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Guide to the Offshore Wildlife of the Northern Atlantic

Michael H. Tove.

2000, University of Texas Press, Austin

The author is a well known North Carolina birder and organizer of Gulf Stream pelagic trips who has had articles on pelagic bird ID published in Birding magazine, among others.

This guide, published by University of Texas Press, is very comprehensive. It covers the entire North Atlantic, from the Arctic Circle to the Tropic of Cancer on both sides - Europe and North America.

The wildlife 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, information on identification, behavior and range and distribution.

For birds, there are illustrations of different plumages and ages, for whales and dolphins, there are diagrams of surfacing patterns and for all species, notes on how to distinguish that species from others with which it might be confused.

Finally there is data on a number of popular pelagic destinations e.g. the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Hudson Canyon, the Outer Banks and Outer Hebrides plus a half-dozen islands - Dry Tortugas, Canary Islands etc. The data sets consist of monthly abundance charts for each species that is reasonably regular at that particular location.
If you are or would like to be a pelagic buff - especially in the North Atlantic, my advice would be "Don't leave shore without it." I have not seen the guide in any stores, but got mine from Amazon for about $20.00.

2000 Tove, Michael H. Guide To the Offshore Wildlife of the Northern Atlantic University of Texas Press, Austin

Review by: Desmond Tynan South Hadley, MA
dtynan@hcc.mass.edu

From the University of Texas Web Page

Guide to the Offshore Wildlife of the Northern Atlantic By Michael H. Tove

To identify all the air-breathing offshore wildlife potentially encountered on birding, whale-watching, or sport fishing trips at sea, you could take along a stack of field guides--or this one comprehensive guide to all the birds, whales, dolphins, seals, and sea turtles of the Northern Atlantic. Written by a recognized authority on seabirds and whales and illustrated with his finely detailed color paintings, it provides both previously unknown and common field marks to help you identify and enjoy all the offshore wildlife in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Tropic of Cancer, as well as in the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, and the Bay of Biscay.

Michael Tove offers a general introduction to each group of animals, followed by concise accounts of every species found in the Northern Atlantic. He particularly highlights previously undescribed field marks and behavioral patterns that make identification at sea much easier than before.

He also includes range/abundance graphs for twelve locations in North America and six in Britain and Europe to help you plan where and when to view particular species.

To enhance your day(s) at sea, Tove includes tips on how to dress properly and avoid seasickness and sunburn.

Michael Tove is a recognized authority on the identification of pelagic birds and whales and draws from over twenty-five years' experience. His observations have helped "rewrite the book" on several North American species. A Ph.D.-trained biologist who conducts occasional bird- and whale-watching tours, he lives in Cary, North Carolina.

Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Plates Species Accounts Birds Whales (Cetaceans) Pinnepeds (Seals) Sea Turtles Range Abundance Charts References Index