What do you think?
Rate this book
Birds
Scarlet macaws weave in and out of the rainforest canopy...
The elegant silhouette of a Kori bustard appears ont he African savanna...
Internationally acclaimed wildlife artist and naturalist Robert Bateman has sketched and painted bird life in every corner of the globe. And a lifetime of observing an extraordinary range of species has given him a wealth of knowledge about bird habitats, behavior, and survival skills. Now, in this unique volume, Robert Bateman's newest paintings are combined with his insightful reflections on bird life in splendid pages that will delight nature and art lovers alike.
This personal birding odyssey begins atBateman's easel on an island off Canada's Pacific coast, where herons, kingfishers, and bald eagles pass by his studio windows. From there it proceeds to a variety of North American destinations ranging from a seabird colony on Alaska's Pribil of Islands to the waterways of Florida's Everglades. Bateman has also explored many international wildlife sanctuaries and his unforgetttable experiences there are re-created in evocative color painting and vivid first-person recollections.
Lavishly illustrated and informatively written, Birds is an intimate appreciation of some of the planet's most beautiful and fascinating creatures by an artist who has been capturing them on canvas for over forty years.
The elegant silhouette of a Kori bustard appears ont he African savanna...
Internationally acclaimed wildlife artist and naturalist Robert Bateman has sketched and painted bird life in every corner of the globe. And a lifetime of observing an extraordinary range of species has given him a wealth of knowledge about bird habitats, behavior, and survival skills. Now, in this unique volume, Robert Bateman's newest paintings are combined with his insightful reflections on bird life in splendid pages that will delight nature and art lovers alike.
This personal birding odyssey begins atBateman's easel on an island off Canada's Pacific coast, where herons, kingfishers, and bald eagles pass by his studio windows. From there it proceeds to a variety of North American destinations ranging from a seabird colony on Alaska's Pribil of Islands to the waterways of Florida's Everglades. Bateman has also explored many international wildlife sanctuaries and his unforgetttable experiences there are re-created in evocative color painting and vivid first-person recollections.
Lavishly illustrated and informatively written, Birds is an intimate appreciation of some of the planet's most beautiful and fascinating creatures by an artist who has been capturing them on canvas for over forty years.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2002
4 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 24, 2019
Gorgeous artwork and great anecdotes. Fantastic to all bird and art lovers. Robert Bateman has such a unique way of showing behavior in animals through paint. I love it and highly recommend it to anyone.
August 15, 2012
The passion of Robert Bateman for his feathered friends comes through very clearly in his magnificent drawings of birds he has seen on trips around the globe. From the goose-stepping Boobies of the Galapagos to the trickster Ravens of Banff to the aggressive male Capercaillies of the Austrian alpines, Bateman captures the personality of each bird with beautiful colours and pencil sketches.
Previously, the raptors all merged in my mind, but now I know the difference between a Buteo (red-tailed hawk), a Falcon (kestrel), and an Accipiter (goshawk). A Woodpecker visited my trees the other day, and I was running around in circles with pure glee. It chose MY garden. Of course, I went scurrying for this book and discovered that Woodpeckers have built-in shock absorbers to withstand the force of drilling 25 mph into a tree.
Perhaps the best recommendation of a book is how it affects the reader. For me, I am now the proud (tears forming, tears forming) foster adopter of a Kori Bustard via the Living Desert in Palm Desert, California. The Bustard is the Romantic poet of birds...40 pounds of strutting Byron. Dig it.
Book Season = Year Round (appreciate our feathered brethren)
Previously, the raptors all merged in my mind, but now I know the difference between a Buteo (red-tailed hawk), a Falcon (kestrel), and an Accipiter (goshawk). A Woodpecker visited my trees the other day, and I was running around in circles with pure glee. It chose MY garden. Of course, I went scurrying for this book and discovered that Woodpeckers have built-in shock absorbers to withstand the force of drilling 25 mph into a tree.
Perhaps the best recommendation of a book is how it affects the reader. For me, I am now the proud (tears forming, tears forming) foster adopter of a Kori Bustard via the Living Desert in Palm Desert, California. The Bustard is the Romantic poet of birds...40 pounds of strutting Byron. Dig it.
Book Season = Year Round (appreciate our feathered brethren)
March 18, 2019
I poured over the pictures in this beautiful collection and just skimmed the text (but it looks amazing as well).
August 8, 2020
Beautiful book. Just loved the write ups with the pictures
March 16, 2023
A book of an artist's thoughts on the birds from around the world he has chosen to draw and paint. Great art from a master but not a serious source of bird info.
May 4, 2023
Beautiful work of art.
April 21, 2019
While obviously the book is an art book, there’s plenty of writing in it too, as Bateman tells stories to go with each of the paintings or illustrations featured in this beautiful coffee table book. It’s almost like a travel memoir too, because he’s been all over the world to find subjects to paint - his art is not just restricted to Canada and its wildlife.
There’s plenty of natural history included in the text as well, some good information about the various bird species that he has painted/drawn.
I have prints of two of his paintings, so I really enjoyed reading this.
There’s plenty of natural history included in the text as well, some good information about the various bird species that he has painted/drawn.
I have prints of two of his paintings, so I really enjoyed reading this.
August 23, 2023
Fabulous paintings by a very talented artist. I really enjoyed this art book and the text too. This was a staff selection at my library, and I'm glad I took the time to check it out. I'll be looking to see if I can find more of Robert Bateman's books.
June 12, 2012
Awesome book, fantastic pictures, great information on the birds habitat and what was going on in the picture.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews