Product Description

Filled with concise descriptions and stunning photographs, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest belongs in the home of every Pacific Northwest resident and in the suitcase or backpack of every visitor. This compact volume contains:

An easy-to-use field guide for identifying 1,000 of the region's wildflowers, trees, mushrooms, mosses, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, butterflies, mammals, and much more;

A complete overview of the Pacific Northwest's natural history, covering geology, wildlife habitats, ecology, fossils, rocks and minerals, clouds and weather patterns and night sky;

An extensive sampling of the area's best parks, preserves, beaches, forests, islands, and wildlife sanctuaries, with detailed descriptions and visitor information for 50 sites and notes on dozens of others.

The guide is packed with visual information--the 1,500 full-color images include more than 1,300 photographs, 14 maps, and 16 night-sky charts, as well as 150 drawings explaining everything from geological processes to the basic features of different plants and animals.

For everyone who lives or spends time in Washington or Oregon, there can be no finer guide to the area's natural surroundings than the National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86464 in Books
• Published on: 1998-05-26
• Released on: 1998-05-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Amazon.com Review
The Pacific Northwest is a cornucopia of extraordinary outdoor diversity. Pocket- and purse-friendly, this field guide covers habitats (subalpine meadows to rain forests to desert shrub to salt marshes) in addition to topography and geology (with explanations of the Oregon Dunes, Columbia Plateau Basalts, Mount St. Helens volcano, and a variety of minerals). Flora and fauna, however, make up the bulk of the book, with 1,000 of the most common species found in the Pacific Northwest. From mushrooms and algae to trees and wildflowers, fishes, frogs, flies, birds, and mammals, each species is identified with a color picture, short description, and notes on the habitat and season in which you'd encounter it. There's also an excellent chapter on Northwesterners' favorite topic of conversation--the weather--plus a guide to constellations and the night sky, for those evenings when it's clear. It behooves anyone who likes nature and lives in or visits the Pacific Northwest to carry the easy-to-use and beautifully put-together Audubon Society Field Guide at all times. --Stephanie Gold

From the Inside Flap
Filled with concise descriptions and stunning photographs, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest belongs in the home of every Pacific Northwest resident and in the suitcase or backpack of every visitor. This compact volume contains:

An easy-to-use field guide for identifying 1,000 of the region's wildflowers, trees, mushrooms, mosses, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, butterflies, mammals, and much more;

A complete overview of the Pacific Northwest's natural history, covering geology, wildlife habitats, ecology, fossils, rocks and minerals, clouds and weather patterns and night sky;

An extensive sampling of the area's best parks, preserves, beaches, forests, islands, and wildlife sanctuaries, with detailed descriptions and visitor information for 50 sites and notes on dozens of others.

The guide is packed with visual information -- the 1,500 full-color images include more than 1,300 photographs, 14 maps, and 16 night-sky charts, as well as 150 drawings explaining everything from geological processes to the basic features of different plants and animals.

For everyone who lives or spends time in Washington or Oregon, there can be no finer guide to the area's natural surroundings than the National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest.

About the Author
Peter Alden, principal author of this series, is a birder, naturalist, author, and lecturer. He has led nature tours to more than 100 countries for the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Lindblad Travel, Friends of the Harvard Musum of Natural History, and cruises on all the world's oceans. Author of books on North American, Latin American, and African wildlife, Peter organized an event called Biodiversity Day in his hometown of Concord, Massachusetts.

Dennis Paulson, contributing author and regional consultant for this guide, is Director of the Slater Museum of Natural History at the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington.

Customer Reviews

If you can carry only one field guide, this is the one.
On a recent trip to Washington, I packed this book, my only field guide, in my carry on flight bag. It worked beautifully! As an easterner there are a lot of plants and animals in the Pacific Northwest that I am not familar with, but this book helped me on numerous occasions. I was never in an environment like the Columbia Plateau before and all around me were these two plants that dominated the landscape. Having no idea what species they where, I opened the book and immediately found Big Sagebush and Gray Rabbitbush, side by side, just as they were growing. I was able to determine that the Chickadee over my head at another time was not the Black-Capped I was fimilar with but rather the Chestnut-Backed, a new species for me. The part on Parks and Preserves was also very helpful, especially when used in connection with other tour books. With the increase restrictions on airline carry-ons this is the one book to take with you. It is all encompassing from Geology, Habitats, Weather (cloud watching from the plane window) through Flora and Faunna to Parks and Preserves. A very good idea presented in a very useable format.

A nice gift for a newcomer (or yourself!)
In attempts to find the 'perfect' gift for an active, outdoorsy newcomer to the Pacific Northwest, I stumbled across this guide. Considering the National Audubon Society's reputation for quality material, along with the recommendations and details provided by preceding Amazon reviewers, I took the plunge and bought copies for both of us!

(Since I currently reside in the desert southwest; I definitely needed assistance!)

After retrieving his package from the front porch and opening it at the end of a long day at work, my friend wrote, "The Audubon Field Guide is WAY cool. I spent about 15 minutes thumbing through it last night before I even took off my coat."

Soon thereafter, I opened this addition to my own library. At 15-16 oz, this is a serious weight to consider carrying on a long backpacking trip -- but not so frivolous if you relish identifying everything you're seeing! Its compact size makes it a perfect picnic basket/day pack addition for day trips, and when you're not out exploring, it's a handy kitchen/coffee table reference when you gaze out the window. This is a great all-around first guide for a casual/budding naturalist!

I can't wait to use it on my next trip!

Good All Around Guide
I used this guide while on a hiking vacation through the Olympic Peninsula (Washington). Kept it in my backpack and found myself grabbing for it so much I eventually had it tucked in my back pocket. It is nice and compact. The pages have a glossy sheen so the occasional misting from coastal waters or common shower will not ruin it. It has everything in it (animals, trees, mushrooms, lichens, flowers, shrubs, insects...) and nice info on nature preserves, landscape and the weather. It was a great way to not just appreciate the beuaty of the hike, but learn about what I was seeing (a nice diversion on a 10 mile hike). Don't expect a lot of subject depth. Remember, it can fit into your pocket (sticking out the top).