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Peace through
superior firepower
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posted
The wife has taken an increasing interest over the years in watching the birds around here. I wonder if any of you guys have a recommendation for books on bird watching. Coffee table-style books are out, as I'm looking for something she can carry with her on jaunts in the outdoors.


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Posts: 107266 | Registered: January 20, 2000Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Para i have a folding laminated card that my daughter bought me for fathers day last year that has all the local to me types of birds that is really helpful to carry with me or keep close by to use to reference new bird sightings.
Its not a book but is real useful.
I also bought one for butterfly's.


Quick Referencing Publishing, Inc @
Www.quickreferencepublishing.com

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

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Posts: 18016 | Location: South West of Fort Worth, Tx. | Registered: December 26, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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"A Field Guide to the Birds" by Roger Tory Peterson.
 
Posts: 2422 | Location: newyorkistan | Registered: January 06, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I called an old GF who is a dedicated birder and she recommended Sibley Birds East.



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Posts: 15471 | Location: Virginia | Registered: July 03, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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The Petersen guides are excellent.


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Posts: 16005 | Location: Marquette MI | Registered: July 08, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Para,
Here is a link to a nice field guide sized book “Birds of Georgia”. I use the “Birds of South Carolina” version of this. It’s a nice size to carry in the field. It is indexed by color, so it makes it easy to use for identifying birds.

Birds of Georgia




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Posts: 1351 | Location: SC | Registered: October 28, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Posts: 4785 | Location: Home | Registered: April 27, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I second the Silbey books. The Sibley Guide To Birds.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...X1M1#customerReviews


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Posts: 4285 | Location: In The Swamp | Registered: January 03, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Agree The Sibley guide is good. I also use the Merlin bird app by Cornell U.
 
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quote:
Originally posted by midwest guy:
Agree The Sibley guide is good. I also use the Merlin bird app by Cornell U.


I use the Merlin app as well. Regional listings, multiple images, bird calls and the like.




 
Posts: 4123 | Location: Texas | Registered: April 16, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by Patrick-SP2022:
quote:
Originally posted by midwest guy:
Agree The Sibley guide is good. I also use the Merlin bird app by Cornell U.


I use the Merlin app as well. Regional listings, multiple images, bird calls and the like.


Agree with the books posted but the Merlin app is great. It’s what I use now and what I bought my mother to use.

Fun stuff. And a nice pair of binoculars for the Mrs.




Regards,

P.
 
Posts: 1287 | Location: Alabama | Registered: May 20, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I use National Geographic's Guide to the Backyard Birds of North America and like it. Very nicely organized for quick reference.


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Posts: 11106 | Location: pennsylvania | Registered: June 05, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Raptorman
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I carry a Sibley's Bird Guide with me.


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Posts: 34084 | Location: North, GA | Registered: October 09, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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+1 on the Audubon books.


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Posts: 9002 | Location: Northern Virginia | Registered: November 04, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by Minnow:
Para,
Here is a link to a nice field guide sized book “Birds of Georgia”. I use the “Birds of South Carolina” version of this. It’s a nice size to carry in the field. It is indexed by color, so it makes it easy to use for identifying birds.

Birds of Georgia

I also use the Carolinas edition of this series. It's pretty small and portable.

Also, the Merlin Bird ID app by Cornell mentioned above is pretty good. I used it a couple of months ago to identify a bird hanging around my front porch that I'd never seen before.
 
Posts: 2680 | Location: The Carolinas | Registered: June 08, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by GA Gator:


Growing up my grandmother had numerous feeders. She always had the Audubon field guide close by. Lots of great memories. I just ordered a copy for myself.
Thanks for the reminder.


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Posts: 25356 | Registered: September 06, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Great thread here. The wifey loves to watch birds. Now I have a few books to get her.
 
Posts: 7524 | Registered: October 31, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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{Off topic}

I downloaded this to my Kindle a couple of hours ago and have been laughing my ass off. Big Grin



Link



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Posts: 15471 | Location: Virginia | Registered: July 03, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I use the Golden field guide to birds of North America the most.
I have Sibleys, Audubon (love the actual photo images in there), and the Merlin app as well, but I grew up with the Golden, and that’s where I’ve logged the comings and goings of migrants, so I already have the pages dog eared, etc. and know whereabouts to riffle to on the various types of birds.
Sibleys is too intense for me when I’m trying to figure out wtf it is before it flies off, so I’m grabbing for the blue covered Golden guide, but I’ll burrow into Sibleys when the bird is gone to try and doublecheck and verify or learn more. I just look at Audubon for the pictures Wink


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Posts: 5284 | Registered: October 24, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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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.


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