Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!samsung!munnari.oz.au!sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au!spam!wvenable From: wvenable@spam.ua.oz (Bill Venables) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: Birding in Australia Message-ID: <350@spam.ua.oz> Date: 23 Jul 90 11:23:00 GMT References: <1358@idunno.Princeton.EDU> Organization: Statistics, Pure and Applied Maths, University of Adelaide Lines: 44 In article misan@ra.abo.fi (Annika Forsten DC) writes: [..] > >There is also a site guide book available on Australia, maybe you could get >it over there? I know it's available from England, don't know about the >states. The name is 'Where to find birds in Australia' by John Bransbury. > Yes, this is quite a good book, but remember that Australia is almost as big as continental USA, (excluding Alaska), and this is quite a big book. Sorry I don't have the details to hand, but I can get them if anyone wants them. Email me? >> (b) field guides to get > >There are two recent fieldguides, both seem to be pretty good, as I haven't >been to Australia I can't say which is better. > >Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds (Slater, Slater and Slater) 1986. >$ 27.50. Available from ABA (toll-free 800-634-7736). > >Field Guide to the Birds of Australia (Simpson and Day) 1989. 11.95 pounds >sterling (in the UK). Not available from ABA? The larger handbook from >which this field guide was derived is available from ABA. > >Maybe our Australian expert could tell us which of these (or any others) >are the best in the field? > Australian expert? That's Andrew Taylor. (How're y'goin' Andrew?) However IMHO both are quite good. I have and use the second, (Simpson and Day) even though it's just a bit big for carrying in the field. It has quite a bit of useful life cycle information in it additional to the field guide. The American Publisher is listed as: Viking Press Inc., 40 West 23rd Street, New York, NY, USA. ISBN 0 670 90072 9 -- Bill Venables, Dept. Statistics, | Email: wvenable@spam.ua.oz.au Univ. of Adelaide, South Australia. | Phone: +61 8 228 5412