In the spring of 1997, your Yukon reported confidently that the most comprehensive guide ever to Yukon birds would be on bookstore shelves shortly.

We were a little optimistic.

But good things are worth waiting for. Six years later, the book is a reality. The formal book launch will be held at the Beringia Centre in Whitehorse at 7 p.m., April 12.

The first copies of Birds of the Yukon Territory arrived at the Environment Canada office in Whitehorse recently, occasioning a small, well-earned celebration.

Birds of the Yukon Territory was a group effort in every way. Ten authors contributed to it: Stuart Alexander, Frank Doyle, Cameron Eckert, Helmut Grünberg, Nancy Hughes, Marilyn Jensen, Ingrid Johnson, David Mossop, Wendy Nixon, and Pamela Sinclair.

The writers' contributions were edited by Pam Sinclair, Wendy Nixon, Nancy Hughes, and Cameron Eckert. Sinclair, Nixon, and Hughes are Environment Canada employees. Eckert, who was contracted by Environment Canada to work on the book, currently works for the Yukon Department of Environment.

The result of their efforts is a consistent, accurate, and readable text, accompanied by an amazing collection of illustrations. Birds of the Yukon Territory is even bigger and better than the editors predicted six years ago.

At that time, Pam Sinclair said the book would run to more than 300 pages, covering more than 250 species. The end result is actually almost 600 pages long with detailed information, photographs, drawings, and maps related to the 288 species sighted in the Yukon.

The book expanded to include new information on the distribution of Yukon species, and several records of new species, Wendy Nixon explains.

"Once the publication options were sorted out, the book also expanded to make room for the 600 photographs contributed by more than 50 photographers," she adds.

"Many of these color photographs are positively stunning, and all save one were taken in the Yukon. You'll have to read the book to find the lone photograph that was taken just over the border, and find out why we used it in the book."

For each of the 288 species described, the book has a map showing where the bird occurs in the Yukon, at what time of the year, and its breeding locations, if any. A chart showing the number of records per month indicates the bird's seasonal occurrence in the Yukon.

In compiling information for the book, the editors searched historical records dating back to 1861. Older bird sightings came from a wide variety of sources, including a visitor to a Hudson's Bay post on the Bell River, Anglican missionaries on Herschel Island, and a Gold Rush era storekeeper on the Fortymile River.

More recent sightings were recorded by both professional scientists in the course of their work and enthusiastic amateurs passionate about birds and birding. Often the roles overlap. Three of the four editors, all professional biologists, were founding members of the Yukon Bird Club, whose members have contributed substantially to the new book.

"We also acknowledge all the folks who have contributed bird observations to the Canadian Wildlife Service and the Yukon Bird Club over the years," says Nixon.

While the book is based on written records of the last of the last 140 years, it also includes sections written by Whitehorse-based consultants Ingrid Johnson and Marilyn Jensen on the historic use of birds by Yukon First Nations.

The content of Birds of the Yukon Territory is everything a specialist would want. However, the book is also aimed at a general audience. The information is easy to read and interesting. Besides the basic information about distribution, nesting, range, and habitat, there are occasional morsels of less common information.

For example, an albino Killdeer, entirely white except for faint grey neck bands, was spotted at Kluane Lake in 1972. And in May 2002, a Merlin chased a Rock Dove into the service bay of a Whitehorse garage, killed the bird and ate it, largely unconcerned by the group of people standing by and watching.

"The book should appeal to anyone interested in natural history of the north," says Nixon.

Birds of the Yukon Territory is published by UBC Press. Watch for it in a bookstore near you.

For more information about the book or about birds in the Yukon, contact the Canadian Wildlife Service at (867) 393-6700.