Birds of Shenandoah National Park...

Birds of Shenandoah National Park,

Blue Ridge Parkway,

and Great Smoky Mountains

National Park

A Field Guide

Ernest P. Edwards

Principal Illustrator

Edward Murrell Butler

May 2006 4.5" x 7.5"

x + 142 pages

Approximately 55 full-color pages

Index

(0-939923-96-3) $19.95

Birds of Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a compact, current, easy-to-use field guide that identifies 336 species of birds that have been reported from in and near the Blue Ridge in North Carolina and Virginia and the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. This guide applies to one of the most beautiful and biologically rich regions of eastern North America, it includes only those species of birds that will be found in the region, and it can be used with comfort, confidence, and pleasure by casual and beginning observers as well as those with more extensive experience.

A Preface and short Introduction explain the author’s rationale for preparing a book on birds of this region, describe the structure of the book, identify various parts of a generalized bird’s anatomy, and provide small-scale maps of Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Most of the guide consists of information about some 336 species of birds that are known to occur, or to have occurred recently, in the region. For the 252 species that occur regularly in the region, text containing identification information is presented on left-hand pages and figures of the birds, most of which are in color, appear on the facing right-hand pages. Another 38 species that occur only rarely or in extremely localized contexts in the area are listed separately and are accompanied by abbreviated descriptions and color illustrations. A third list includes 46 or so species that might have been seen only once or twice in the last 50 or 100 years; each of these species is accompanied by a brief line description but no color illustration.

A checklist of birds of the region, organized taxonomically by order and family, follows the descriptions of species. An index of species included in the guide, arranged alphabetically by common name, is at the end of the book.

The area covered by this guide extends approximately 20 miles on either side of the Skyline Drive (in Shenandoah National Park) and the Blue Ridge Parkway, and about 5 miles beyond the borders of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Thus defined, the region of coverage includes (a) all of the Blue Ridge in Virginia north of Roanoke, as well as the Valley of Virginia to the west and the western Piedmont to the east; (b) most of the Blue Ridge between Roanoke (VA) and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina, as well as the western Piedmont to the east; and (c) all of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as well as the area up to 5 miles beyond the park in North Carolina and Tennessee.

Our Christian families spread out across the country at vacation time. Perhaps your children will go off to Bible camps. If you happen to be near the Great Smoky Mountains National park, [this] field guide will be worthwhile investing in. ...I dislike having to figure out what bird family a bird might belong to before I can look up information on it. This field guide solves that problem quite easily. The introduction provides maps of the region covered, a list of terms, and even a picture of the parts of a bird so you have an easier time looking for the identifying features of a specific bird. ...If I lived in the Virginias or just vacationed there, I would want to own this book. ...You won't have to week through detailed explanations involving evolution anywhere in this book.

Covering 336 species, this region-specific guide is convenient and packable. This is a good book for a beginning observer in this region.

-- C.R., (Southeastern Naturalist, Vol. 5, No. 3), Humboldt Field Research Institute, January 2007.

Beginning and some intermediate birders who watch birds primarily in the southern Appalachians will find this guide useful because it narrows identifications down to the most likely species....Since the guide is very small and lightweight, it can easily be carried into the field. For that reason, it may be good for backpackers who need to reduce weight as much as possible. ...birders in the Mid-Atlantic region outside of the Appalachians may use this book profitably. Most species found in the Blue Ridge are present in other areas at one time or another during the year, and vice-versa.

Ernest Preston Edwards is ... an authority on the birds of Mexico. But the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia are Edwards' backyard, and he has produced the handiest of guides for those of us who are never happier than when tramping through those hills, binoculars in hand, looking for birds. Edwards' field guide would come in handy almost anywhere in Virginia's uplands and quite likely in West Virginia, Maryland and eastern Tennessee, as well. For once, someone who really knows birds has given us a truly compact, backpackable field guide.... It is ... a must-have guide....

Birds of Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a convenient, full-color field guide that lends itself to easy use by amateur birdwatchers and professional researchers alike. Birds of Shenandoah National Park features a brief entry for each of 336 avian species sighted in the area of Blue Ridge in North Carolina and Virginia, and the Great Smoky Mountains. Each entry consists of the species' common name, its scientific name, its approximate size, a verbal description of its appearance and characteristic habits, and a brief summary of where it can be found during what seasons of the year; yet by far the most valuable identifier are the illustrations, almost all of which are in full color. An index, a checklist, and a brief supplementary section of birds that are not common in the area round out this elegantly useful guide.

— James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Mid-West Book Review, Oregon, WI, Small Press Bookwatch, July 2006

...detailed, brightly colored illustrations by Edward Murrell Butler make it easier for novices to distinguish between species with similar markings. If you ride through the Appalachian corridor frequently and would like to know more about the birds you see along the way, I happily recommend this book to you. Its compact format travels well and adds a new dimension to your travels along Appalachian highways.

This book is unique in providing a quick reference and guide to birds that one might expect to find when visiting the parks throughout the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains.

— Warren Bielenberg, former Shenandoah Chief Naturalist, National Park Service

Whether you are a casual backyard birdwatcher just learning to identify woodland birds or an experienced birder with a shelf full of field guides, this is the book for you! A regional field guide for the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive will have a place in your back pack as you hike the trails or tucked conveniently under the front seat as you enjoy cruising the roads. The descriptions of the birds are detailed (yet brief), the comments on habitat are helpful, and the illustrations on the facing page are very nice.

What a gem this little book is! Crisp and succinct descriptions of pertinent field marks, ranges, distribution, and habitats are complemented by very helpful illustrations on the facing pages. Top that off with easy-to-read maps, a list of unusual and extremely rare species, and a checklist of the birds listed in the main text, and you’ve got the perfect field guide for a hike in the mountains, a ride on the Blue Ridge or through the Great Smokies, or a day of exploring the nearby areas of North Carolina, Tennessee, or Virginia.

Dr. Ernest P. Edwards is an ornithologist with wide experience in teaching, research, administration, and publication. His formal higher education took place at the University of Virginia (B.A. in Biology, 1940) and Cornell University (M.A., 1941; Ph.D., 1949), and he served in the US Army during World War II and the Korean War. Early in his career, Dr. Edwards taught at the University of Kentucky and the University of the Pacific, served as Associate Director of the Houston Museum of Natural History, lectured for the National Audubon Society, and led bird-watching tours to Mexico — the last activity leading to the publication of his first book Finding Birds in Mexico, in 1955.

In 1965, Dr. Edwards returned to the East Coast when he joined the faculty at Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Virginia, a position he held for 25 years and during which time he taught many courses in the natural sciences and wrote and published several books on ornithology. Since his retirement from Sweet Briar in 1990 as Dorys McConnell Duberg Professor of Ecology, Dr. Edwards has remained active in travel, research, and writing.

Birds of Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park: