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Birds Of North America Video

Birds Of North America – Filmed by Paul Doherty, Narrated by Bill Oddie – A Bird Images Video Guide http://www.cursorius.com/BirdImages.html Supplied by Bird Images
Available from Bird Images Video Guides, 28 Carousel Walk, Sherburn in Elmet, N Yorks LS25 6LP UK Price £24.95p

As with all the guides in this series the photography is absolutely stunning and production values second to none. Watching it was a pleasure as every shot seemed to be clear, crisp and in perfect light.

The opening words of the narrator (Bill Oddie) that you should not watch this straight through but dip into it and go backwards and forwards to familiarise yourself with each bird is great advice that I ignored. I watched the first of the two videos at one sitting because I was enjoying it so much. I admit to fast forwarding the most familiar species, those that are common here in the UK, and I did pause and rewind some of the raptors wanting to start the process of inculcating these birds ready for my trip to Canada next May. As each of the videos lasts for nearly two hours I will be using them to dip into often over the coming weeks and the cover giving exact locations on the video of each species will be invaluable (although it would have been nice to have this as an insert too so that one could easily read it… presently it has to be removed or viewed through the translucent plastic cover.

Some time back I reviewed another guide from the same stable, that to Gulls. I was less than complimentary about the voice of Bill Oddie and his script – whereas I saw the necessity for some oft-repeated phrases [especially when one is dipping I to access any given species] I did find it rather tedious – even Bill, that ever-enthusiastic birder, seemed a bit bored. This is NOT the case with this video. The commentary is, for the most part sharp, apposite and useful and Bill`s enthusiasm for North American species was obvious.

What`s best about this product over and above the superb and crisp filming? In my view it is the use of still frames; stop action shots to illustrate ID features. How often have you sat in front of the TV tuned to a documentary which you hope will feature some birds only to be frustrated by a cursory glance or a shot of a bird flying off; exiting stage left? If only you could pause the action you could have seen the bird from the sort of angle life displays and not the one in the field guide! This sort of product is ideal for just this. These are real birds, in real habitats displaying real behaviour – books obviously show ideal views in ideal poses. So when a wader flies off and the action stops whilst it is explained that you should look at the birds` armpits as it flies away to get a clinching ID, nothing could be better!

Some while ago I was looking for a picture of a particular American raptor and could only find a rather poor one. The hawk seemed out of focus and dull. It was only on seeing this video that it dawned on me that it had not been a poor photograph at all – the bird is much more cryptic in the flesh (or rather the feather) than the portrait in the field guide led me to believe.

Another great feature of the video is that it often shows a range of plumage conditions, and birds of both sexes and different ages pointing out when appropriate that at some plumage stages certain birds can still be separated from similar species quite easily when you know how – and, of course, Paul and Bill do know how!

So, whether you are a North American wanting help with her backyard birds, a potential visitor to that continent or a European birder hoping that the gales blow something your way, this video will be a much visited asset – buy it!

Fatbirder

Created: 8th Feb 2002