That was fast!

I ordered a book. Monday evening. It was here Thursday morning. 2 working days. Even Canada Post cooperated. I'm in shock!

The story: Hugh, at Rock, Paper, Lizard, wrote a review, last Sunday, of the book, "A Nature Guide to Boundary Bay", by Anne Murray. I had seen it earlier, had intended to buy it, and forgotten; Hugh's post was a good reminder. I ordered it after supper on Monday, before I could forget again.

From the link on Hugh's post, to Nature Guides BC to place an order. Done. Confirmation from PayPal. And a couple of hours later, a note from Anne Murray, saying she would send the book immediately. She meant what she said; the book, in a hand-addressed envelope, was postmarked Tuesday, the very next day. And Canada Post took only 2 days to bring it here, a full 20 minutes drive away!

And I am very pleased with the book; good info, wide coverage, maps, photos, background, covering our regular stomping ground from north to south. But I'm not going to write a review; go read Hugh's; he covers it well.

One thing I miss, having been too long habituated to the web; the ability to highlight a word or phrase, left-click on 'Search Google for "whatever you wa..."', and have a whole page of info at your mousetip. Murray puts the first mention of any species in bold print, but rarely has a description. (This is not a failing of the book; she had to limit it to one volume, not a dozen.)

So I'll be reading through the book with my Audubon's Field Guide to North American Birds, Western Region, at my side. And the Field Guide to Insects and Spiders, Kozloff's "Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast", and my latest acquisition, "Plants of Coastal British Columbia".

Anne Murray's book ties them all together quite tidily.

Another book ... Here, read Hugh's entire post:

A Biophysical Inventory and Evaluation of the Lulu Island Bog, Richmond, British Columbia

The long-anticipated Biophysical inventory of the Lulu Island Bog is now available online, here. (Large PDF file, may take a while.)

If you are interested in bog ecology, or the flora and fauna of southwestern British Columbia, you will find this a valuable resource.

Silly guy forgot to mention that he is the author of the chapter on birds.

This will be a handy extension of the Boundary Bay guide; it covers the bog area immediately to the north. (Burns Bog, just across the river, is in Anne Murray's book; it will be interesting to make a comparison as to species that cross that wide river barrier.)
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