Diane et al.,

To add my 2 cents worth, I've done about a dozen independent,
self-organized trips to Mexico in recent years in search of plants &
birds, including one to Baja last year. I am a BIG proponent of
Howell & Webb's Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central
America, and I would strongly urge anyone with more than a passing
interest in Mexican birds to use it as your primary reference. The
Peterson & earlier guides are FAR less helpful and more out of date.
I also cringe when I hear of people cutting out the plates & leaving
the text behind. I think this is a bad idea, as the text is an
excellent one and includes a WEALTH of information as to matters such
as range, regional variation, song, habitat, etc which cannot be
conveyed in plates. While it is big, it is well worth the space &
weight. AT LEAST take the text with you, even if you only take the
plates in the field -- then review the text in the evening, when you
sit down with a cerveza & go over the day's sightings (one of the
joys of birding in Mexico!) As to Howell's site guide companion book,
I usually just xerox the pages with info on the places I'm headed &
leave the book at home. And the recommendation to take a good North
America bird guide is also well-taken, especially if you will be in
N. Baja.

As for plants, the most comprehensive and authoritative reference is
still Ira L. Wiggins' Flora of Baja California, but it is very
expensive ($145.00!!).

You may also wish to inquire of the list-serve group designed for
Mexico birding enthusiasts. Apply to:

Mexico-Birding-owner at yahoogroups.com

While not nearly as active as Tweeters, most R.F.I.s to the group are
responded to, and it is a "friendly" list -- I've never seen anything
even approaching a "flame" on it... I know there are at least a few
Baja birding specialists on the list who could give you more
site-specific advice.

The flora and avifauna of Mexico are very diverse and exciting, and
opportunities to make important discoveries and contributions to our
knowledge of them are still very real. Spend some money in the local
communities & let them know you are there to study natural history
-- ecotourism is an essential part of any strategy for preserving the
biological wealth of Mexico. Have fun on your trip, and let us know
what you see!

Mark




>I think Rob is right about the Howell books being most useful--on an
>organized trip in N.E. Mexico in November, most of us had the
>"Guide" book, but many folks had stripped out the plates alone and
>had them bound separately, because the book is so huge. However, I
>found that my old copy of Peterson and Chalif's Field Guide to
>Mexican Birds even more useful, partly because it's normal field
>guide size. Trouble is, of course, that it doesn't show the birds
>that are already pictured in the Eastern and Western field guides,
>and we kept encountering birds in migration such as the northern
>warblers, from all over the U.S. That may not be a problem down in
>winter in Baja.
>
>Burt Guttman
>The Evergreen State College
>Olympia, WA 98505 <mailto:guttmanb at evergreen.edu>guttmanb at evergreen.edu
>Home: 7334 Holmes Island Road S. E., Olympia, 98503
>
>
>From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu on behalf of Rob Conway
>Sent: Sat 1/21/2006 10:16 PM
>To: diane_weinstein at msn.com; tweeters at u.washington.edu
>Subject: RE: [Tweeters] Baja Birds
>
>Diane,
>
>The Howell books - 'Bird Finding Guide to Mexico' and 'Guide to Birds of
>Mexico Northern Central America' have served me well - Don't forget your
>Sibley either!
>
>Since most of us are also not just birders but "naturalists" in general I'd
>recommend 'Roberts Baja California Plant Field Guide' (which I realize I can
>no longer find my copy of) if you are interested in the really fascinating
>plant life on the peninsula.
>
>The whale watching is great - but there is a ton of other marine life out
>there - make sure you get a good general marine life guidebook as well.
>
>
>Rob Conway
>Newcastle, WA
>
>robin_birder at hotmail.com
>
>
>
>
>
>>From: "Diane Weinstein" <diane_weinstein at msn.com>
> >To:
>>Subject: [Tweeters] Baja Birds
>>Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 14:45:56 -0800
>>
>>Dear Tweeters,
>>
>>Can anyone recommend a good bird field guide and checklist for Baja? I am
>>going there on a whale watching trip in March.
>>
>>Diane Weinstein
>>Issaquah
>
>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Tweeters mailing list
>>Tweeters at u.washington.edu
>><http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters>http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Tweeters mailing list
>Tweeters at u.washington.edu
><http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters>http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters


--
Mark Egger
Seattle, WA
USA
mailto:m.egger at comcast.net