Reviews (1)

Simply Amazing
Perhaps I am not the best person to review the quality and accuracy of the songs in this book/audio player (I would leave that to Rick Johnson of Osprey Ridge Studios who created the Hearbirds Course on CD available at [..] but as the former publisher of Waite Group Press [..] I must say that this is one of the most innovative and fun to use products to appear in book publishing in a long time.
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Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Children's Books/All Ages    3. General    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Birds (ornithology)    7. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching    8. North America   

Reviews (9)

excellant book for the money
Well illustrated, informative,helpful,perfectly priced.I recomend this book to amateurs and veterans of this hobby, this is a beautiful book easily worth the money.

YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH THIS ONE
I have been a rather serious birder for well over fifty years now and when I first saw this book (it was a gift) I almost felt insulted...back yard birder indeed!Well, I was wrong...I admit it.I have actually enjoyed this one far more that several of the many hundred or so more technical books on the subject that inhabit my shelves.This is a wonderful quick reference and is quite well organized.I have interested grandchildern and I not when they are here, which is almost daily, they reach for this volume far more than any of the others.Sharing my passion and hobby with them is great and this work is a wonderful help tool.Recommend it highly.

Helps the Average Birdwatcher
"The Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher: Birdfeeders and Bird Gardens" is for the interested, but average birdwatcher. However, it might just inspire the reader to take it a level higher.
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Subjects:  1. Bird feeders    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Garden Design    5. Garden Furnishings    6. Gardening to attract birds    7. Identification    8. Nature    9. North America    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Sale Books   

Editorial Review

More than 10 years in the making, David Sibley's Read more

Reviews (97)

By far the best guide book on North American birds, PERIOD!
Ahh, the book with an identity problem. Is this a coffee table book or is this a field manual? It's far too small to be a coffee table book, yet far too large to be a practical field guide. I think Knopf (the publisher) tried to make it fulfill both roles so they decided to split the difference in sizes and in and so doing, they fulfilled neither role. Regardless, this book is astonishing to behold. It is as much a work of art as anything else. If you can have just one book on birds for the rest of your life, make it this one. I think the author said it took him something like 11 years just to carefully hand paint each of the bird illustrations in this book. Well it definitely shows! When this book was first released, it caused something of an uproar because it was way too large and heavy to carry with you out in the field. Yet, it was way too useful not to. I wrote the author telling him he should come out with a much smaller version of this guide that is more compact and lightweight for field use. Well, he listened to me because he did just that. My only complaint about this book (and the smaller version), is that the illustrations of the birds are just a wee bit smaller than what they should be. And with the target audience of this book being primarily baby boomers, this might not go over too well with their aging eyes. The somewhat smallish illustrations make it far too difficult to effectively identify many birds, especially birds of the sparrow family which are extremely tricky to visually seperate by their field markings. The author told me he did this for artistic reasons (to keep large areas of white page around the birds to visually seperate the illustrations). All fine and good, but you aren't trying to make an art book (at least I didn't think you were), you're trying to make something people can use out in the field (at least I thought you were). Still, this is by far the best identification book on North American birds availible and trust me, I've looked at them all. Go with the smaller version if you plan on carrying it with you out in the field. The large edition, though a bit small for a true coffee table book, will have to sufice in that role until Knopf finally decides to come out with a lager coffee table version of this book. Needless to say, I have them both and love them both.

Sibley Guide
This is the best bird book of its kind on the market.While it is a little too large to be as handy as Peterson's for a field guide (unless you have very large pockets), it is indispensable for the serious birder.The convenience of having all of the information about a particular bird on one page cannot be overstated, and the illustrations are not only accurate but -- like Audubon's -- are works of art.

Birds of My Region
I am using this product as a study guide for a field elective class in college.It has supplied me with great pictures and information for almost every bird I have had to study so far.I love the quizzing feature the most.It has been the highest effective learning tool I've used with this DVD.
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Subjects:  1. Bird Watching    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    5. Identification    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North America    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (24)

My field guide of choice
At one time I owned nearly every field guide availible on North American birds. I have since gotten rid of all of them and kept only this one because it far exceeds the others. Enough said.

