Thursday, May 22, 2008

Old Question, New Answer



No matter the birding message board, someone periodically has the courage (some would call it audacity) to ask this question. And just as the question is generally legitimate and sincere, so too is the ensuing multitude of often contradictory and confusing answers. Unfortunately, since the inquirer is quite often a fairly new birder, the end result is that she or he is left in a deep pit of bewilderment and uncertainty, unintentionally, yet most artfully, dug by some of the “experts” in the birding community.

“What is the best field guide on the market?”

That’s it… a very innocent, legitimate and reasonable inquiry, right? No matter the level of experience, skill, and knowledge there is no birder that hasn’t asked this question at some time. It is a question which deserves an answer, and to be fair, we should consider some of the more common, well intentioned and not necessarily wrong in and of themselves, replies before continuing.

There are the “Sibley people” who swear by the merits of his monumental, single person, artistic and descriptive accomplishment. Not to be silenced by such a singular achievement, defiantly chiming in with their choice is the “NGS (National Geographic Society) group,” eloquently extolling the comprehensive, multi-source “obvious superiority” of the Dunn and Alderfer work. Not to be left out is the “Kaufmann clan,” the legitimate offspring of the progenitor of all field guides, the late Roger Tory Peterson’s Field Guide to Eastern Birds, telling all that will listen that if simplicity and succinctness is valued, Kenn Kaufmann’s handy, “arrow enhanced” guide, reminiscent of the granddaddy of all guides, is what everyone is really needing.

Lest I forget, some swear by the “photos only” guides, rejecting all three of the above as nothing more than an artist’s imperfect perspective and expression. Seeing what a bird actually looks like through the eyes of a camera lens is received as “more realistic” than anything an artist can replicate. Field guides recently published by those advocates of all that is still natural and untamed in our world, the National Wildlife Federation and the National Audubon Society, fall into this category.

Let me preface everything else I share by stating emphatically that “I have most of them”… and realized quickly some time ago that there is no ultimate visual field guide… and that its creation is actually but a fond dream… and an impossibility. No one guide can ever fully represent the various races and morphs, as well as the seasonal, sexual, and age plumage differences of each species of bird you or I may possibly see. Every credible guide needs to be selective by reason of practicality and portability… most people just don’t have room for a library (and that’s what it would take!) in their backpacks…. And even if someone could take “it all” along on their birding trips, they definitely shouldn’t spend all the time it would take looking in the various guides, comparing and sorting (something that would have to be done to arrive at any hope of identifying some birds), while they could actually be looking at the birds themselves.



If you are one of the very many that have only one guide, let me be so bold to emphatically say that you are cheating yourself. It will not take you long to find a bird that is not “just like the illustration.” And then what happens?

Before moving on to my “new answer,” let me make it clear that having multiple guides is a good thing. Often what you see in the field is neatly and accurately illustrated in one, while absent from the rest. And if you haven’t discovered them for yourself yet, you soon will realize that some illustrations and photos can be downright misleading when used as the only source of identification for a specific species, e.g. Vesper Sparrow in NGS. So, when financially feasible, purchase those“ other” guides. Having two artist illustrated guides and one photo guide would be a nice minimum. You can’t go wrong by choosing from those that I’ve already mentioned.

From the “multiple general field guides” position, I’m sure that many will want to (and should) go on to obtaining bird family specific guide books dealing with some of the more identification troublesome taxonomic groupings, such as A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of the Sparrows of the United States and Canada by James Rising, or Gulls of the Americas by Jon Dunn and Steve Howell. While you will not find books like these for all species, the ones that are available will be invaluable.


But finally, here is a guide that few birders know about, and even fewer procure and utilize, yet I believe it to be a treasure chest of valuable identification information that no “serious birder” (you know who you are!) should be without. It is one to which I personally refer often… and would not be without. Peter Pyle’s Identification Guide to North American Birds, Part I is that guide. While only 395 Passerrine species (and 855 subspecies!) are dealt with (Doves through Weaver Finches) and that this is the guide used by bird banders for “in hand” identification, there is so much detailed, invaluable information that I believe it to be the one and only guide that no birder should be without. Now, be assured that I have no financial interest in more of this extremely detailed work being sold, other than as someone who cares deeply about carefulness and accuracy of all avian identification, there is no birder that I would not urge to take the extra effort it takes to purchase. Yes, you must order it by mail; it is not available in any store. One place to find it is at the Point Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO) website: http://www.prbo.org/cms/244
or just Google the title and author.

Be advised, if you’re looking for elegant, artistic drawings or revealing photos, where all that is necessary is to “compare and match,” this guide will be an absolute disappointment. You will find nothing even coming close to the realization of those kinds of expectations. But if you’re looking for superbly detailed written information (with a few feather or other body part drawings thrown in when needed) about the seasonal, gender, age and subspecies related variations we all encounter, this book is for you. Sure, quite a bit of what you’ll find is only applicable to banders, but there is also a wealth of knowledge which is helpful for all of us “regular birders” that just cannot be found anywhere else. Also, be warned that some material may seem a bit technical and difficult for the average recreational birder to understand…. But even knowing that to be the case, what is available and important for everyone else is priceless.

So, what is the “new answer” to the same of old “What’s the best birding field guide” question? Without any reservation, especially if you already have an assortment of other guides, it is Pyle’s monumental work. Give it a try… it will not disappoint.

(By the way, Part II, covering all the rest of the birds in North America, is “coming soon”).

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