Offshore sea Life Id Guide (ebook)

Argumento de Offshore sea Life Id Guide (ebook)

Two-thirds of our planet lies out of sight of land, just offshore beyond the horizon. What wildlife might you find out there? And how might you identify what you see? This Offshore Sea Life ID Guide, designed for quick use on day trips off the West Coast, helps you put a name to what you see, from whales and dolphins to albatrosses, turtles, and even flyingfish. Carefully crafted color plates show species as they typically appear at sea, and expert text highlights identification features. This user-friendly field guide is essential for anyone going out on a whale-watching or birding trip, and provides a handy gateway to the wonders of the ocean.

• First state-of-the-art pocket guide to offshore sea life
• Over 300 photos used to create composite plates
• Includes whales, dolphins, sea lions, birds, sharks, turtles, flyingfish, and more
• Accessible and informative text reveals what to look for
• Great for beginners and experts alike

"[I]f you sign up for a West Coast pelagic trip--and every serious birder should do that at least once--this book is a must. Howell has been a guide on most of my trips; he is excellent. Sullivan is one of the most active and respected bird photographers in North America."--Jim Williams, Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Wingnut blog

"A wonderful pocket guide for folks going on their first pelagic trip to see some amazing wildlife of the west coast shores."--Dave Lewis, Birds from Behind Blog

"The Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: West Coast is a very nice introduction to what you might hope to see on a boat trip off the coast of California, Oregon and Washington."--Frederic H. Brock, Wildlife Activist

Steve N. G. Howell is an international bird tour leader with WINGS and a research associate at the California Academy of Sciences. His other books include Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America and The Amazing World of Flyingfish (both Princeton). Brian L. Sullivan is eBird project leader and photographic editor for Birds of North America Online at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and a coauthor of The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors (Princeton).

"Filled with concise information and accurate illustrations, this terrific field guide will be a handy, quick reference for the layperson and serious naturalist on boat trips off the West Coast of the United States. No other useful guides for this region deal with both marine mammals and seabirds in the same book."--Sophie Webb, coauthor of Field Guide to Marine Mammals of the Pacific Coast

"Intended for beginner- and moderate-level naturalists as well as tourists on whale-watching and birding trips, this field guide presents a fresh, new format. Images are nicely formatted and the text is clear, light, and humorous while being informative and scientifically accurate."--Peter Pyle, author of Identification Guide to North American Birds0Introduction 5
Acknowledgments 11
Some Words Explained 11
Marine Mammals 12
Killer Whale (Orca) 12
Whales 14
Dolphins and Porpoises 18
Sea Lions, Fur Seals, and Elephant Seal 22
Rarer Marine Mammals 24
Seabirds 26
Albatrosses 26
Shearwaters and Fulmar 28
Storm-Petrels 32
Phalaropes 35
Alcids 36
Red-billed Tropicbird 40
Brown Booby 40
South Polar Skua 41
Jaegers 42
Gulls and Terns 44
Rarer Seabirds 46
Other Sea Life 50
Fish (sunfish, sharks, flyingfish) 50
Sea Turtles 52
Jellyfish, Krill, etc. 52
Kelp (seaweed) 54
Landbirds 54
Species Codes, Scientific Names, and Index 55