A very well documented extensively researched .book about sea birds and their migratory patterns. The author includes modern technology for tracking sea birds and the modern researchers findings . The author reviews the patterns, family life and mating habits sea birds have that is little known previously to ornithologist. is What is particularly interesting is how far they travel and their travel patterns . I found this fascinating to read as sea birds are a hobby of mine.

Thank you for the ARC which did not influence my personal opinion .

Ornithologist Michael Brooke has put together a very readable and highly interesting book about the behavioural habits of seabirds. This has been, until quite recently, a difficult area for researchers. Given how remote seabirds are from researchers most of the time, there has been a fair amount of intuition and guesswork underlying much of the research.

Brooke starts with a rundown of the technology breakthroughs that have allowed ornithologists to conduct much more comprehensive research than the simple tagging programs of the past.

"Not only can trans-oceanic flights be tracked with startling accuracy, it is also possible to tell, to within metres, where a breeding seabird is, whether it is flying or swimming, whether it is at the surface or underwater. If it is underwater, is its dive shallow or deep? It is possible to monitor the bird's heartbeat, and when it gulps down food".

Brooke canvasses the research that these technologies have enabled, going into breeding patterns, migrations, how and when birds feed, parental behaviour and much more. The picture that these new technologies allow researchers to draw is both interesting and, occasionally, jaw-dropping. Brooke mentions a shearwater that flew from Wales to Brazil in 16 days. Emperor penguins that can dive to a depth of 500 metres or more. Albatrosses that can scent food from 6 miles away. And much more.

The book is beautifully illustrated with many photo-realistic drawings of the seabirds being discussed. For a bird lover such as myself this book is a real treat.

DNF at about 15%.

I love birds, and the tagline of this--"The Mysterious Life of Seabirds"--sounded right up my alley. However, I just wasn't able to get into the subject. It's not that I'm not interested in it, it's just the way it was written seemed too haphazard to me. it constantly jumped from talking about one species of bird to another and then another all within a two page span. While I understood the set-up of the chapters, it didn't jive with the way my brain comprehends this type of info.

This is not to say this is a bad book--it just didn't work for me, personally. If you are a more number and/or tech oriented birder, then definitely give this one a try!

Although I don't rate DNFs, NetGalley requires a star rating. I gave it a 3 based on the parts I did read.