Tom Stephenson is a musician, a lecturer, a photographer whose work has appeared in many publications including Birdingand Handbook of the Birds of the World, a leader of bird tours in the Unites States and Asia, and most recently the co-author, with Scott Whittle, of The Warbler Guide, published by Princeton University Press. Tom Stephenson was joined by Scott Whittle, his co-author of the recently published The Warbler Guide. The book has been receiving enthusiastic reviews in birding publications, including one that begins, “The Warbler Bible has come forth!” He writes of his talk, “Our warblers are some of the most beautiful birds in the world, but their beautiful colors often blind birders to many of their most important ID points. This problem is compounded by the often brief and obstructed views we have in the field. This talk discusses many of these very important but often overlooked ID points such as overall contrast, subtle facial features, color impressions, feather edging, rump contrast, and foraging style, location, and behavior. And fortunately, viewing a warbler from below can reveal some of the most important ID points for many species. Learn how many tail and undertail covert patterns are, in fact, diagnostic alone or when combined with one other ID point. Individual species, especially the most challenging to identify, will also be discussed with outlines of the important ID points, comparisons with similar species, and illustrations of how even partial views can be used to identify many of even the most challenging warbler species.”