Well worth the bux!
Admittedly I'm an amateur bird watcher, so I don't speak from a great amount of experience, but I did have certain expectations as to the quality and quantity of information to be found in this book.Both have been completely met.The layout is intuitive and the illustrations clear and informative.The size lends itself to slipping in an outside field-jacket pocket and the binding and covers seem rugged enough for many years of use....good show!

Great Book for Beginners
Unlike a lot of 'beginner guides,' this book shows very accurately what birds actually look like - from multiple points of view.The drawings are exquisite, and are more accurate than photos - a photo shows only 1 bird at one point in time; a drawing allows an artist to convey the total bird, eccentuating some features and dulling others for more easy identification. Additionally, descriptions are great, detailing habitat, range, commonality, nesting habits, and more. This fairly small book can be brought on day hikes, and also on some backpacking trips, depending on conditions.Realistically the best and only guide most people in the east will need. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (1)

The indispensible Tropical Pacific field guide.
Pratt, Bruner, and Dickinson have produced a superb field guide completely covering all the islands of the tropical Pacific from Hawai'i west through Micronesia.This is a true field guide:it gives the field marks of everyspecies, notes problems in identification with special emphasis ondistinguishing similar species, and wastes no space on matters not relatedto identification.(The exception is that Pratt, a significantornithologist as well as an expert in identification, summarizescontroversies in classification whre appropriate.)Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    5. Hawaii    6. Identification    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Oceania    10. Biological Sciences    11. Birds (ornithology)    12. Birds and Natural History    13. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching    14. Pacific Ocean    15. Reference works   

Reviews (11)

Simply stunning
The book has stunning photos that truly show the birds as they would be seen in real life. The use of mini "quizzes" throughout the book set it apart from other books like it. The book is a learning tool vs. only a reference tool. The descriptions are easy to follow. The range maps are clear and the layout is easy to understand. This is the birding book of the year.

Another good approach to Shorebird I.D.
Superior photography to other shorebird guides on the market.Images of mixed species flocks for comparison makes this guide very useful for real life situations.Consistent and well thought-out layout.Probably not best thought of as a field guide, but rather a study guide and a 'get-back-to-the-car reference.'

A New Standard in Shorebird Guides
This is the best photographic guide to Shorebirds period. There are hundreds of photos, over 300 pages for just photos most of them with several photos per page. Not only that they have great captions. Example Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs each have 12 photos showing both in one shot, breeding, non-breeding, juvenile, juvenile molting, resting, flying, with other species and all the photos tell you where and when (what month) they were taken. Each species also has range maps and the text is first class. Each species is covered as to Status, Taxonomy, Behavior, Migration - both spring and fall and adult and juveniles, Molts - first year and adult, and lastly vocalizations. The authors stress the Structure of each species rather than detailed colorization. Shorebirds can vary greatly in color especially during migration but their structure stays the same. Also one often observes these birds against bright lighting making their structure stand out.
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Subjects:  1. Bird Watching    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Identification    4. Individual Species Of Birds    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Pictorial works    8. Shore birds    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Editorial Review

This is the classic from which many of our staff first learned toread, starting us on a path of unremitting bibliophilia.Read more

Reviews (75)

An unforgettable book!
Poor little birdie came into this world and his mother was out getting him his first meal. He goes through a series of, "Are you my mother?" to planes, cows, dogs, until he almost gives up. As this book unravels, you cheer on the birdie while he goes through his wonders of who he feels a sense of belonging to. P.D.Eastman uses repitition and adds easy drawings to perfect a child's love and want to hear this book OVER AND OVER again. One of the first books I learned to read by and still own the same raggedy copy.

Are you my favorite book?
Our Grand daughter acts out this entire book with dramatic embellishments and subtle interpretation.It is the most interactive book a youngster from 6 months on can love and enjoy forever.

