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Avian Brood Parasites: Deception at the Nest
By Paul A. Johnsgard '55
Examines obligate interspecific as well as intraspecific avian brood parasites. Early chapters cover major evolutionary and comparative aspects of brood parasitism, and the bulk of the book is devoted to 94 individual species accounts of avian brood parasites. Emphasis is on field and in-hand species identification and on those aspects of breeding biology that are related specifically to brood parasitism, rather than summarizing overall ecologies and life histories. Includes b&w drawings and distribution maps, a glossary, and Latin names.
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Baby Bird Portraits: Watercolors in the Field Museum
By George Miksch Sutton and Paul A. Johnsgard '55
From the publisher: George Miksch Sutton is one of the best known and most beloved bird artists of the 20th century. This book presents 35 paintings of downy chicks, nestlings, and fledglings painted from life by Sutton. The exquisite water-colors, housed in the Field Museum of Natural History, span three decades and depict 19 species of North American birds. Many of the paintings are reproduced here for the first time. In his introduction to the collection, ornithologist Paul Johnsgard discusses Sutton's contributions to bird art and to ornithology. And in essays accompanying the paintings, Johnsgard describes his and Sutton's personal encounters with the birds.
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Birds of the Rocky Mountains
By Paul A. Johnsgard '55
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Bustards, Hemipodes, and Sandgrouse: Birds of Dry Places
By Paul A. Johnsgard ’55
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Carpenter Ants of the United States and Canada
by Laurel D. Hansen ('68 M.S., '85 Ph.D.) and John H. Klotz
From the publisher: In the first book devoted entirely to carpenter ants, Laurel D. Hansen and John H. Klotz cover the ants' life history and foraging behavior, then turn to their economic importance. The authors provide a comprehensive overview of carpenter ant ecology, morphology, taxonomy, and distribution as well as a detailed chapter on control and management that will appeal especially to urban pest control programs and pest management officials. Carpenter Ants of the United States and Canada is illustrated with distribution maps, 94 halftones, 52 line drawings, and 24 color plates on a four-page insert.
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Crane Music: A Natural History of American Cranes
By Paul A. Johnsgard '55
From the publisher: Graced with illustrations by the author, Crane Music introduces the two North American crane species. The sandhill, most often seen, is within easy reach of bird-watchers in the center of the continent. Less visible is the whooping crane, struggling back from near extinction. Paul Johnsgard follows these elegant birds through a year's cycle, describing their seasonal migrations, natural habitats, breeding biology, call patterns—angelic to the bird-lover's ear—and fascinating dancing. The largest and most spectacular migratory concentration of cranes happens each spring when the Platte River valley becomes the staging ground for an amazing gathering of four hundred thousand to five hundred thousand sandhills en route from the South to the Arctic tundra. Johnsgard describes this incredible event as well as memorable personal encounters with the cranes. His knowledge of them transcends natural history, covering their importance in religion and mythology.
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Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway: An Epoch Tale of a Scientist and an Artist on the Ultimate 5,000-Mile Paleo Road Trip
By Ray Troll '81 and Kirk Johnson
Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway follows the zany travels of a paleontologist and an artist as they drive across the American West in search of fossils. Throughout their journey, they encounter "paleonerds" like themselves, men and women dedicated to finding everything from suburban T. rexes to killer Eocene pigs to ancient fossilized forests. Much of their travels are spent in remote places few people visit, where they discover small-town museums packed with paleontological treasures, rock quarries that have yielded hundreds of fossilized bones, and the remains of ancient seashores tracked with the footprints of dinosaurs. What soon becomes evident is that fossils are everywhere; it only takes knowing what to look for to find them—even at 65 miles per hour.
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Dragons and Unicorns: A Natural History
By Paul Johnsgard '55 and Karin Johnsgard
From the publisher: Is it generally safe to walk by dragon weyrs on sunny days? Do dragons really lay golden eggs? Do dragon teeth have any medicinal value? And what about unicorns: Do some rare ones have two horns, and when aren't unicorns white? What is a unicorn 'sneeze call, ' and what exactly is the best way to capture a unicorn, anyway? Find the answers to these and other questions in this charming and carefully researched book that presents the first scientific look at two of the earth's most mysterious and elusive creatures. From the evolution and anatomy of dragons and unicorns to their own special skills. This unique book of whimsical zoology, complete with drawings, will delight and enchant any modern reader.
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Earth, Water, and Sky: A Naturalist's Stories and Sketches
By Paul A. Johnsgard '55
From the publisher: Paul Johnsgard is one of America's most prominent ornithologists and a world authority on waterfowl behavior. In these popularly written, often lyrical essays, he describes some of his most fascinating encounters with birds, from watching the annual mating displays of prairie-chickens on a hilltop in Pawnee County, Nebraska, to attempting to solve some of the mysteries surrounding Australia's nearly flightless musk duck.
Reflecting his worldwide interests and travels, the birds Johnsgard describes inhabit many parts of the globe. Grouping the birds by the element they frequent most—earth, water, or sky—he weaves a wealth of accurate natural history into personal stories drawn from a lifetime of avian observation. And, as a bonus, Johnsgard's lovely pen-and-ink drawings illustrate each species he describes.
