kai

what is the BEST bird identification book that covers all of North America? i realize everyone will have their own opinion- thats the point

with all the moving around I do and have been doing, I can't believe I haven't paid any attention to birds before (other than - 'hey, look a hawk'). I feel bad I've wasted all the opportunities until now to actually look for them. So for the holiday season, I'm going to ask for a bird ID book from my mother (a retired librarian- i know she'll get me books anyway), but i'd like to be able to ask for a specific one thats really worthwhile owning and I can carry around with me when I explore places and travel. (the book has to include hawaii and alaska- go to hawaii often, and hope to move to alaska, or at least go visit some family). ideally, it'd be small enough to throw in my pack for backpacking, so i can look at it when i need to- it'd be kind of pointless just to leave it at home.

does anyone know of a good guide that meets that criteria? shiny, dirt resitant pages would be a nice plus...

Shannon

For an excellent bird field guide, I highly recommend the American Bird Conservancy's Field Guide, "All the Birds of North America," by Jack L. Griggs -- it has a plasticized cover and, in my mind, the best indexing and illustration as well as range info and field marks explanations. It's perfect for use in the field. I have the previous edition, with the dark red cover.

The illustrations really are what make this book for me -- they show the birds in their various plumage variations and posing in ways one would actually see them in the wild (not just every bird in the same position, or worse, numerous varied quality photographs where it's hard to tell if differences you're seeing are due to lighting or due to actual differences in plumage.)

I have several other bird identification books, but "All the Birds..." is the one that comes with us on coastal birding trips, any camping trip, etc.

For "leave at home" bird identification books, my favorite is The Sibley Guide to Birds by David Allen Sibley. They just came out with Eastern and Western U.S. editions of this book, which I presume are smaller and might be useful in the field. Problem is -- Texas tends to get a mixture of both Eastern & Western species, as well as tropical migrants.

__________________
- Shannon Moore
Your Host @ WildTexas.com

Purchases in the Wild Texas Gear Shop support our continued operation. Thank you!