I loved this book as a child...but it's really inappropriate now!
First, let me say that I learned to read from this book. When I was a kid I knew all the words and I loved it! But then again, I didn't know any better, and frankly, neither did my mom and dad. I was lucky in that the book applied to me: I looked like my mom and dad and therefore the message of the book, that your mother is the one who looks most like you, was seemingly harmless.
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Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Birds    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Grades 1-2    5. Family - New Baby    6. Family - Parents    7. Fiction    8. Humorous Stories    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Birds (ornithology)    11. English literature: fiction texts    12. Juvenile Fiction / Family / New Baby    13. Self-Help & Practical Interests   

Reviews (3)

Stunning Photos!
Of course, everyone loves the feisty, peppy hummingbird with it's glorious colors.This book shows details that the average birdwatcher never sees.The close up photos, some in action sequence, are a delight and there are pictures even showing the nests made of cobwebs, feathers and lichens.
Unbelievable photography
This book conains the most amazing photography imaginable (the authors' companion book Hummingbirds of the Caribbean is just as wonderful).Dazzling colors and awesome stopped-action shots. I can't imagine how it was done.

Highest praise
The wife and husband team of Esther and Robert Tyrrell logged over 30,000 miles of travel to photograph and document the 16 species of North American hummingbirds.Using his own special high-speed strobe techniques, Roberthas photographed the tiny colorful birds in a variety of activities flying,perching, and nesting.The book contains over 200 amazing photographs,reproduced in dazzling color.In her text, Esther has culled informationfrom hundreds of sources and provides a comprehensive and well-writtenoverview of the birds' anatomy and behaviors.A must for any bird lover! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Hummingbirds    4. Individual Species Of Birds    5. Nature / Field Guide Books    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (22)

A nice guide for oregon
My last bird book was a petersons from 25 years ago. Amazingly it has worked well for a causal birder. Recently we felt like up grading. I bought three books, the sibley has range maps right with the bird , which the petersons does not have any more. ( my old copy does have that feature.) This was a good buy, My mother likes the small Oregon Birds , its pocket sized ,and color oreinted. I use the petersons because once I narrow my choices, Petersons has more options.
Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America
I have found this book to be well done and put together. I started using it about two weeks ago and have found it easy to use and I like the pictures and imformation on the birds that is given.

Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America
Excellent book and about time.Sibley's orginal book was just too large to carry around so we used Kauffman as a field guide.While his book is also good, Sibley manages to give you pictures of the same bird in its juvenile plumage, males and females, morphs, flying and other variations.You can really get a more positive ID on your birds with this book.I also have the one for Eastern North America for visiting friends in Texas and beyond.The more books the better, but Sibley's divided versions of his big book is a must. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Editorial Review

Rosemary and Peter Grant and those assisting them have spend twenty years on Daphne Major, an island in the Galapagos studying natural selection.They recognize each individual bird on the island, when there are four hundred at the time of the author's visit, or when there are over a thousand.They have observed about twenty generations of finches -- continuously.Read more

Reviews (61)

Thinking About Life
I have been raised in a highly fundamentalist environment, and had little idea what evolution or natural selection actually was before I read this book. It could not have been explained to me in a simpler or more understandable way. I was even more astonished to discover that evolution by means of natural selection is happening right now, not only to finches or guppies or soapberry bugs, but to every living thing around me. I am always seeking books that will make me think about the world in which I live. This is such a book.

A Wonderful Introduction to Evolution
As a biology major I consider myself well versed in the principles and concepts of evolutionary theory.I have read innumerous books on the subject, both popular and technical.Given this background I would have to say that The Beak of the Finch is easily one of the best introductions an individual can get on the subjects of natural selection, evolution, and speciation.Jonathan Weiner's smooth prose makes the reading both easy (relatively) and enjoyable.That being said this is by no means a "simple" introduction to evolution. The book delves deeply into the intricacies of natural selection as addressed by the Grants and numerous other researchers.
...
This book was very good in showing how natural selection takes place. It was a very informative novel, and it gives the reader a very good understanding of evolution.However the book was very repetitive and the chapters did now flow well together. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1936-    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Evolution    4. Finches    5. Galapagos Islands    6. Grant, Peter R.,    7. Life Sciences - Evolution    8. Research    9. Science    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Science / Evolution   

Editorial Review

Covering 508 bird species found east of the Rocky Mountains, the revised second edition takes into account changes in taxonomy and uses improved photography. At the heart of the guide is a set of 646 well-made color photographs whose subjects are organized by easily discerned characteristics (e.g., "chicken-like marsh birds," such as the clapper rail; "gull-like birds," such as the kittiwake; and "upright-perching water birds," such as the common murre). The photographs are then keyed to textual descriptions of the birds' appearance, range and habitat, nesting characteristics, and behavior. Easy to use and handsomely produced, this belongs in every eastern birdwatcher's collection. Read more

Reviews (27)

Not a true field guide
This guide was not designed for field birding.
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region - Revised Edition
Excellent book for every bird watcher.

