Guide to the Offshore Wildlife of the Northern Atlantic by Michael
Tove, University of Texas Press, 拢17.95, ISBN 0292781717
BOTTLENOSE or striped, common or white-beaked? Not so long ago, a dolphin
was, well, just a dolphin to most birdwatchers, braving the Atlantic swell for a
glimpse of a Wilson鈥檚 petrel or a great shearwater. Not any more. Pelagic trips
have kindled a new enthusiasm for sea-mammal watching, and birders want to put a
name to the creature they have just sighted.
They should be able to do that with the help of this book. It is the first
guide dedicated to the Atlantic鈥檚 offshore wildlife, north of the tropic of
cancer. Not only does it cover all the cetaceans you might encounter in this
area, it also includes seabirds, seals and sea turtles. Michael Tove writes from
considerable first-hand experience鈥攈e was the first person to see a live
True鈥檚 beaked whale鈥攁nd his expertise is readily apparent. The book really
does help separate even the most difficult species from each other.
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Alas, his skill in describing how to identify each species is not matched by
his proficiency with a paintbrush. The 39 colour plates have been painted with
great care and are highly detailed, but they lack the artistic flair we have
come to expect in modern guides. The book鈥檚 paperback format is a
disappointment, too, for it is too big, and lacks the waterproof covers needed
for use on the wave.