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Faces of the Great Plains: Prairie Wildlife
By Bob Gress and Paul A. Johnsgard '55
From the publisher: In this book, Bob Gress—one of the region's preeminent photographers—is joined by the distinguished naturalist Paul Johnsgard to illuminate the enormous variety and uniqueness of prairie wildlife. Gress has selected—from the nearly 600 non-fish vertebrate species found in the Plains—150 of the most interesting, charismatic, and important species, while Johnsgard provides a lyrical text covering the ecology, behavior, and life histories of these creatures. The result is a vivid and striking marriage of image and text.
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Great Wildlife of the Great Plains
By Paul A. Johnsgard '55
From the publisher: Paul Johnsgard is a leading authority on the ecology of the Great Plains and author of more than forty books in natural history. With Great Wildlife of the Great Plains, he has written the first overview of the region's native fauna, a book geared to amateur naturalists and general readers who live in or visit America's vast central expanses.
The book is organized around ten distinct biotic communities, from the different varieties of native prairies to woodlands and wetlands, so that human visitors to those habitats can be on the watch for wildlife most often encountered there. . . . Johnsgard's pictorial prose calls to the reader's attention all of the subtleties of geography and life forms associated with these varied ecosystems. More than seventy maps and illustrations enhance his text.
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Hawks, Eagles, and Falcons of North America: Biology and Natural History
By Paul A. Johnsgard '55
From the publisher: The definitive volume on the biology of North American falconiform (hawklike) birds. These beautiful winged predators have long excited human admiration and scientific curiosity. Paul A. Johnsgard writes with a keen appreciation of both interests, appealing to the serious birder as well as the ornithologist.
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Lewis and Clark on the Great Plains: A Natural History
By Paul A. Johnsgard '55
From the publisher: Lewis and Clark on the Great Plains is an easy-to-use reference on the wildlife that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark encountered during their 1804-6 Corps of Discovery expedition. Over one hundred animals and plants that were first carefully described and in some cases discovered by Lewis and Clark are identified here.
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Life in the Tundra
by Cherie Winner
Go on a journey across the frozen, windswept plains that lie within the Arctic Circle. Using Alaska's North Slope as an example, Life in the Tundra examines the physical features, processes, and many different species of plants and animals that make up a unique tundra ecosystem. Find out about the impact of humans on this once-pristine ecosystem and what is being done to save it. Visit this land of eternal frost and learn what makes it so special. Ages 12 and up.
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Nature of Nebraska: Ecology and Biodiversity
By Paul A. Johnsgard '55
From the publisher: Where the eastern and western currents of American life merge as smoothly as one river flows into another, is a place called Nebraska. With characteristic clarity, energy, and charm, Johnsgard guides us through Nebraska's incredible biodiversity, introducing us to each ecosystem and the flora and fauna it sustains and inviting us to contemplate the purpose and secrets of the natural world as we consider our own roles and responsibilities in our connection with it.
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North American Owls: Biology and Natural History
By Paul A. Johnsgard '55
From the publisher: Paul Johnsgard has completely updated his highly praised 1988 edition of North American Owls, and by adding twelve species of Mexican owls he now covers the entire continent of North America. This second edition presents updated information, new and modified figures and range maps, and twelve new color plates, including illustrations of Mexican owls. The number of citations has nearly doubled to 900, reflecting more than a decade's worth of scientific inquiry and discovery. As with the original North American Owls, this second edition will become the standard work in the field.
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Northwest Trees: Identifying and Understanding the Region's Native Trees
Stephen F. Arno '65 & Ramona P. Hammerly
From the publisher: A classic, sumptuously repackaged as the perfect gift for anyone who loves nature and the Northwest's crown jewels—it's trees.
- Completely updated and expanded—covers more geography and 50 percent more tree species than the previous edition
- Provides a new, easy-to-use illustrated identification key based on the most reliable and non-technical features of each species
- Features the latest knowledge on the ecology and human history associated with all Northwestern trees
- Over 250 exceptionally accurate drawings and historical photos bring these ancient giants to life.
Read a review from WSM
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Not Just Trees: The Legacy of a Douglas Fir Forest
By Jane Claire Dirks-Edmunds
From the publisher: Not Just Trees is the gracefully written story of life in an ancient Oregon Coast Range forest. Covering a span of more than 60 years, it is the tale of the mighty Douglas firs and cedars and hemlocks that once grew there. But an ancient forest is more than just trees, and this book is also about the lives of great and small creatures and plants, of slugs and worms, spiders and bugs, butterflies and birds, lichens and mosses.
Jane Claire Dirks-Edmunds began studying a small parcel of ancient forest in western Oregon while an undergraduate student at Linfield College. After receiving her doctorate she returned to Linfield to teach biology for more than 30 years and again study her beloved forest on Saddleback Mountain, recording its life through logging in the 1940s and clearcutting in the 1980s. This type of in-depth study, over so many years, has never been undertaken on a single western forest before, nor is it likely to ever be repeated.
Not Just Trees tells about the amazing variety of life in the forest. It is also the story of a tenacious woman, an ecologist who studied Oregon flora and fauna before there were guidebooks, at a time when precious few even knew what the word "ecology" meant.
