edm@vrdxhq.verdix.com (Ed Matthews) (11/29/89)
The Christmas season is upon us and my wife would like to get me a new birding book since I've not been all that pleased with my Audubon Guide to Eastern Birds. It just doesn't have enough birds or enough field marks for me to distinguish a lot of birds around here (Washington DC). I'd like to be able to identify a bird as more than "it's some kind of sparrow, probably a female." Can anyone give me a recommendation? -- I'm not a hard core birder, but I do like to know what I'm looking at. -- Ed Matthews edm@verdix.com Verdix Corporation Headquarters (703) 378-7600 Chantilly, Virginia
sandee@loligo (Daan Sandee) (11/30/89)
In article <23973@vrdxhq.verdix.com> edm@vrdxhq.verdix.com (Ed Matthews) writes: >The Christmas season is upon us and my wife would like to get me a new >birding book since I've not been all that pleased with my Audubon Guide >to Eastern Birds. It just doesn't have enough birds or enough field marks >for me to distinguish a lot of birds around here (Washington DC). I'd >like to be able to identify a bird as more than "it's some kind of sparrow, >probably a female." Can anyone give me a recommendation? -- I'm not a hard >core birder, but I do like to know what I'm looking at. >-- This is an easy one, because the possibilities are limited (to three). If you have discovered that the Audubon's guide isn't all that good, you have passed the first stage of a birder's career : you want to do more than to tell a cardinal from a robin. For which you will need a REAL field guide. 1. Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds (East of the Rockies) : the ancestor of all the field guides in the world, and still one of the best. It has the best pictures by far. The information is adequate, though not quite up to date ; the restriction to Eastern birds is usually an advantage, but occasionally a disadvantage, because Western strays do turn up in the East. It has the disadvantage of having the range maps separate from the text. 2. Golden Guide to bird identification (or some such title ; the book is actually blue, but it used to be golden in earlier editions). Covers the entire US and Canada. Reasonably good pictures, but notoriously inaccurate. A bit short on information, because of space problems. The handiest guide for the Western US (Peterson's Western Field Guide is way out of date ; a new edition, after nearly 40 years, is forthcoming). 3. National Geographic Society Field Guide : the most thorough. Not really pocket size (more a paperback). Most up to date, and the worst pictures (by various artists ; some of the pictures are really incredibly bad). If you want to identify by picture, use Peterson ; if you get to be more of an expert, and really want to be able to tell a juvenile orange-crowned warbler from a ditto Tennessee warbler, use the National Geograhic. The first 2 above should be available in any bookstore ; the NGS guide is NOT available in bookstores ; try the bookshop at the Visitor Center at your local National Wildlife Refuge, or Museum of Natural History, or some such. Daan Sandee sandee@sun6.scri.fsu.edu Control Data Corporation Supercomputer Computations Research Institute Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4052 (904) 644-7045
john@nmtsun.nmt.edu (John Shipman) (11/30/89)
Ed Matthews (edm@vrdxhq.verdix.com) writes: +--- | The Christmas season is upon us and my wife would like to get | me a new birding book...Can anyone give me a recommendation? +--- Probably the best all-around field guide is ``Field Guide to the Birds of North America,'' 2nd ed., by the National Geographic Society (1987). Most of the serious birders I know prefer it if they're only going to carry one book. It shows more different plumages of the common birds and also has the most rarities and exotics. The range maps and ID hints are pretty current. It retails for $21. Avoid the first edition, which has numerous errors. The budget alternative is ``Guide to Field Identification: Birds of North America'' by Robbins (1983), priced at $10. This one is physically a little smaller and misses a lot more of the plumages that I see, but it is adequate for most birders in most situations. The three-volume ``Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding'' (1986?, $42), is not easy to carry in the field without some kind of backpack, but is worth it for serious birders who need all the help they can get on tough groups such as _Empidonax_ flycatchers. My standard field kit consists of a Nat. Geo. guide and the ``Peterson Field Guide: Hawks'' (1987, $14) since I'm a hawk fan and we get a lot of screwball hawk plumages around here. I use a ``Pelican Pouch'' ($10.50) to carry these on my belt. If I'm not expecting anything rare, sometimes I'll just put a Robbins guide in my back jeans pocket instead (the Geo guide is just a bit large for this). The 3-volume Audubon Master Guide lives in the car, and on serious expeditions I'll also load up some special books like the Hayman's ``Shorebirds: An Identification Guide'' (pricey at $34 but really excellent for those tough shorebird plumages). Everything I've mentioned in this posting is available from ABA Sales, the commercial arm of the American Birding Association. ABA members get discounts. Call them at 800-634-7736 (719-634-7736 in Canada) or write to POB 6599, Colorado Springs, CO 80934. They usually have everything in stock and will do rush orders. Disclaimer: I have no connection with ABA sales, I just like their service. -- John Shipman/Zoological Data Processing/Socorro, New Mexico john@nmtsun.nmt.edu, ucbvax!unmvax!nmtsun!john ``Let's go outside and commiserate with nature.'' [Dave Farber]
christ@ccnysci.UUCP (Chris Thompson) (11/30/89)
In article <23973@vrdxhq.verdix.com>, edm@vrdxhq.verdix.com (Ed Matthews) writes: > The Christmas season is upon us and my wife would like to get me a new > birding book since I've not been all that pleased with my Audubon Guide > to Eastern Birds. It just doesn't have enough birds or enough field marks > for me to distinguish a lot of birds around here (Washington DC). I'd > like to be able to identify a bird as more than "it's some kind of sparrow, > probably a female." Can anyone give me a recommendation? -- I'm not a hard > core birder, but I do like to know what I'm looking at. I usually carry 2 with me...the Peterson Guide to Birds of Eastern N.A., and the Golden Guide to birds of North America. Both have their advantages: I think the Peterson has better field marks, and they are shown in a more obvious fashion. The Golden Guide contains ALL North American Birds, so that weird thing up there which is really bothering you will be identifiable as a truly fouled up and lost red-shafted flicker. Also, the range maps in the Golden Guide are opposite the drawings, which can also be quite useful. You'll have to decide which is better for you...my advice is to get both, try them out, and use the one you feel more comfortable with. Remember, though: using any new field guide will take some practice! Chris Thompson -- Chris Thompson <cbtcc@cunyvm.cuny.edu> <christ@ccnysci> [What does not kill us, pisses us off!!]
bob@delphi.uchicago.edu (Rob Lewis [5-2503]) (11/30/89)
My favorite field guide is the National Geographic guide, which can be purchased directly from the Society (I think they have an 800 number that you can get from phone company information [1-800-555-1212]). I don't think any of the other guides comes close, though Peterson is good for beginners because it covers a smaller region and therefore shows fewer species than those guides that cover the whole country.
jim@hpfcso.HP.COM (Jim Tear) (12/01/89)
I got my National Geographic bird book at the bookstore at Colorado State Univerisity. I have all three of the books mentioned. I prefer the National Geographic one. I don't like photographic guides to birds. Jim Tear