We also occasionally use Powell's Books affiliate links where we also earn a portion of sales generated through the links. I live in California and the best all time guide is the 1961 version of Peterson’s “field guide to western birds”….it is compact and all bird groups are confined to thier own color plate ( for the most part )…..makin identificationa snap…….then newer versions are adding too much information…thus makin it inpracticle for field use. Can This Critically Endangered Bird Survive Australia's New Climate Reality? It can also be overwhelming since it has all of NA in it. I really love it! Modern field guides are rooted in the paintings of John James Audubon and other early naturalists who worked to identify and record the breadth of American birdlife. Whether you’re just getting started or looking for the perfect warbler app, you’ll find the right guide here. All the detailed artwork from David Sibley’s Guide to Birds Second Edition is included as well as thorough descriptions and distribution maps. The photographs are superb and reach a level of detail that clearly distinguishes one bird from another similar to it. But things get pretty complicated after that, which is why birders (of every skill level) have guides to help them sort one species from another. The Warbler Guide, released last year, stands out for its comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to a large group of beautiful birds. This helps pay for hosting the site and fund conservation projects. The second editions contain similar great content to (That tenth birder is the one who misidentifies a lot of birds, by the way.) View iBird Pro Guide for Android. Sibley’s Guide to the Birds is an attractive coffee table book and an excellent reference. Also, not having all the birds of North America was considered a bonus as it reduced the amount of time to look for an ID. Now comes a new portable guide from David Sibley that every birder will want to carry into the field. We paged through ones with drawings, ones with full photographs, and ones with digitally edited photos. I prefer the paintings to the photos because I know every mark and color were put in the paintings for a reason, but with photos I don’t recognize subtle differences as easily. I keep both books under the seat in my car with some binocs. In a Historic Move, Biden Picks Haaland as First Native American Interior Secretary, Birds Help Bind Us to Our Roots, and to One Another, Scientists Braved the High Arctic to Chase Clouds on History’s Largest Polar Trip. In 2000, David Sibley published his mammoth Field Guide to the Birds of North America, which was quickly recognised as being a great guide, but rather too large for most coat pockets. I would like to have a bird check-list in my Sibley’s. This book covers the entire AOU … The illustrations were done by a variety of artists, so there isn’t the single style found in the Peterson, Sibley, or Golden guides. The new Sibley Birds app has arrived with comprehensive, up to date information of over 930 North American species. You would still be OK with the Eastern guides but it is nice to have more birds in case something out of the ordinary shows up. — Birdfreak.com. Features include: • A new easy to navigate menu system on iPhone. Peterson Birds for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad is the only app that guides you through identifying a bird, and gives you range maps, bird songs, sightings records, life … Employing the classic David Sibley drawings, the book presents more plumages and subspecies than any other guide, but never overwhelms. I started with Sibley’s Guide to Birds of Western North America and it is still my preferred field guide. The 2008 Peterson guide is fairly up-to-date, although it doesn't have all the latest splits and name changes that the new NatGeo guide has. Click here. The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition, brings the genius of David Allen Sibley to the world once again in a thoroughly updated … The Peterson gull guide is in the most need of an update and renovation, though the depthless complexities of gull identification often mean that book is necessary, anyway. Dan – I would go with the North America versions. I like the prior Eastern edition since it’s more compact. The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America: Second Edition David Allen Sibley. Peterson Reference Guide to Gulls of the Americas, Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America. David Allen Sibley is the author and illustrator of a series of highly acclaimed books about birds and birding. I’m David Sibley, author and illustrator of the Sibley Guides and other books (and now apps as well) about birds and nature.I’ve been an avid birdwatcher for most of my life, with drawing and painting as a way of exploring nature. Is there a clear choice in the East/West books that would work, or should I avoid these and stick to the “North America” versions? Field guides are there to aide in the process and make birding even more enjoyable. Your email address will not be published. 4.2 out of 5 stars 19. The Sibley Guide to Birds has become the most popular and fastest selling printed guide to birds as well as the most comprehensive and authoritative guide to North American Birds: Over 6600 images. The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America, written and illustrated by David Allen Sibley. Simple observation always leads to new ideas and new discoveries, and one of my greatest satisfactions is learning new things about the natural world. 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