Handy Guide
Great pictures Would have liked pictures of the male, the female and the juvenal printed next to each other. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Identification    5. Individual Species Of Birds    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North America    9. Birds & birdwatching    10. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (3)

Spectacular
This book is spectacular.The images are breathtaking, and the quality of their presentation is nothing short of superb.Wow!!!

Why reorganize a symphony?
Let me qualify my remarks by first saying that I have not even seen this version. I have no doubt that the printing is of the highest quality, but I have a serious reservation about the organization of this book.Audubon deliberately mixed his birds in a non-taxonomic order to maintain a freshness and an element of suprise.I recently acquired a large format copy published by Welcome Rain, which follows Audubon's original order.The effect is a delightful romp through nature, full of suprises, drama and movement.He never intended it to be a catalog with all his ducks in a row, it was to be an experience.I have seen an abridged, small format edition of his paintings arranged in the standard, dull taxonomic order of a typical field guide and the effect is nothing like seeing them in the order Audubon intended.Rearranging the plates for convenience of listers diminishes this work, and to a certain extent, is a disservice to the artist.While I am happy to see that his work remains in print and is being reproduced at very high standards, I would hope that it would be viewed as a symphony, not as a random collection of notes needing to be organized alphabetically.

Beautiful volume of audubon
If you are a birder and you collect all the great bird books, your collection is not complete until you get this. A beautiful book, contained in a hard case, with excellent printing. A steal at $250 at its original price, now knocked down between $125 to $185. Get this book! A great tribute to Peterson and Audubon. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Artists    3. Biography    4. Birds    5. Individual Artist    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Ornithologists    9. Ornithology    10. Techniques - Painting - Specific Subjects    11. United States    12. Birds (ornithology)   

Reviews (14)

out of this world!
One can only think the amount of knowledge Don has on bird sounds is in a different scale to the rest. But then he finds the way to transmit a good portion of it with simple and very easy to read stories and that becomes even more incredible. A very beautiful book in all senses.

Book is fascinating but CD is confusing
Criticism of the CD:What I wanted was a CD where the type of bird would be announced on the CD before or after the song, so that I could listen to the CD without having to read along in the book.(I wanted to learn bird songs during my commuting time, which precludes reading along.)Also, even when using the book, I had a great deal of trouble telling when one track had ended and another had begun, so I was usually lost and confused.This is not the right CD for me.

Wow - my ears are opened!

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Subjects:  1. Bird Behavior    2. Bird Watching    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Birdsongs    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (23)

Birds Field Guide review
The pictures were what I was interested in.They are clear and very accurate.I would liked to have had more detail on the history of each bird but over all, it has helped me a great deal.

Great book
Love the illustrations.Much more realistic than any we have seen.We are lovers of wildlife and a grateful for such a wonderful reference.

A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America
This is a fantastic book.It came in perfect condition. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. North America    7. Birds & birdwatching    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Editorial Review

Considered the definitive raptor identification guide for North America, this essential resourcefor birders includes photos and text for distinguishing between hawks, falcons, eagles, and vultures in thefield, paying careful attention to plumage variations in juveniles and adults. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Hawks and Birds of Prey
This is by far the very best book I have ever seen. The photos and details are just Great. I would advise anyone that watchs for these beautiful birds to have this as a guide!!

A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors
This is the best photographic guide to north american raptors available.The photos are very clear so you can see details on plumage.It also includes multiple photos of the species that have morphs, which is very helpful in the field.This is not a book I would recommend if you are using it for written reference.But I give it 5 stars for a field reference guide!

