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THE WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY • Vol. 123, No. 2. June 2011 
are, at times, repeated in different chapters and the 
grammar often goes astray. 
The value of studies such as these must 
ultimately come from the reliability and repeat¬ 
ability of the results—especially as we would like 
to be able to evaluate future population changes— 
and this critically depends on clearly stated 
methodology. Bird censuses were visual, and 
perhaps auditory; one feels that censuses in the 
wetlands have more substance than those in the 
forests, where, for example (following a tradition 
in Indian ornithology) leaf warblers (Phyllosco- 
pidac) get clearly missed (as the authors acknowl¬ 
edge). Attempts to estimate forest bird densities 
using line transects come out to ~ 1,000 birds/ 
km 2 , which the authors slate is comparable to 
other tropical forest censuses but, in fact, is 
between 1.5 and 6X lower than figures they 
present from these other censuses. Methods used 
to evaluate animal prey are well explained in the 
wetland study, but not at all in the forest study, 
and such patchiness is a feature of the book. 
However, buried in this book is important 
information. Some examples follow: (1) There is a 
remarkable density of waterbirds at Kole (the 
Little Egret [Egretta garzetta) is listed at a density 
of 35,000/ha (3.5/nv!). although unfortunately the 
geographic scale is omitted). (2) More than 20 
northern wader species are present in large 
numbers in the winter, but numbers vary substan¬ 
tially and largely synchronously across years. (3) 
Some aspects of niche partitioning are presented. 
Quantitative correlates of fish size with body size 
of herons, and height of foraging in the forest 
study are particularly useful. 
Silent Valley is famous in Indian conservation, 
not only for its rich diversity of wildlife, but also 
because initial work on a dam in the late 1970s, 
and potential destruction of die valley, was halted 
as a result of a fledgling environmental movement 
in India, and then prime minister Indira Ghandi’s 
environmental awareness (renewed proposals for 
a smaller downstream dam are currently being 
pushed). The two sites studied in and near Silent 
Valley are “disturbed” areas, and bird species 
composition reflects this with bulbuls, babblers, 
and bush-chats recorded as common. It would be 
of interest to know the composition of more 
pristine sites, or indeed, if such sites exist. The 
wetland site, Kole, is largely submerged for 
6 months of the year, and much of the area is 
used for rice production, but land is increasingly 
being reclaimed and, as in the case of Silent 
Valley, it is difficult to know the extent to which 
the study covers more or less human-influenced 
areas. 
The importance of both localities to a devel¬ 
oped nation is becoming evident to conservation¬ 
ists, as is the potential short-term economic gain 
for developers. The authors of this book are 
commended for the massive amount of data they 
have collected in the field, and for compiling it 
through to publication. They note that both Silent 
Valley and Kole contain south Indian endemics(4 
from Silent Valley) and globally near-threatened 
and vulnerable species (6 are listed from Kole i. 
and in a short section emphasize the threats to the 
region. More, much more, research can only help 
conservation of these spectacular places.—TRE¬ 
VOR PRICE, Professor, Department of Ecol¬ 
ogy and Evolution. University of Chicago. 1101 
East 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA;e-mail: 
pricet@uchicago.edu 
A BIRDWATCHERS* GUIDE TO CUBA. 
JAMAICA, HISPANIOLA, PUERTO RICO & 
THE CAYMANS. By Guy Kirwan, Arturo 
Kirkconnell, and Mike Flieg. Illustrated by Tony 
Disley. Prion Birdwatchers’ Guide Series, Prion 
Ltd.. Cley, UK. 2010: 198 pages with maps and 
line drawings. ISBN: 978-1-871104-12-7. S41.99 
(paper).—This is a detailed bird finding guide to 
the Greater Antilles plus the Cayman Islands. 
Puerto Rico and Jamaica are popular venues lor 
formal bird tours and individual birdwatchers. 
Hispaniola is less well known and. for most US 
birdwatchers. Cuba has been wishful thinking. 
The Greater Antilles is rich in regional and island 
endemics, and offer excellent opportunities for 
birding. Accommodations are adequate, road 
conditions are fair to excellent, distances are 
short, and vehicles are available in most areas for 
the independent birder. Guided tours on Cuba 
have burgeoned from Europe and Canada. The 
chapter on Cuba implies that one could bird Cuba 
independently as well, although one ot the 
authors. Kirkconnell. is listed as a bird tour guide. 
The situation regarding the U.S. ban on travel to 
Cuba is not described; it doesn’t apply to the 
United Kingdom. U.S. birders interested in Cuba 
will have to investigate the travel options 
available, which vary over time. 
The Antillean fauna is well known and well- 
illustrated identification guides exist for the entire 
region (Raffaele et al. 2003; A Guide to the Birds 
