One of the best
Nice price, lot of nice pictures, species from North America and rare birds. It's one of my favorites guides to birds, i really recommend it.
EXTREMELY USEFUL AND WELL DONE
What a wonderful and useful work. Traditionally, shorebirds are some of the more difficult birds to identify. I know I have been struggling with them for over fifty years now and the situation does not get better with age; I assure you. The wonderful optics we have available now certainly help, but only to a point. These critters are still difficult, even for the very experienced.
This book is a wonderful addition to my collection. It is a bit large to haul around like a normal field guide, but like another reviewer, I keep mine stashed in my care for quick use before the image of the bird leaves me. I use it in conjunction with the four field guides I do carry in my swag bag and have found this is pretty effective. The natural setting photographs in this work, which make up the first half of the book are top quality and show a variety as to juvenile, adult and sex. Markings are quite clear and if they are used with other books, it makes life so much simpler. I have a disadvantage at this time, not living near a large body of water, i.e. salt water or marsh, so I do not get to practice the way I use to. I need all the help I can get.
As has been so well pointed out by another reviewer here, you will not find terns and gulls and their ilk in this work. These are not shore birds. For this I was grateful as it excluded a lot of unneeded clutter. There are other fine books, i.e. most competent field guides, to help in the gull/tern area.
Of the several works I have addressing shore birds; this is right at the top as to usefulness and as a source of valuable information. Highly recommend this one.
Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
A Testament To The Progression Of Bird Identification
Over the past few years an avant-garde style of bird identification has arisen. The classic "Peterson Identification Method" (much revered by bird lovers, instrumental in the formation of birding itself, and still highly useful), which stresses the importance of unique "field marks" is slowly ceding to a new holistic approach (also known as GISS: General Impression of Shape and Size).
This guide is at the forefront of that movement, along with Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion, and should be on the shelf of any birder who wishes to improve his or her identification skills. Novice birders often wonder at the mastery of experts who can identify birds far away immediately without raising their binoculars; such ability can only come with experience, but this book offers valuable insight into that esoteric ability.
The Shorebird Guide
This is the Bird ID book that can stay on the coffee table. Pages and pages of wonderful pictures of shorebirds make up the front section of the book. Let me be quick to point out if you are looking for gulls or terns they will not be in this book. This is a book about the small brownish birds ( sometimes called Peeps) that can be seen on our shores. Sanderlings, sandpipers, Godwitts, Dunlin, and our rapidly declining Red Knots are the subjects of this book. If you want to know shore birds this is the book.
Peterson's The Shorebird Guide
This book was extremely helpful for identifying shorebirds. It shows them on the ground close up, in flight and in flocks. Detailed descriptions of status, taxonomy, behavior, migration, molt and vocalizations. Photography is excellent. If you live on or near water and need a guide, this is the one!
