How to find good birds

April 14th, 2009

Do you need birdwatching guides for a special region, like for that vacation in Belize? What about those little birds at the feeder, are they all sparrows? Wouldn’t you like to know their names? I take a shorebird book to the beach. Or seagulls? Or sandpipers! How many different kinds can there possibly be? I believe it is infinite, but I have been wrong before! Do you want to encourage a beginning birder with a specialized field guide for their needs? That is a great grandparent bonding experience.

Most birding guides follow the pattern set forth by Roger Tory Peterson in 1937 with his Eastern Birds by which every birding guide has been measured since then. More contemporary birding guides have been prepared by: Kaufmann, Sibley, Stokes, National Geographic Society, National Audubon Society, Golden Guides and of course updates of the entire Peterson series.