I started birding as an adult, so I remember exactly what was involved
in learning to identify birds, and mastering identification of a few
groups. I ALWAYS used a field guide at first, and when I went to new
places, and still tend to bring along a field guide to help people
unfamiliar with a species, and when I'm in unfamiliar areas with a lot
of unfamiliar birds, to help myself. Yes, with experience we take in
many more details and use a far higher percent of our field time
actually looking at the bird rather than consulting our field guide.
And field guides can easily become a crutch. But it is VERY helpful to
be able to see how an actual bird in the field compares and contrasts
with its field guide illustrations, in how different individuals vary
in plumage and behavior. By studying how birds resemble and differ
from the illustrations, studying the field guide at home is more
valuable. But don't limit yourself to just the illustrations. National
Geographic's most recent edition has valuable text on the illustration
plates, giving important ID tips. But the actual text is also
invaluable.
Of the field guides focused specifically on warblers, I like the
Peterson, because it provides a wealth of photos AND illustrations and
has excellent text. This is a guide that is best reviewed at home,
especially during the slow days before spring and fall migration. The
text, photo plates, and illustrated plates are in three separate
sections, so field use is limited, and it's thicker than more
comprehensive field guides, so bring a regular guide along when
birding. But if you choose the species you want to really master and
study them in the Peterson before going afield, you'll much more
easily be able to quickly identify those "confusing fall warblers"
when in the field.
Best, Laura Erickson
Duluth
--
Laura Erickson
Duluth, MN
For the love, understanding, and protection of birds
There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds.
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of
nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after
the winter.
—Rachel Carson
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.
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