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Pheasants of the World: Biology and Natural History
By Paul A. Johnsgard '55
From the publisher: Surveying all pheasant species, from North America's introduced ring-necked pheasant to the jewel-colored peafowl of southern Asia, The Pheasants of the World brings together extensive information on the comparative biology and conservation status of wild pheasant populations. This second edition incorporates new information on the conservation outlook for each species and cites nearly two hundred new references, many of which represent recent research on previously little-known pheasants of China.
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Planet Ocean: A Story of Life, the Sea and Dancing to the Fossil Record
By Bradford Matsen and Ray Troll '81
An irreverent trip through four billion years of evolution, this freewheeling excursion combines swaths of paleontology, geology and natural history, travel notes and amateur fieldwork from Kansas to British Columbia, amplified by wacky cartoons and colorful, often fantastical mixed-media drawings. Matsen and Troll, who collaborated on Shocking Fish Tales, emphasize that we are descended from fish that came ashore some 375 million years ago, giving rise to land-dwelling vertebrates. Evolution emerges here as a series of mass extinctions, improbable survivals, false starts and unsolved enigmas. Matsen and Troll bring a sense of awe and excitement to an informative, magical tour that is a lot more fun to read than standard texts and responsibly covers current scientific controversies.
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Plants of Western Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia
By Eugene N. Kozloff
From the publisher: Plants of Western Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia is the definitive guide to the rich and varied plant life of the Pacific Northwest from the shores of the Pacific Ocean east to the crest of the Cascades, and from northwestern California through Oregon, Washington, and into British Columbia.
. . . Plants of Western Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia is for biologists and amateur naturalists alike who wish to have a comprehensive yet convenient, up-to-date, well-illustrated book for easy identification of all the plants of the Pacific Northwest.
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Prairie Birds: Fragile Splendor in the Great Plains
Paul A. Johnsgard '55
One of America's preeminent ornithologists, Johnsgard blends science, nature, and personal observations to tell the life histories of thirty-three grassland birds. Writing with precision and passion, he draws from his own observations to convey the magic of prairie birds, taking readers hawk-watching at Scotts Bluff or beside a prairie river on a spring evening with song sparrows in the willow thickets and cranes at the water's edge.
The book features forty-seven drawings by the author, including graphic keys to birdsongs. Appendixes provide an annotated list of more than one hundred prairie preserves, bird checklists for primary refuges and sanctuaries, and a list of all birds and plants mentioned in the text. A list of more than 600 citations makes this a definitive reference as well as a pleasurable read.
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Prairie Dog Empire: A Saga of the Shortgrass Prairie
By Paul A. Johnsgard '55
From the publisher: An indispensable and highly readable introduction to the ecosystem of the shortgrass prairie, Prairie Dog Empire describes in clear and detailed terms the habitat and habits of black-tailed prairie dogs; their subsistence, seasonal behavior, and the makeup of their vast colonies; and the ways in which their "towns" transform the surrounding terrain—for better or worse. Paul A. Johnsgard recounts how this terrain was in turn transformed over the past century by the destruction of prairie dogs and their grassland habitats, together with the removal of the bison and their replacement with domestic livestock. A disturbing look at profound ecological alterations in the environment, this book also offers a rare and invaluable close-up view of the rich history and threatened future of the creature once considered the "keystone" species of the western plains. Included are maps, drawings, and listings of more than two hundred natural grassland preserves where many of the region's native plants and animals may still be seen and studied.
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Return to Warden's Grove
by Christopher Norment
Based on three seasons of field research in the Canadian Arctic, Christopher Norment's exquisitely crafted meditation on science and nature, wildness and civilization, is marked by bottomless prose, reflection on timeless questions, and keen observations of the world and our place in it. In an era increasingly marked by cutting-edge research at the cellular and molecular level, what is the role for scientists of sympathetic observation? What can patient waiting tell us about ourselves and our place in the world?
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Salamanders
by Cherie Winner
An informational presentation of interesting facts and descriptions about salamanders in a variety of settings. Great photographs accompany the text. Conservation is stressed for the survival of these animals.
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The Niobrara: A River Running through Time
By Paul A. Johnsgard '55
This first book-length study of the Niobrara is a comprehensive look at an ecological treasure. Paul A. Johnsgard reviews the river’s history from its geologic past through prehistoric settlement to the present and highlights its historical and biological features. Writing from this crossroads of eastern and western species, Johnsgard also describes the Niobrara’s varied plants and animals, providing extensive information on bird populations. He offers portraits of sixteen species of special conservation concern, such as the black-tailed prairie dog and the olive-backed pocket mouse. Drawings by Johnsgard, information tables on various species, plus site lists make the book an invaluable reference. It conveys the Niobrara’s value as a recreational and scientific resource to help visitors better appreciate this riparian paradise while offering specialists an unimpeachable guide to its scientific riches. The Niobrara includes chapters by Jon Farrar and Duane Gudgel.
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Waterfowl of North America: The Complete Ducks, Geese, and Swans
Robin Hill and Paul A. Johnsgard '55
