We love to hear your feedback on the books and wildlife equipment we stock – here, Mike Nelson, from the USA, shares his thoughts on Phillips’ Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo: Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan.
“I went to Sabah, Borneo in August of 2009 before this was published and I wish I would have had it then. I did take the The Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali, which was sufficient, but as it was published in ’93 some of the info was out of date and not specific to the area I was birding. The art work for that guide was done by Karen Phillipps who has done the art work for this new book. This guide is set up like most with a plate on the right and info and range maps on the left. The range maps are a plus over the older version. Also the first two pages are a quick guide to the plates with a representative bird pictured with the corresponding page. Helpful for looking up birds quickly. The next several pages are filled with graphic indexes of birds common to specific habitats. Several pages follow about the layout of the book, Bornean endemics and helpful info about vegetation, birding sites, climate and migration. Then comes the heart of the book with all the species accounts. The info about each bird has a range map, character of the bird, size, call, range, occurrence and info about habits and habitat. On several of the pages are yellow boxes with other information about the birds on that page from migration to plumages and even local lore. At the back are 11 pages of info about birding in specific parts of Borneo with maps and where to find what birds. Overall this is a great book not just as a guide but also, with all the other small bits of info about birding in Borneo, it’s interesting to read. The art work might not be as sharp as the Myers book but this has more of the soul of Borneo in it.”
Share your views with NHBS customers around the world – click here to create a product review.
Customer reviews can be read in the ‘Reviews’ tab on each product page and here on the Hoopoe