Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Humboldt County, California

Book excerpt: This 450 page book is a culmination of 5 years of organized survey by amateur and professional birders, a biological survey effort unique in the history of wildlife study in northwestern California. The atlas is a collection of distribution maps and narrative accounts for each of the 181 species found to breed in Humboldt County from 1995-1999. Results of the five-year snapshol are fully discussed, with analysis of historical and atlas-period breeding status; description of landscapes and habitats used by each species; landform, vegetation, and other maps; conservation concerns; and a digest of the breeding evidence reported. Introductory chapters describe geography and project methodology. Adding to the appeal are 68 original pen-and-ink bird portraits commissioned especially for this project.