The New Birder's Guide To Birds Of North America (Peterson Field Guides)

Wonderful layout with great sections on WOW! information make the guide very user friendly and appealing to just sit down and read before taking to the field. We also like that the key to the map colors is on every page and that the Habitat preference information is in the Find IT section beside the map along with a place to record the first sighting. Drawbacks for us have to do with our location. Any selection of birds is more likely to focus on the eastern North America birds and drop off the more western species. This guide does a better job of including the western birds than others we have seen. Thanks for that. However, we still regret the exclusion of the Black-crested Titmouse, Golden-cheeked Warbler, and the Black-capped Vireo and other more locally distributed birds.The introductory sections are delightful: informative, witty, and succinct. The photo showing the Parts of a Birdwatcher is a classic.We will add this book to the list of three that we recommend for new birders. As Bill Thompson's guide instructs: if you can't find a bird that looks like the one you saw in your guide, check another guide. Good advice and a good addition to the world of bird guides.

I purchased this field guide for a 10 year old girl interested in bird watching and it is perfect. It presents the most important tips for birding and has an excellent two page, yet comprehensive illustration of the various habitats by name. The 'Wow' and 'Remember' sections on each page will keep the reader interest high as will the excellent pictures. The number of bird species is just right, too, covering all the more common and occasional species one might hope for and excludes the rarer ones more appropriate to a comprehensive field guide. The size and weight make the field guide very easy to carry, too. This is not designed as a children's introduction with perhaps two dozen species and pop-out-at-you illustrations with light weight information. That being said, it fits the bill perfectly as a solid introduction for a young person truly interested in birds. It also is readily enjoyed by adults and presents a lot of information many adults will find fresh and new. I highly recommend.

This guide has most of the birds I'll ever see. The text descriptions are entertaining as well as informative, with a "wow factor" detail about each bird. Thus the new birder learns that the male yellow-headed blackbird's "song sounds like someone throwing up" and the great-crested flycatcher often includes snakeskin in its nest.The range maps include captions that explain where to look for the bird--fields, deciduous or evergreen forests, or cities. The size of the book is a bit daunting, but I'm learning which ones live in my part of the country, which narrows the field a lot. I prefer drawings with field marks, but the photos are clear, and I can always check another birding guide if I'm not sure.

Great guide, as it is a Peterson, but I think for a beginner to bird watching, it should be more like the North America Guide by National Geo, where you can search by the picture of bird first, find it and then go to the page where it is referenced.

Very good! I surprised my husband with it and he has been addicted to birding every since. Now he zooms in on a bird, takes a digital photo and compares it to the descriptions, pictures in the book, to the internet, etc. It's surprising how many different varieties look almost identical. If they claim a certain bird is not in your region, you are likely looking at a different bird, which is why the internet is a helpful aid in addition.

I got this for my brother as a present and he likes it a lot. He did a lot of bird watching in Tanzania, and is excited to be able to learn more about North American birds.

It is okay for an addition as a reference book. Better books for field guides out there.

Mother in Law was happy to get this book... I still don't understand why people bird watch!

I currently use it to identify the birds that get into my house. My daughter uses it to mark which local birds she has seen.Good beginner guide. Seems to focus on the sounds birds make a bit, which I find difficult. I'm sure I'll get used to it though.

Guía ideal para principiantes. Si se busca una guia mas completa, esta no es la adecuada. Las fotos son buenas.

Parfait