Thankyou Janet, I was about to jump in and say that from the time I
started birdwatching to the present state of being advanced I still prefer
the petersons field guide. Yes, for birders that do alot of traveling in
the lower 48 it means having two field guides both east and west but I
find that his drawings more acturately depict the true marking of a bird.
I have many times got into discussions with NGS users and while that guide
is good I'll take Petersons in the field. For home use you probably want
to eventually invest in specialty guides for sparrows,ducks,hawks
shorebirds,etc.. Most good book stores will have a good selection of these
especially if they specialize in Nature books like Flora & Fauna in
Pioneer Square in Seattle. Although your budget can get into trouble in
these stores, sometimes I feel like a kid in a candy shop.

Scott Downes
sdownes at u.washington.edu
Seattle WA


On Fri, 3 Jan 1997, Janet Hardin wrote:

> In response to rtylor's request for field guide recommendations, Burt
> Guttman wrote:
>
> >Peterson's _Field Guide to Western Birds_. Yes, people who have gotten
> >to the experienced or expert stage will recommend the NGS guide, but for
> >beginners nothing beats Peterson.
>
> I'll second this. You can get endless arguments from various birders on
> this topic, but as an "experienced" birder who owns both guides in
> question, I always go for Peterson first. I still say his illustrations are
> more accurate, even if the NGS guide provides some additional plumages or
> subspecies. One thing I would not recommend for beginners are the books
> with photographs only. While it might seem logical that photos would be
> more accurate, the varying sources of light, bird posture and "emotion,"
> subspecies/age, etc, make too difficult to find a definitive photograph
> that will not mislead someone just beginning to learn what to look for. If
> possible, I think it's always best to consult more than one source
> (including other birders), and nothing beats going out and spending time
> watching!
>
> Happy birding --
>
> Janet Hardin
> Port Townsend, WA
> wings at olympus.net
>
>
>