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North Carolina

The books are arranged by publication date with the most recent at the top of the page.

USA

USA bird books

Field Guide to Birds of The Carolinas

Nate Swick

American Birding Association

Scott & Nix Inc

2016

"The American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of the Carolinas includes 290 species birders are most likely to see in the state. Illustrated with hundreds of crisp, color photographs, it includes descriptions of birds written by an expert Carolina birder along with tips of when and where to see them. It’s the perfect companion for anyone interested in the amazing diversity and beauty of the birds of North and South Carolina."

North Carolina State Parks

Thomas A. Lehman and Michael T. Lee

2013

"In North Carolina State Parks, Thomas Lehman and Michael Lee treat readers to a multidimensional view of the developed parks with 300 photos, and text that ranges over park features, botany, ecology, geology, history, funding of park development, and on almost every page an appreciation of the parks' natural beauty. The authors frequently move from descriptions to explanations of the parks' natural phenomena. The book will inspire readers to get into the parks and appreciate them as the state's great natural treasure."

Southern Birds: Backyard Guide

Bill Thompson III

2013

"Inside, you'll find profiles of the 55 most common birds in the South, complete with large color photos, gender-specific physical descriptions, nesting and feeding information, bird call particulars, and interesting stories about each species. Thompson also introduces the reader to the basics of bird watching: essential gear, bird-friendly food and plantings, housing tips, and observational techniques. This guide covers North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, and eastern Texas."

Birds of North Carolina

Todd Telander

Falcon Press

2012

Wild North Carolina: Discovering the Wonders of Our State's Natural Communities

David Blevins and Michael P. Schafale

2011

"Celebrating the beauty, diversity, and significance of the state's natural landscapes, Wild North Carolina provides an engaging, beautifully illustrated introduction to North Carolina's interconnected webs of plant and animal life. From dunes and marshes to high mountain crags, through forests, swamps, savannas, ponds, pocosins, and flatrocks, David Blevins and Michael Schafale reveal in words and photographs natural patterns of the landscape that will help readers see familiar places in a new way and new places with a sense of familiarity. Wild North Carolina introduces the full range of the state's diverse natural communities, each brought to life with compelling accounts of their significance and meaning, arresting photographs featuring broad vistas and close-ups, and details on where to go to experience them first hand. Blevins and Schafale provide nature enthusiasts of all levels with the insights they need to value the state's natural diversity, highlighting the reasons plants and animals are found where they are, as well as the challenges of conserving these special places."

America's Wetland: An Environmental and Cultural History of Tidewater Virginia and North Carolina

Roy T. Sawyer

2010

"In this engaging book, biologist and Tidewater native Roy T. Sawyer delivers an ecohistory of this unique waterland whose wind-driven tides cover a rich human and natural past. Jutting prominently into the Atlantic, this wetland is the final stop for the warmth of the Gulf Stream before it is deflected from the American mainland. At the top of a narrow, warm coastal strip, it provides an ideal home for a vast array of animal and plant life, including prodigious numbers of reptiles (such as the world's northernmost population of alligators) and overwintering waterfowl. It is also home to the oldest known living trees east of the Rocky Mountains. The climate and geography made the area a natural choice for very early human habitation - as far back as the last ice age, when the region was a rich oasis just south of a veritable tundra. In examining the impact of humans upon this environment, and vice versa, Sawyer reveals how our alarming short-sightedness has produced a fragile and endangered present. Although human manipulation started here as early as ten thousand years ago (coinciding with extinction of mammoths and other megafauna), the environment has been altered most radically over only the last one hundred years, particularly in regard to land drainage, deforestation, overfishing, and pollution. The author provides an authoritative overview of the human impact on these wetlands and suggests ways in which we might still salvage them. In so doing, he explores the effects of hurricanes, droughts, forest fires, and ice ages of the past - and anticipates, in this age of global warming, natural events that may be still to come."

