Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!rice!barred.rice.edu!gamble From: gamble@barred.rice.edu (Ben Gamble) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Field Guides (was Re: Bird feeding Station Message-ID: <1991Apr25.224814.8844@rice.edu> Date: 25 Apr 91 22:48:14 GMT References: <1991Apr15.225115.3695@jpl-devvax.jpl.nasa.gov> <1991Apr21.142938.12830@yang.earlham.edu> Sender: news@rice.edu (News) Organization: Tennessee Ernie Port Authority Lines: 34 In article dans@yang.earlham.edu writes: | I recomend the Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds, the new |third edition. It is organized by family, so you can generally find the |right page quickly. It contains little arrows that point to distinguishing |features of the bird. Also, the text and the pictures are on the same |page, so you don't have to wait until the bird you have identified as a |pine grossbeak has flown away before you find out that pine grossbeaks |don't live in that part of the country. Time for me to repeat for public benefit a helpful tip other people have given me (even though experienced birders already know). It's good to have two or three guides for cross-reference purposes, as they all have different strengths. The various Peterson guides (well, okay, I only have two) are well-organized, although my Peterson's Texas field guide does _not_ put pictures and text in the same place and many of the drawings are b&w. The arrows indicating important field marks are a _real_ help to me. On the other hand, the Golden field guide has excellent color drawings of everything, more consistent range information, etc., and the text and drawings are together. This principle came into play for me only a week or two ago, when I was surprised to see, on campus, a bird I didn't recognize (I id'd the common campus species a while ago). It looked rather like a modo, but its back had a scalloped/scaly appearance and a couple short flights revealed red wing patches (new one on me!). Peterson-TX's field mark discussion narrowed the field to two right off and the Golden drawing nailed it down as an Inca Dove. Well, that was easy! -- Ben Gamble gamble@owlnet.rice.edu :wq