The Sound Approach to birding: A guide to understanding bird sound.

(link to itunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/the-sound-approach-to-birding/id849621177?mt=11&uo=4)

Requirements: iPad with iBooks 3 or later and iOS 5.1 or later, or a Mac with iBooks 1.0 or later and OS X 10.9 or later.

I can remember the first time that I sat down with the printed version of this fantastic book, reading the text and then listening to the accompanying CDs through my headphones. The combination of visuals (sonograms of each call or song) and audio (the CD tracks) opened my eyes and ears to the subtleties of how to use sounds to age and sex birds.

The ebook version brings together in one place everything that was great about the printed book, with the added bonus of some innovative eSonograms, where the song or call is played over the sonogram, a vertical red line moving across the graph as the sound is delivered. The accompanying notes, which highlight key components of the song or call, reinforce the message of what to listen out for. This is not a traditional ebook in the sense that the text doesn’t flow or resize on the fly; instead, each page is treated more like an image that you can play around with. This does mean that some pages don’t necessarily open instantly but you are not left waiting for more than a second or two on the most content heavy pages.

I like the way that the images can be clicked to appear full screen, that clicking on a sonogram opens it full screen and that it starts to play immediately. ‘Pinching’ a page will shrink it down and drop it into a handy, chapter length, menu bar that is image lead. This allows you to move about within a chapter with ease, and you can jump between chapters by using a set of section links that sit below this. There is also an extremely useful video at the front of the book, showing you how to get the most out of it.

This really is an exceptional book and one which makes best use of the features of an iPad. Every birdwatcher should invest in this book and, if you have an iPad or a Mac, then this enhanced digital version is the one to buy. You will find yourself immersed in bird song and, by learning from the experts at the Sound Approach, you will become a better birdwatcher.

Book reviewed by Mike Toms

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