Mountain Nature: A Seasonal Natural History of the Southern Appalachians

Jennifer Frick-Ruppert

2010

"The Southern Appalachians are home to a breathtakingly diverse array of living things - from delicate orchids to carnivorous pitcher plants, from migrating butterflies to flying squirrels, and from brawny black bears to more species of salamander than anywhere else in the world. Mountain Nature is a lively and engaging account of the ecology of this remarkable region. It explores the animals and plants of the Southern Appalachians and the webs of interdependence that connect them. Within the region's roughly 35 million acres, extending from north Georgia through the Carolinas to northern Virginia, exists a mosaic of habitats, each fostering its own unique natural community."

The North Carolina Birding Trail: Mountain Trail Guide

2009

"The third of three regional guides, the "Mountain Trail Guide" presents 105 premier birding destinations in the North Carolina mountains, from the Tennessee border in the west to Interstate 77 in the east. The spiral-bound volume features maps, detailed site descriptions, and color photographs throughout. Each site description includes directions as well as information on access, focal species and habitats, and on-site visitor amenities. Special 'while you're in the area' listings accompany each of eighteen site groupings, so visitors can travel to a cluster of birding destinations and enjoy other local highlights and attractions along the way."

Life Along the Inner Coast: A Naturalist's Guide to the Sounds, Inlets, Rivers, and Intracoastal Waterway from Norfolk to Key West

Robert L. Lippson and Alice Jane Lippson

2009

"This dense system of waterways contains an incredible range of salinity levels, from fresh to brackish to oceanic, and is host to flora and fauna that have adapted to both specific and broad ranges of ecological habitats. The Lippsons explore each habitat, from wooded wetlands, broad marshes, and sandy beaches, to the hundreds of piers and pilings thrusting into the waters, to the vast shallow waters rich in populations of fish, crabs, mollusks, and myriad other marine creatures. They describe more than 800 species that are beautifully illustrated with meticulous ink drawings and photographs and organized according to habitat type and geographic region. Ranging from the busy commercial harbor at Norfolk through vast expanses of marshlands of the mid-Atlantic to the tropical mangrove islands of Florida, "Life along the Inner Coast" offers readers a rich understanding of the relationships between organisms and where they live. It is a valuable resource for naturalists, students, and anyone who lives or vacations along the Atlantic Inner Coast."

The North Carolina Birding Trail: Piedmont Trail Guide

2008

"North Carolina harbors an incredible diversity of habitats that provide food and shelter for more than 440 bird species throughout the year. The NC Birding Trail is a driving trail linking birders and tourists with great birding sites across the state and the local communities in which they are found.This second of three regional guides presents over 100 birding destinations between Interstate 95 and Charlotte. The spiral-bound volume features maps, detailed site descriptions, and color photographs throughout. Each site description includes directions as well as information on access, focal species and habitats, and on-site visitor amenities. Special "while you're in the area" listings accompany each site grouping, so visitors can travel to a cluster of birding destinations and enjoy other local highlights and attractions along the way."

The North Carolina Birding Trail: Coastal Plain Trail Guide

2008

"The first of three regional guides, the "Coastal Plain Trail Guide" presents 102 birding destinations east of Interstate 95. The spiral-bound volume features maps, detailed site descriptions, and color photographs throughout. Each site description includes directions as well as information on access, focal species and habitats, and on-site visitor amenities. Special "while you're in the area" listings accompany each of sixteen site groupings, so visitors can travel to a cluster of birding destinations and enjoy other local highlights and attractions along the way."

A Natural History Guide to Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Donald W. Linzey

2008

"The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of America's most beautiful and popular national parks. Located in the southern Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, it is home to more than 100,000 species of plants and animals. The grandeur and sheer scale of the park has been captured in Donald W. Linzey's new book, Natural History Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is the most extensive volume available on the park's natural history. Written from the perspective of a naturalist who has spent over fifty years conducting research in the park, this volume not only discusses the park's plant and animal life but also explores the impact that civilization has played in altering the area's landscape."

The Naturalist's Guide to the Atlantic Seashore: Beach Ecology from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras

Scott W. Shurnway

2008

"From the North Carolina's Outer Banks to Maine's rocky coast, this comprehensive guidebook covers the ecology, wildlife, plants and ocean creatures in full-colour photographs and vivid detail. No other book includes all of the plants, animals, and terrain along this stretch of coastline, making this a must-have for anyone who lives or recreates near the Atlantic. The diverse habitats of the seashore, from the Rocky Shores to Sandy Beaches, Estuaries, Tidal Flats, Salt Marshes, Seagrass Meadows, and the Open Ocean are explored in detail in this user-friendly guide and natural history. The easy-to-use layout, comprehensive index, water-resistant cover and guaranteed binding make this a beautiful volume of natural history and biodiversity."

