Jim and Tweeters:
I really like Kenn Kaufman's BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA. Heck, I use it myself.
(Along w/ Sibley.) It has excellent explanatory sections about the birding
families (check out his section on raptors), and good range maps on the same
page w/ the pictures. I recommend it to a lot of
beginners, but I realize many beginners are attached to the field guides
they already have. That's ok too.
Yours, Carol Schulz
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim McCoy" <jfmccoy at earthlink.net>
To: "'Tweeters'" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2002 8:51 AM
Subject: field guides for beginners?


>
> I'm occasionally in the position of offering advice to a fledgling birder,
> but I never
> really know what to suggest for a field guide. Since I started as a kid
> with the
> Zim Junior Golden Guide, and only gradually worked my way through just
about
> every field guide available, I don't know what to advise an adult starting
> out.
>
> Are NGS and Sibley's overkill for a beginner? Or does the depiction of
> several plumages clarify more than it confuses?
>
> I'm quite biased toward comprehensive guides, but does anyone find that
> regional
> guides really do simplify things for beginners? If so, is there a
> particular one you'd
> recommend?
>
> Is there any consensus? Are there any relative newbies out there who've
had
> better success with one than another? Any vets who've asked and been
> answered?
>
> Thanks,
> JMc
>
> Jim McCoy
> jfmccoy at earthlink.net
> Redmond, WA
>
>
>