Useful field guide, shows variability of morphs
This is simply the best field guide for North American diurnal raptors that I have seen.Unlike some other photgraphic guides, it provides several images of each species in poses that one is likely to see in the field: perched and soaring from above and the side (showing field marks of top of wing and tail).It shows several examples of different morphs and ages for most birds.This is critical in understanding the variability in markings within a species.In addition, it has a section on field identification problems, detailing differences between similar looking birds.To my knowledge, there is no substitute.Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Biological Sciences    6. Birds & birdwatching    7. Birds and Natural History    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Features

• Abridged
• Audiobook

Reviews (7)

Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Western Region
I like the selection of songs that are avaliable. They are well recorded and there duration is fine.
Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs
Given the tendency of birds to generally move about rapidly (much more so than plants!), I find that being able to identify their song is often more of an effective key to positive identification than is sight recognition. Sound familiar? And do you live in western North America? If so, you might find this CD set of bird songs a valuable tool. I do. I especially like the length of the samples that are provided for each species. Highly recommended.

Just what I was looking for
A few years ago I purchased "Birding By Ear" by Richard Walton & Robert Lawson.It's good, but I was disappointed by the small number of species represented (my version has 90 birds on three CD's, though Amazon's current offering appears to be abridged onto one CD).Each track has detailed verbal descriptions of the songs, and disc 3 includes some practice mixes of different habitats so you can test yourself.I think it would make a good tutorial for someone just getting started in listening to bird songs.But for me "Birding By Ear" didn't work.The detailed verbal descriptions got in the way of listening to the songs.I wanted more birds and fewer words.Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Audio - Nonfiction    3. Audio Adult: Other    4. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    5. Nature    6. Wildlife    7. Nature / Wildlife   

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Central America    4. General    5. South America    6. Study Aids    7. Study Guides    8. Test Prep    9. Birds (ornithology)    10. Study Aids / General    11. Study guides, home study & revision notes   

Reviews (15)

Packed with information --not user friendly
A large volume, not easily used, in the field. The authors presume a good knowledge of North American birds--so you need a Sibley in addition. Unfortunately carrying the Sibley will remind you of how much more difficult to use this volume is.
Excellent guide for birding Guatemala
I just got back from a one-week trip to Guatemala where I used the Howell and Webb guide which was reported as the best book by other birders and naturalists while I was there.
worthy purchase
Great info, but large to carry as a field guide.Also, I could have used more color drawings to help with identification. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    3. Central America    4. Identification    5. Mexico    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Birds & birdwatching    9. Birds (ornithology)    10. Life Sciences | Vertebrate Zoology | Ornithology    11. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Editorial Review

From the creator of the seminal field guide, Read more

Reviews (25)

Best book on bird behaivor I've seen
Without stepping up to a college textbook on Ornithology, this has been the best book I've found generally availible to the public on bird behaivor. David Allen Sibley is an authority on the subject and that's good enough for me. The college textbooks are a bit dry and uninteresting, however this book is anything but. A perfect companion to his other books on the subject.

From the perspective of a non-birder...
I'm not a birder, though it seems like an interesting hobby.But I just look at the birds at the feeders and birdbath in the back yard and think, "I wonder what that one is?"So, I bought "The Sibley Guide to Birds" (which is outstanding) on the recommendation of a birder friend, and that led me to this book.
The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior
Includes all the information our other guides - Audubon, Peterson's, the other Sibley's Guide -- have left undescribed.Devotes many pages for further study of bird species and sub-species. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Behavior    2. Bird Behavior    3. Birds    4. Birds & Birdwatching - General    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (6)

Irresistable birds, fascinating trivia, interesting science
Fascinating book. The sheer amount of literary and artistic references the authors bring in serve to show the importance of crows to our culture. The epigraph is a Robert Frost poem, "Dust of Snow."
Original Drawings
Crows and ravens have always lived with me and I with them. As an only child who grew up among adult human relatives, I may have had more "socialization" training from crows than from my own human family. About the only thing the crows didn't teach me was how to knit. (I learned that from my father who swore me to secrecy!) What I know now is that if the crows saw any need for sweaters, they'd have taught me that too.
Apes and orcas not the only smart animals
At the top of the bird kingdom stand corvids -- crows, jays, ravens and similar animals.
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Subjects:  1. Nature/Ecology    2. Ravens    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Art styles not limited by date    5. Birds & birdwatching    6. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching    7. The Arts: General Issues    8. Crows    9. Nature    10. Human-animal relationships