Hey tweets and Emily, that's great news about your friend's daughter. You should be sure to tell that girl that she can be a better birder than any adult because her eyes and ears are better by far.
I started my two kids birding at about this age. We began with a Golden bird guide, which is a nice size for a kid and contains lots of easily accessible information. I think now I would consider giving her two guides: one for her to peruse at home (I recommen National Geo), and one for the field (either a Peterson's or small Sibley).
The other piece of advice I have is: Invest in a *good* pair of binoculars for her. We made the mistake of giving our kids what we thought were expensive binoculars for their age (they cost $50 each). But the optics were really poor, especially compared to our own optics. So we would see details and colors in the field that they could not. How frustrating for them. A $300 pair of Nikons may seem like a lot of money (and truly, it is), but when you think about how expensive some other very popular outdoor activities are for kids (skiing, cycling come to mind), we parents/grandparents don't gasp at the cost. We just suck it up and pay. Having a really functional set of binoculars is absolutely critical for a person of any age. - Connie, Seattle
csidles at constancypress.com <mailto:
csidles at constancypress.com>
constancesidles at gmail.com <mailto:
constancesidles at gmail.com>
>
On Jul 27, 2020, at 12:39 PM, Emily Birchman <stollea at gmail.com> wrote:
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Hello all,
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I have a dear friend whose 8 year old daughter is getting interested in birding. She wondered if I could recommend a bird guide that would be ideal for younger birders like her daughter. I wondered if anyone here has any opinions on this? Would it be better to just start her w/ the Sibley guide, or is there a comprehensive guide written more for kids?
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I found this one: https://www.amazon.com/Young-Birders-America-Peterson-Guides/dp/0547440219 <https://www.amazon.com/Young-Birders-America-Peterson-Guides/dp/0547440219> which seems like maybe a good one to start with, but it doesn't contain all the species - but maybe that doesn't matter too much?
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Thanks for any input you might have. :)
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Sincerely,
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Emily Birchman
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Kenmore, WA
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