Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
of numbers for each species and for notes. Your notes will be fun for you to review in
coming years. You can multiply their value many times over if you also enter the data at
www.ebird.org.
Q There are so many field guides to choose from! How do I pick one?
A
Begin by browsing the field guides at the library or bookstore to get a sense of which
one works the best for you. Most experienced birders prefer a field guide with drawings
by an expert rather than one with photographs. Good bird artists portray birds in similar
poses, using their experience and knowledge to make it easier for you to key in on the
important field marks. With photographs, lighting conditions and differences in bird pos-
tures can obscure important features or highlight unimportant ones, although the photos
in some well-done guides are digitally manipulated to make color comparisons among
different species more accurate.
Size is very important with a field guide, because if your topic is too large, you won't
want to carry it in the field, but if it's too small, it may not include all the birds you're
likelytoseeinyourarea.Ifyouhopetoeventuallybecomeproficientatbirding,it'swise
to start with a guide that shows all the birds of North America or at least all the birds of
the East or the West.
Hawaii's Birds
, a small guide published by Hawaii Audubon, is the only field guide
with complete coverage for a single state. Other than that one, I never recommend using
guides that show the birds of a single small area — almost every beginner sees at least a
few species in the first several months of birding that aren't included in more minimalist
guides, leading to mis-identifications and frustration.
Keep these things in mind as you browse through several field guides, and pick a few
that seem best on an overview. Now look up two or three birds that you're very familiar
with in each one. In your judgment, which seem closest to how you've experienced those
birds? Consider color and poses. Also, how easy is it to find each of these familiar birds
in the topic? Remember: With field guides as with optics, there is no “best.” Beyond a
few basic issues, it's a matter of personal preference.
Q I can find birds I know in a field guide by using the index. But if I don't know
what the name is to use the index, I can never seem to find the bird in the topic be-
fore it flies off. What am I doing wrong?
A
The birds in most field guides are not organized alphabetically or by color, but accord-
ing to howthey are related to one another.Probably the single most important thing to do
when you buy a field guide is to read it cover to cover, familiarizing yourself with each
groupofbirds.Pickyourbookupseveraltimesadayandthumbthroughit,payingatten-
