quote:

Originally posted by justjoe:

quote:

Sibleys is too intense for me when I’m trying to figure out wtf it is before it flies off,

I recommend your wife get a camera with a zoom lens and take photos of the birds she wants to identify. Then, whatever guide she gets, use the photos to identify in the guide. I have never been able to use the guide to identify the bird while it was at the feeder. I'm turning pages and the bird snatches a sunflower seed and flies away.

If you’re talking to me, I’m the wife .
While my husband doesn’t give a hoot about birds, my dad is an amazing resource..if I can’t sort it out, I just call him up, describe what I’ve seen and an idea of the song, he typically nails it. We just confirmed a red bellied last week that way, lol. He’s taught me almost everything I know about native birds here. I’m not serious enough to get a zoom beyond the one on my iPhone, hence the use of the Golden field guide vs Sibleys on the run.

If you’re talking to Para, pardon my response, that’s a great idea that she may really enjoy!

A local non-profit arboretum will have a great selection in their gift shop.

quote:

Originally posted by irreverent:

quote:

Originally posted by justjoe:

quote:

Sibleys is too intense for me when I’m trying to figure out wtf it is before it flies off,

I recommend your wife get a camera with a zoom lens and take photos of the birds she wants to identify. Then, whatever guide she gets, use the photos to identify in the guide. I have never been able to use the guide to identify the bird while it was at the feeder. I'm turning pages and the bird snatches a sunflower seed and flies away.

If you’re talking to me, I’m the wife .
While my husband doesn’t give a hoot about birds, my dad is an amazing resource..if I can’t sort it out, I just call him up, describe what I’ve seen and an idea of the song, he typically nails it. We just confirmed a red bellied last week that way, lol. He’s taught me almost everything I know about native birds here. I’m not serious enough to get a zoom beyond the one on my iPhone, hence the use of the Golden field guide vs Sibleys on the run.

If you’re talking to Para, pardon my response, that’s a great idea that she may really enjoy!

I learn something every day on this forum.

the big thick ones are handy and offer a lot,

but consider one specifically for your area as well,

https://www.google.com/search?...j0i22i30.ENwuByylMVo

i have five bird books , but ive been doing it for 35 years

mustang pappa ,
who makes those things?

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
the big thick ones are handy and offer a lot,

but consider one specifically for your area as well,

Yes, sorry I discluded that in my post. A local arboretum should have books on birds native to the area. I've selected both books and folding laminated resources from area gardens. Higher quality specialized materials with low published numbers might seem costly, like $8 for a placemat-sized laminated colored 4-fold on birds, but it is targeted to your area and will last forever.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
mustang pappa ,
who makes those things?

Quick Referencing Publishing, Inc @
Www.quickreferencepublishing.com

They were at the check out lines at our local HEB grocery store.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mustang-PaPa,

thanks

Bend they were $7.95ea plus tax in the store.
My wife and i have sure used them alot.
We both keep them under our bird watching binos.
While they dont show both male and female birds they get us close and we google for more pics and details as needed.

Thinking i might order the National Audubon Society field guide book though.

another good reason to have numerous books is that
one book may have great pictures , but not of both the males and females,

another book will have great info but iffy pics,

some books include bird songs others do not

some books will offer the birds diets other books may offer nesting or flight patterns.

there are a few places on the internet that will let you hear bird songs , that helps with identification

quote:

another good reason to have numerous books is that
one book may have great pictures , but not of both the males and females,

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Kind of like Playboy. Interesting.

if you do not already have one, I recommend a bird bath


the only thing better for attracting birds is a bird bath with a fountain in it .

yes you have to get a stiff bristle brush and clean them every ten days or so,

but watching the birds splash around is great fun

My Audubon Field Guide arrived yesterday. As I was thumbing through it I was instantly taken back to my Grandmothers living room many years ago.
I need to get some feeders.

I just found this extensive review of 5 “best” birding apps. Well worth looking through; it’s clear some serious birders now just take an iPhone or iPad or equivalent instead of a couple of books into the field.

Link: Best birding apps

 
Sibley's guides here. I have both the North American one and the Western States one.

a friend showed me her phone app of 'bird calls' in which she could check the image of the bird she wanted & the app would play the live bird call.

Sorry to have lost the link, probably easily located with search.

My wife has two or three bird books but uses Audubon guide to eastern birds most frequently. She tabs the entries for birds she's seen in our area with little post-it notes. The woods behind our house overhang our deck and there's a little lake that starts a few houses down the street from us so she has a lot of tabs.

We've purchased several other Audubon guides over the years: trees, mushrooms, reptiles and amphibians, and one or two more I can't recall at the moment. They're small enough that they're easy to carry in a bag on a hike, and have a semi-hard cover that protects better than paper but isn't as thick and heavy as a regular hardcover.