OTTEN@UMCINCOM.BITNET (01/04/90)
My wife has recently become quite interested in bird watching and has requested a couple of birding magazines for her birthday. She noticed a recommendation in a Peterson Field Guide for "American Birds" and "Birding", but it was an old edition so even if those were the best then, they might not be anymore. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions what would be the best magazines to subscribe to. Thank you very much for any possible help, Neil Ottenstein Internet: otten@cincom.umd.edu Bitnet: otten@umcincom
grp@unify.uucp (Greg Pasquariello) (01/04/90)
In article <9001031916.AA06453@jade.berkeley.edu> OTTEN@UMCINCOM.BITNET writes: >My wife has recently become quite interested in bird watching >and has requested a couple of birding magazines for her birthday. >She noticed a recommendation in a Peterson Field Guide for >"American Birds" and "Birding", but it was an old edition so even if >those were the best then, they might not be anymore. I was wondering >if anyone had suggestions what would be the best magazines to >subscribe to. >Neil Ottenstein American Birds is the quarterly collection of national bird reports by location. As such, it is a bit terse, although there are often a couple of good articles about identification. I find it a bit hard to read, but it is good if you want to see what sorts of unusual birds were in an area 6 months ago. One of my complaints about AB is that it tends to concentrate on the *unusual* birds from an area; it is hard to read it and gauge what birds are common in an area. I subscribe to it anyway. Birding is a publication irregularly put out by the American Birding Association. They have gone thru some tough times lately, but seem to be getting on the ball. The magazine is usually well done, and usually contains well written articles on identification, distribution, birding lore, etc. These articles lean a bit heavy on the technical side; i.e. it is surely a Wispy-tailed flycatcher if the retrices are blunt. There are however, often good articles of a general nature, and I get the impression that the magazine will be providing more of these in the future. Birdwatcher's Digest is clearly a magazine that promotes "bird-watching" rather than "birding". If you are watching birds at your feeder or in your yard, you are bird-watching; if you are standing at Sandy Hook in the dead of winter looking for a straggler from Siberia, you are birding :-). The magazine offers well written articles on a wide variety of subjects of interest to anyone who is interested in birds, but does not generally delve into the more esoteric aspects of the hobby. Wild Bird is similar to BWD, but is in a larger format with more glossy color pictures. IMO the articles are not as good as those in BWD, but I haven't seen it in a year or so. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greg Pasquariello (916) 920-9092 grp@unify.UUCP Unify Corporation ...!{csusac, pyramid}!unify!grp
john@nmtsun.nmt.edu (John Shipman) (01/04/90)
I agree with Greg Pasquariello's excellent thumbnail sketch of the bird magazines. He didn't mention that ABA members also get _Winging_It_, a short monthly newsletter that has the latest hot sightings along with site updates, news items, classified ads, and other timely information. I liked Greg's example of the difference between birdwatching and birding. Just one question, Greg: if I spend two years looking all over New Mexico for Common Ground-Dove and then get my state bird on my backyard bird feeder, is that birding or birdwatching? Here are some rates and addresses; sorry, I don't have any issues of _BWD_ or _Wild_Bird_ handy. _American_Birds_: $27.50 to _American_Birds_, 950 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022. Includes the Christmas Bird Count issue. _Birding_, _Winging_It_: ABA members get both magazines. Join the ABA by sending $24 (individual) or $30 (family) to _Birding_, POB 6599, Colorado Springs, CO 80934. You can get subscriptions to _Birding_ and _Winging_It_ without joining the ABA for $28. ABA members get a discount on bird books, optics and other supplies from ABA Sales; they can be reached at 1-800-634-7736, and they stock most any bird book in print. Disclaimer: I subscribe to _American_Birds_ and I'm a Life Member of the ABA, but I have no financial interest or other connection with either organization. -- John Shipman/Zoological Data Processing/Socorro, New Mexico USENET: ucbvax!unmvax!nmtsun!john CSNET: john@nmtsun.nmt.edu ``Let's go outside and commiserate with nature.'' --Dave Farber
grp@unify.uucp (Greg Pasquariello) (01/05/90)
In article <3712@nmtsun.nmt.edu> john@nmtsun.nmt.edu (John Shipman) writes: >I agree with Greg Pasquariello's excellent thumbnail sketch >of the bird magazines. Aw, shucks (he swings his foot at the ground) > >I liked Greg's example of the difference between >birdwatching and birding. Just one question, Greg: if I >spend two years looking all over New Mexico for Common >Ground-Dove and then get my state bird on my backyard bird >feeder, is that birding or birdwatching? It depends on whether you saw it while getting your morning coffee, or heard about it on a Rare Bird Alert! :-) >John Shipman/Zoological Data Processing/Socorro, New Mexico -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greg Pasquariello (916) 920-9092 grp@unify.UUCP Unify Corporation ...!{csusac, pyramid}!unify!grp
mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser) (01/05/90)
In article <j9x9udx@unify.uucp>, grp@unify.uucp (Greg Pasquariello) writes: > > American Birds > > Birding > > Birdwatcher's Digest > > Wild Bird Birder's World is yet another magazine devoted to the hobby, along the same lines as BWD and WB. They probably have the best photographs, using painstaking reproduction on high-quality paper. The articles are general in nature, much like the two magazines mentioned above. Some regular feature examples are: a general natural history article on a selected North American species (the latest issue is dedicated to the Black-Crowned Night Heron), birding hot spots (the latest issue highlights Bosque Del Apache NWR - John Shipman's favored hangout), photo gallery (reader submitted), attracting birds (tips on backyard feeders and food), and rare bird report (3 months out of date). I subscribe to all the above magazines and, of the three general-purpose magazines (Birdwatcher's Digest, Wildbird, and Birder's World), I like Birder's World the best. Mike Birder's World Subscription Dept. P.O. Box 1347 Elmhurst, Il. 60126-8347 (312) 279 0935 $25 /year (add $3 for outside the U.S. (U.S. currency only))