travelnlass
New member
O.k. folks - clumsy newbie here at BF and tried to post this yesterday, but... apparently I bungled it... ;(
I'm planning a sally through South Africa in April/May and am hoping someone here can point me to the best bird guide for South Africa (and/or southern Africa)
I checked Amazon/Borders and find (only) these:
Birds of Southern Africa, by Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey and Warwick Tarboton
- the editorial review sounds pretty good - paperback: 432 pgs. 200 color plates, of 950 species found in southern Africa. The book is 1" x 9" x 6" (size/weight is important when one is on the road for weeks)
Birds of Southern Africa, by Ber van Perlo
- again, a good editorial review - paperback: 320 pages, 84 color plates - of all 1,250 bird species in southern Africa (hmmm... so which is it, 950 or 1,250?); The book measures a bit less than 1" x 8" x 5" (the 1 review notes that it's a good size for travelers - i.e. an inch smaller in width and height.)
These 2 above are both around $20. There's also "Sasol Birds of Southern Africa" by Ian Sinclair (as above), Pieter Cox and Warwick Tarboton (as above). But that puppy's nearly $60 for the paperback!
The thing is, for any given region, it seems there's always one birding guide that true avians rely on - that's heads above all the rest. Question is - which of these is it? Else - what would you recommend?
All thoughts muchly appreciated.
I'm planning a sally through South Africa in April/May and am hoping someone here can point me to the best bird guide for South Africa (and/or southern Africa)
I checked Amazon/Borders and find (only) these:
Birds of Southern Africa, by Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey and Warwick Tarboton
- the editorial review sounds pretty good - paperback: 432 pgs. 200 color plates, of 950 species found in southern Africa. The book is 1" x 9" x 6" (size/weight is important when one is on the road for weeks)
Birds of Southern Africa, by Ber van Perlo
- again, a good editorial review - paperback: 320 pages, 84 color plates - of all 1,250 bird species in southern Africa (hmmm... so which is it, 950 or 1,250?); The book measures a bit less than 1" x 8" x 5" (the 1 review notes that it's a good size for travelers - i.e. an inch smaller in width and height.)
These 2 above are both around $20. There's also "Sasol Birds of Southern Africa" by Ian Sinclair (as above), Pieter Cox and Warwick Tarboton (as above). But that puppy's nearly $60 for the paperback!
The thing is, for any given region, it seems there's always one birding guide that true avians rely on - that's heads above all the rest. Question is - which of these is it? Else - what would you recommend?
All thoughts muchly appreciated.