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

Ernest Preston Edwards

2007

"This 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. The 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."

Birds of the Carolinas

Eloise F. Potter, James F. Parnell, Robert P. Teulings, Ricky Davis

2nd edition

2006

"The well-loved standard reference for bird-watchers and nature lovers in North Carolina and South Carolina, "Birds of the Carolinas" collects information on all avian species known to have occurred in the region since 1900. This thoroughly revised second edition describes more than 460 individual species, including 59 new species that have been recorded since the publication of the first edition in 1980. Updated entries for all species reflect the current status of bird life as well as major changes in taxonomy and nomenclature. Each species account indicates when and where the bird is most likely to be found in the Carolinas, its nesting habits, feeding habits, and descriptive information useful in identifying the species. Generously illustrated with 350 color photographs, this comprehensive guide to regional birds and their behavior will quickly earn a prominent place on the bookshelf of every bird-watcher in the Carolinas."

Compact Guide to North Carolina Birds

Curtis Smalling and Gregory Kennedy

2006

Birding North Carolina: More Than 40 Premier Birding Locations

Editor: Marshall Brooks and Mark Johns

A Falcon Guide

Falcon Press

2005

"South Carolina is a birder's paradise, with more than 480 species having been recorded in the state. Christmas bird counts along the coast often yield some of the highest species totals on the entire East Coast. Highly sought-after birds - such as wood stork, swallow-tailed kite, purple gallinule, red-cockaded woodpecker, swainson's warbler, painted bunting, and Bachman's sparrow - can be found with ease during the appropriate season. Birding South Carolina provides detailed descriptions of forty premier birding locations across the state. For each location, detailed information is given on which birds one is likely to see - whether in cypress swamps or salt marshes, on beaches or mountains - and when to find them."

Field Guide to Birds: Carolinas

Editor: Jonathan Alderfer

2005

"In each guide, an introduction by an expert birder from the region offers guidance on where to look for key birds. An opening section gives pointers on how to look for key birds and what to focus on when you spot them. Each guide features approximately 150 birds, grouped by family. Two indexes: one alphabetical and one color-coded help readers identify a bird quickly. Each entry has a vivid photograph showing the bird in its native habitat. On the facing page, there is a list of bulleted points of field identification clues as well as behavioral and habitat information, and the best local places to find the bird. Special field notes give additional i.d. or behavioral information and detailed maps show the range of each bird's habitat. With comprehensive coverage of the region and valuable advice from experts, these user-friendly guides will quickly become favorite companions on the journey to lifelong birding."

A Field Guide to North Atlantic Wildlife: Marine Mammals, Seabirds, Fish, and Other Sealife

Noble S. Proctor and Patrick J. Lynch

2005

"This beautifully illustrated guide covers an unprecedented range of species that may be sighted along the coastline or offshore by the whale watcher, bird watcher, fisher, boating enthusiast, or natural history buff. Designed in a handy pocket size, the book provides concise information for identifying the invertebrates, mammals, birds, turtles, fish, sharks and rays, and even floating seaweeds and common algae that live along the Atlantic coast and offshore from North Carolina to the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. With range maps and text on pages directly opposite the full-colour illustrations, the book makes identification of more than two hundred species of offshore wildlife quick and easy. Special features include full-page spreads to compare similar species of seabirds, and inserts to help identify whales by their blowhole patterns, diving, and other behaviours. Those with an interest in ocean life know that surprises often appear at the end of a fishing line, floating beside the boat, washed up on the shore, or flying overhead. This is the ultimate guide for those who are curious about such creatures and the marine environment in which they dwell."

Birds of the Carolinas: Field Guide

Stan Tekiela

2004

"Learn about and identify birds using Stan Tekiela's state-by-state field guides. The full-page, color photos are incomparable and include insets of winter plumage, color morphs and more. Plus, with the easy-to-use format, you don't need to know a bird's name or classification in order to easily find it in the book."

