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From: sandee@sun16.scri.fsu.edu (Daan Sandee)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Bird Watching in the SFO Bay Area
Message-ID: <2385@sun13.scri.fsu.edu>
Date: 25 Feb 91 20:13:36 GMT
References: <1816@tcs.tcs.com>
Sender: news@sun13.scri.fsu.edu
Organization: SCRI, Florida State University
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In article <1816@tcs.tcs.com> shobana@booboo.tcs.com (Shobana Gubbi) writes:
>
>I have picked up birdwatching as a new hobby. Could you please suggest some
>books to identify Northern California birds and good places to watch birds
>in the San Fransisco Bay Area. Any hints would be greatly appreciated.

Field guides : a matter of preference, but the following are the usual ones
 recommended, in order from beginner to advanced :

1. Robbins, Bruun, Zim : Guide to Field Identification (Golden Books) $11
    (handy, pictures reasonable, lots of minor errors)
2. Peterson, "Field Guide to Western Birds" (Houghton, Mifflin) $16.
    Pictures excellent, accuracy reasonable, only for Western U.S.
   ---> Be sure to get the updated 1990 edition !
3. National Geographic Society, Birds of North America, $22.
  Bigger, much more detail, pictures from awful to reasonable.

Where-to-find guides :
4. Sequoia Audubon Society, "San Francisco Peninsula birdwatching", $10.
5. Richmond, "Birding Northern California" $10.
 Both recommended.

Prices above are approximate.
#1 and #2 you should find in any good bookstore. The others should be on
sale in the gift shop in the Mus of Nat Hist in Golden Gate Park.

Other recommendation : find somebody knowledgeable about birds to go with
you. Getting to learn the birds on your own could be real tough. Join one
of the Audubon Society chapters and go on their field trips.

Have fun!

Daan Sandee                                           sandee@scri.fsu.edu
Supercomputer Computations Research Institute
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4052  (904) 644-7045


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