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12 - Orono Weekly Times Wednesday, November 30, 2011 Stray Feathers... Books, books and more books by Jim Richards With Christmas just around the corner, it's never too early to be thinking of some inexpensive gifts for a friend or family member. If anyone in your fold has a penchant for birds (casual or serious), now might be a good time to be thinking of a good book or field guide. Unfortunately there are no current books detailing birdlife in Durham. The only one of its kind (Birds of the OshawaLake Scugog Region, Ontario), was published in 1974 by my co-author Ron Tozer (retired Park Naturalist in Algonquin Park) and myself. Fortunately, it sold out in the first year, and we have never reprinted it. However, with the aid of this column, I will attempt to impart a bit of knowledge on area birds in the future as the months roll by. In the meantime, there are numerous books dealing with the birds of Ontario in area bookshops. One that catches the eye is Birds of Ontario by J. M. Hughes. Because it was published by the Royal Ontario Museum, many folks seem to gravitate towards this particular text. I should point out though that the book is far from authoritative, and is not worth the $27.00 it sells for. For an excellent text with good artwork, range maps and reliable information, I would recommend Birds of Ontario by A. Bezener, published by Lone Pine, and sells for the same price. The only drawback is that the birds depicted are mainly in summer breeding plumage; not much help for winter and autumn migration identification; however the text is informative, and its well worth the cost. I can highly recommend this book. A book designed for the real beginner called Common Birds of Ontario by J. D. Sept published in 2004 sells for about $13.00, but I cannot recommend it for everyone, as it only covers a small portion of the species one would encounter in this vast province. The `bible' for birders and covering all regular bird species in Canada is The Birds of Canada by W. E. Godfrey, and published by the National Museums of Canada. Even though it was printed (revised edition) in 1986, it still remains the best of its kind for the entire country. The maps and plates are excellent, and the information on distribution, migration, breeding ranges, etc., is unsurSTRAY FEATHERS see page 14 ORONO WEEKLY TIMES 905-983-5301 BOOK REVIEW Continued from pg 11 Guns is in part the author's way of conducting his own exorcism. The atrocities he has had to witness are the devils that can devour. In sharing his experiences, the Lt.-Col's devils are out in the open and hopefully becoming easier to deal with. Conrad's message (Scarce Heard) is still definitely clear: the Canadian government (The Guns) is not maintaining its support for world peace through what used to be the number one peacekeeping force worldwide, the Canadian military. Lt.-Col. John Conrad, who has served with the Canadian Force for almost 30 years, is a resident of Orono. Copies of his book Scarce Heard Amid the Guns are available for sale at the Orono Times office for $26.99, and can also be ordered online through Amazon.com.