pescado
Offline
4 salt
Profile Status:
Reged: 10/24/02
Posts: 37
Loc: Seattle Area
|
|
I've been wanting to get a brid ID book for the northwest. Does anyone have a recommendation?
|
Maltby
Offline
Native Slab
Profile Status:
Reged: 12/17/00
Posts: 1179
Loc: Woodinville, WA, USA
|
|
The Peterson Guide is considered the standard however I prefer the National Audobon Society Field guide as it has actual photographs. I would also recommend getting a CD of bird songs of birds of the northwest. Often,you hear the call or the song before you even see the bird. That way you will know what you are looking for when you try to zero in on the bird.
|
aknightinak
Offline
king
Profile Status:
Reged: 07/19/04
Posts: 137
Loc: Alaska
|
|
I think the Sibley guide is about the best one on the market, even though the illustrations aren't photos. It shows more age, gender and regional variation than the traditional half-text/half-photo Audubon guide. I'm not sure if Audubon now calls this "theirs" or if the half-sized plastic-covered ones are still "the" Audubon guides.
Interesting about the Sibley guide: I had a friend here (passed away a couple years ago), who knew Dave Sibley. Tim told me an anecdote about meeting Dave a number of years ago and Dave telling him that he was going to write the guidebook to out-do the Audubon guide. Succeeded, too imho.
|
Black_Ghost
Offline
Thick Tail
Profile Status:
Reged: 06/13/03
Posts: 5172
Loc: Western GLs
|
|
Do they have these books by region of the country ?
I need something for the GLs region and something small like a pocket guide I can carry in my fishing vest. Waterproof would be nice too.
BG
--------------------
"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
|
aknightinak
Offline
king
Profile Status:
Reged: 07/19/04
Posts: 137
Loc: Alaska
|
|
Try Amazon or the local Audubon chapter. Most I've seen are grouped Eastern/Western US and are not pocket sized. As for the one state-specific guide I do own, Alaska, it's not all that comprehensive. I'd expect the same of any state guide - that they'd ignore non-nesting species, accidental migrants, etc. in the interest of making a compact publication.
FWIW I don't carry a bird guide any more but leave it in the truck or in camp. The same friend I mentioned above led birding tours throughout the state and educated me on the best way of IDing birds - forget about it til the bird is gone. Rather than try to look the bird up when you see it, watch and note everything about it that you can. Then after it flies away work on the ID. Using that method, I can honestly ID birds a day later better than I ever could with a giudebook in hand.
|
Black_Ghost
Offline
Thick Tail
Profile Status:
Reged: 06/13/03
Posts: 5172
Loc: Western GLs
|
|
Thanks for the information will be checking out some eastern and mississippi fly way bird books. When I see something different on the river or woods I try to get a picture of it, but not always successful.
BG
--------------------
"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
