Guide to the Offshore Wildlife of the Northern Atlantic

As an enthusiastic birder and observer of nature, I have found that some of my most memorable moments occur during pelagic (i.e. on the open ocean, away from land) trips. There are many creatures out there that one could spend a lifetime without ever seeing from shore. Until now, if you wanted to try identifying the wildlife you might encounter at sea, you needed a stack of guidebooks - one for mammals, one for birds, one for turtles etc.Michael Tove's terrific guide has just made things a lot simpler.Mr. Tove is a well known North Carolina birder, naturalist and organizer of Gulf Stream pelagic trips who has had articles published in various journals on identification of pelagic creatures, including birds and whales.His guidebook is very comprehensive and well organized. It covers both sides of the North Atlantic, from Greenland to the Caribbean on the west side and Iceland to North Africa on the East.The wildlife covered includes all the air-breathing vertebrates one might encounter anywhere in the territory covered.There are separate sections on pelagic birds, whales and dolphins, seals and sea turtles. For each species, there is at least one illustration, excellently done by Mr. Tove, along with information on measurements, identification, behavior, range, distribution and preferred habitat.Where appropriate, species names from both sides of the Atlantic are given, as with "Dovekie" - North America, "Little Auk" - Europe.For birds, there are illustrations of different plumages and ages, for whales and dolphins, there are diagrams of surfacing and blow patterns and for every species covered, notes on how to distinguish that species from others with which it might be confused.There is data on a number of popular pelagic destinations e.g. the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Hudson Canyon off New York harbor, North Carolina's Outer Banks, Scotland's Outer Hebrides plus a half-dozen oceanic islands - The Dry Tortugas, Canary Islands etc. The data sets consist of monthly abundance charts for each species that is reasonably regular at that particular location.In addition, there is information on oceanic ecology, regions and currents. He also includes tips on how to dress for a trip and how to avoid or cope with seasickness.There is even a section on how to plan your own pelagic trip, and how to factor in such variables as wind, weather and surface conditions. There is something in this book for current or would-be pelagic enthusiasts of all levels of experience from novices to "old salts."I recommend it highly.