A Birder's Guide to Coastal North Carolina

John O. Fussell III

2nd edition

2001

"Offers advice on watching the four hundred species of birds found in North Carolina's national seashores, national forests, wildlife refuges, state parks, and game lands."

A Naturalist's Guide to the Southern Blue Ridge Front

L.L. Gaddy

2000

"This field guide offers detailed descriptions of more than fifty natural areas in the "gorge" region of the Blue Ridge province. Veteran naturalist L. L. Gaddy, Jr., shares his extensive knowledge of this scenic, biologically diverse region, which runs from North Carolina's Linville Gorge to Tallulah Gorge in Georgia, and offers practical advice on how to best experience its many rock pinnacles, deep ravines, wildflower coves, and spectacular waterfalls. Describing areas that range in size from less than fifty to more than ten thousand acres, Gaddy provides comprehensive information on well-known sites -- Table Rock State Park, Caesar's Head State Park, Whiteside Mountain, Chimney Rock Park, and Raven Cliff Falls -- along with many lesser-known areas -- Wolf's Lair, Thompson River Gorge, Chattooga River Narrows, and Chauga River Gorge. For each location he outlines points of interest, flora and fauna (including rare plants and endangered wildlife), and other natural features."

Exploring North Carolina's Natural Areas: Parks, Nature Preserves and Hiking Trails

Editor: Dirk Frankenberg

2000

"North Carolina boasts a natural environment of exceptional richness and diversity. From the mountains to the coast, the state is home to an extraordinary variety of publicly accessible sites that showcase aspects of its ecology, geology, biology, and natural history. This book leads the reader on thirty-eight field trips to some of the most interesting and instructive of these natural landscapes. Written by leading naturalists from across the state, this collection of "eco-tours" includes excursions to each of its four major regions: the coast, the Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, and the mountains."

North Carolina Birds: An Introduction to Familiar Species

James Kavanagh and Raymond Leung

2000

A laminated, fold-out guide to common bird species found in North Caolina.

Seasonal Guide to the Natural Year: North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee

John Rucker

1996

Use this month-by-month guide to natural events to discover the rich wildlife, wildflowers, and national treasures of the Carolinas and Tennessee.

Birds of the Blue Ridge Mountains

Marcus B. Simpson

1992

A Guide for the Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah National Park, and Neighboring Areas.

Finding Birds in the National Capital Area

Claudia Wilds

2nd edition

1992

"In the second edition of Finding Birds in the National Capital Area, Claudia Wilds updates her classic guide with new maps, directions, and descriptions, providing information on birding from Delaware to North Carolina accessible to the notice and detailed enough for the experienced birder."

North Carolina Wildlife Viewing Guide

Charles E. Roe

1992

A guide to wildlife viewing sites.

Birds of North Carolina

T. Gilbert Pearson, C.S. Brimley and H.H. Brimley

North Carolina geological And Economic Survey

1919

From the introduction:

"The present volume, Birds of North Carolina, is a joint publication of the North Carolina Geological and Economic Survey, the State Audubon Society of North Carolina, and the State Museum. Mr. T. Gilbert Pearson, former Secretary of the North Carolina Audubon Society, was asked to take the supervision of the work, and, after consultation with Messrs. H. H. and C. S. Brimley, they decided on a joint authorship. The State Audubon Society of North Carolina for the study and protection of wild birds and animals authorized the preparation of the material, and appropriated the necessary funds to have prepared the original drawings and paintings with which it is illustrated. The object of this publication is to place in the hands of interested persons a book of ready reference which will be of assistance to them in acquiring further information regarding the birds of North Carolina; and also to preserve in permanent form the hitherto widely scattered data relative to the distribution and occurrence of the many rare species that have been found to occur within the borders of the State. To assist the student in identifying birds, an artificial key to the various orders, families, genera, and species of birds has been given, as well as a detailed description of each one treated. As a still further aid, the book has been somewhat more fully illustrated than is usual in works of this character. A record of the presence of a rare bird is of little scientific value unless the date and place of its appearance are noted; hence there is frequent mention in the text of the year, month, and day when birds of infrequent occurrence have been noted, together with a citation of the authorities for the statement."