcover.
ISBN 9781934874431. Studies on the fish populations,
fisheries, and limnology of Oneida Lake,
NY, started in the late 1950s at the Cornell University
Biological Field Station. Early research
concentrated on Walleye, Yellow Perch, and their
interactions but was soon expanded to include
interactions with the lake ecosystem, an early
example of the ecosystem approach. Research
on Oneida Lake has continued for 60 years, and
the resulting data series that couples fish ecology
and limnology is one of the best available
anywhere. In this book, collaborators worldwide
have contributed insights into the functioning of
the lake’s ecology and fisheries and by extension
to the functioning of similar freshwater lakes
elsewhere. The book is divided into 3 sections.
The first set of chapters provides an historical and
landscape context to the studies, the second set
analyzes the long-term data, and the third uses
those data in modeling analyses.
Through a Naturalist's Eyes: Exploring the
Nature of New England. Michael J. Caduto.
2016. University Press of New England, Hanover,
NH. 240 pp. $19.95, softcover. ISBN
9781611689891. For native and visitor alike,
the New England landscape has a rich allure.
This grand sweep of land is a living tapestry
woven of interconnected bio-regions and natural
communities whose compositions of plants and
animals have evolved over time. Drawing on
first-hand experiences and reflections on the relationship
between the natural world and humans,
Caduto explores some of the plants, animals,
natural places, and environmental issues of New
England—from dragonflies, cuckoos, and chipmunks
to circumpolar constellations and climate
change. Stunning illustrations by Adelaide Murphy
Tyrol illuminate more than 50 elegant and
humorous essays.
Raptors: The Curious Nature of Diurnal
Birds of Prey. Keith L. Bildstein. 2017. Cornell
University Press, Ithaca, NY. 336 pp. $35.00,
hardcover. ISBN 9781501705793. Raptors are
formally classified into 5 families and include
birds—such as eagles, ospreys, kites, true hawks,
buzzards, harriers, vultures, and falcons—that are
familiar and recognized by many observers. These
diurnal birds of prey are found on every continent
except Antarctica and can thrive in seemingly
inhospitable spots such as deserts and the tundra.
Because of their large size, distinctive feeding
habits, and long-distance flight patterns, raptors
intrigue humans and have been the subject of much
general interest as well as extensive scientific
research. This book offers a comprehensive and
accessible account of raptors, including their
evolutionary history, their relationships to other
groups of birds, their sensory abilities, their
general natural history, their breeding ecology and
feeding behavior, and threats to their survival in a
human-dominated world. Raptors is a nontechnical
overview of this captivating group.
Noteworthy Books
Received by the Northeastern Naturalist, Issue 24/4, 2017
The Northeastern Naturalist welcomes submissions of review copies of books that publishers or authors
would like to recommend to the journal’s readership and are relevant to the journal’s mission of publishing
information about the natural history of the northeastern US. Accompanying short, descriptive summaries
of the text are also welcome.