How to Buy Birding Guides

How do you buy birding guides? Carefully and with an open mind. You may have a particular author in mind at first because you have read about him or her. However, newer field guides for birding may have been written since then that will be a better match for your learning style or for your personal interests.

For example, in early years, there were no birding guides and sketches and written desciptions were all that people could refer to for identification purposes. Then along came the artists of the new American colonies, like Bartram and Audubon and Wilson. Soon after there came the huge elephant page editions of Audubon's work. Certainly they are works of art and reference, but definitely not field guides. Have you ever seen one of those prints? They are aptly named.

There is a host of historical birding guides and authors, but let us move to the contemporary ones instead. I will leave the classics for another article. I do enjoy their historical perspective.

What is important is HOW you plan to use the birding guide. Is it actually what you want to take into the field for rapid bird identification? If so, look for durable types of pages and print and images that are large and clear enough for you to see and visually process quickly. You will probably be marking in the book as you use it, so it helps to have good margins.

If it is a birding guide you want to use at home in your armchair at your leisure to learn more about these feathered creatures, that is different. You may choose one of the National Geographic editions or Audubon editions with lots of photos and intriguing natural history and personal stories associated with the photos. These are often oversize coffee table types of books. Even the most experienced birder with a shelf full of bird books of every specialty will appreciate good artwork and photography in one of these at home references.

Another point to consider is the experience level of the birder. There are some excellent field guides written for children and others for novice birders. Some have audio sections or video section included or references online for extended learning experiences. Birding is extremely popular, some say it is the number 2 hobby or sport in America. It stands right next to Gardening and Nascar Racing. Now there is an unusual combination of interests! Surely serious birding is as competitive as Nascar racing, though perhaps not as active as gardening or racing.

Peterson Field Guides have been the mainstay for decades and still serve us all well. Other good birding guides include those written by Don and Lillian Stokes, and the Sibley guides. The Audubon Society and National Geographic Society have their own versions of field birding guides for birders of all ages and experience levels.