[Bird_Enthusiast]

Current I ordered the latest National Geographic and The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America. (Peterson's Eastern Field Guide is currently out of stock on Amazon)
Were these two books good choices for beginners?
Any other suggestions or tips?

[jedigrant]

IMHO, those are the two best NA field guides. The Peterson and Kaufman guides are widely regarded as the most beginner-friendly. However, I used the Sibley guide as a beginning birder and it served me very well. It's unmatched in terms of the variation depicted and has other features that I really appreciated (i.e. tells what months the birds are in their different plumages).

Other tips? Where do I start.... :)

For field guides, I have two other recommendations. I'm a proponent of having different kind of guides. Your two use paintings, so it would be a good idea to get one or more that use photos. The Crossley ID Guide (my review) is great for studying and learning birds before going into the field. Another good photographic reference is The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America (review).

From there, I've got some more suggestions if you're interested. I'm trying not to throw too much out there at once.

[apbarr]

Great choice, I have both and they're very good. I tend to use Sibley as my first choice. I also have the Stokes Guide but so far I haven't used it much.

[Bird_Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by jedigrant

IMHO, those are the two best NA field guides. The Peterson and Kaufman guides are widely regarded as the most beginner-friendly. However, I used the Sibley guide as a beginning birder and it served me very well. It's unmatched in terms of the variation depicted and has other features that I really appreciated (i.e. tells what months the birds are in their different plumages).

Other tips? Where do I start.... :)

For field guides, I have two other recommendations. I'm a proponent of having different kind of guides. Your two use paintings, so it would be a good idea to get one or more that use photos. The Crossley ID Guide (my review) is great for studying and learning birds before going into the field. Another good photographic reference is The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America (review).

From there, I've got some more suggestions if you're interested. I'm trying not to throw too much out there at once.

I actually saw the Crossley ID Guide in person and it seemed ok because it is too large for a field guide. I rather use the internet to study birds than a book at home.

The Stokes Guide does look interesting and I am going to take a closer look at it.

Kaufman I heard was great due to his use of pictures instead of paintings/drawings. What are your thoughts on it?

[Bird_Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by apbarr

Great choice, I have both and they're very good. I tend to use Sibley as my first choice. I also have the Stokes Guide but so far I haven't used it much.

Thanks for the feedback.
It seems Sibley is one of the best all around guides.

[Microtus]

For photographic guides, I second the Crossley guide. The Kaufman guide is good, too.

[bcskr]

I have all the field guides mentioned, but the one that I actually carry with me most often in my pocket in the field is Kaufman. It is the most compact and durable, easy to use, has excellent pictures, and most of the time adequate. The few times I need more information I use the Sibley app on my iPhone which allows me to compare two species side by side. In my car I also carry Sibley and National Geographic. Another excellent photographic field guide with great pictures is Birds of Eastern North America by Sterry and Small. But it is not quite as compact as Kaufman.

[Bird_Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by bcskr

I have all the field guides mentioned, but the one that I actually carry with me most often in my pocket in the field is Kaufman. It is the most compact and durable, easy to use, has excellent pictures, and most of the time adequate. The few times I need more information I use the Sibley app on my iPhone which allows me to compare two species side by side. In my car I also carry Sibley and National Geographic. Another excellent photographic field guide with great pictures is Birds of Eastern North America by Sterry and Small. But it is not quite as compact as Kaufman.

The Sibley is quite large, but I still manage to carry it in my over-sized pockets. I definitely look into getting the Kaufman guide in the near future.

[jedigrant]

Originally Posted by Bird_Enthusiast

I actually saw the Crossley ID Guide in person and it seemed ok because it is too large for a field guide. I rather use the internet to study birds than a book at home.

The internet is a great tool to study birds, but it can't provide what the Crossley Guide offers. That's a glimpse of how the bird actually looks, and even behaves, in the field. Well, I suppose you can find images online similar to most of those that Crossley includes, but they won't be grouped together in a way that allows comparison to other birds.

Obviously, his approach won't work for everyone, but I think his book is a great tool that is (as of right now) unique.

[Bird_Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by jedigrant

The internet is a great tool to study birds, but it can't provide what the Crossley Guide offers. That's a glimpse of how the bird actually looks, and even behaves, in the field. Well, I suppose you can find images online similar to most of those that Crossley includes, but they won't be grouped together in a way that allows comparison to other birds.

Obviously, his approach won't work for everyone, but I think his book is a great tool that is (as of right now) unique.

That's a great point.
The Crossley is definitely a unique book/guide.

[lulubelle]

I think I have just about every guide out and the one I carry in the field 98% of the time is Kaufman's. It covers just about all of my ID needs and where it doesn't, the others wouldn't be much more help. It is extremely portable.
I agree with Grant's suggestions. I have the Stokes' new guide and really like it, but it is very heavy. I take it on trips, just not out into the field.