N. America East and West Guides (1 Viewer)

The lighter edition field guides are a good idea. But I live in the middle of the US. Suppose I start from Missouri, and my trip goes west, then I need another guide in the middle of Nebraska (Stokes only, I think) or at the latest in the Rockies, for most of them.

I'd like to see the guides overlap, so the same series would have at least one state overlap in the middle.

Peterson Nests guides divide the country from the Mississippi.

In practice there is no huge problem at home. I can use the East guide and find all the birds in MO, or I can use the West guide and find 90% of the birds I see in there as well.

OR I can use National Geographic or All The Birds for the whole country.

Of all the guides, I find the Stokes books the most pleasant to browse thru and to read. They are photo books, and similar to Audubon field guides in that respect, so that may be minus for some users in the field.

Some of these guides would have been Ok as combined, since they have to list 500 birds in each half, and there are not 1000 birds nationwide. But the weight I guess is the big issue.

Any opinions on best East or West books are welcome.

I posted this in an alt birds group as well. See if I get more response. Will post link here.

http://groups.google.com/[email protected]

Tero: isn't the answer to get the larger version of Sibley that covers the whole of N America? Am I missing much by not having the separate E and W versions?

If you have the big SIbley, then you may want East or West to carry around, but not both, if you visit here. I have East and the big Sibley. The other field guides do not offer this 3 books choice.

The small books may have some errors still, so they are in no way better than the big Sibley. Pictures are smaller.

Well, now I have three sets where I have East and West. Will be on vacation where we will be driving just to the line where most guides divide East and West. I may be able to get away with just Sibley East on this trip, as it goes a bit further west than the three others. I do not have Sibley West, so will have to go with an unmatched set, Peterson West to back up the Sibley.

I was actually glad to have Peterson West guide along on my Nebraska trip. Sandpipers were nicely presented. I use Sibley East mostly.

I have mentioned the James Coe guide Eastern Birds somewhere before. It is not a complete guide, but an abbreviated one in 160 pages. It has new illustrations, better than the Golden Guide (same publisher) on the whole country. Because it simplified, I can recommend it as a beginner guide. For advanced birders it would be the lightest guide to carry, if you feel you need SOME guide with you, but generally don't need one. It has about 95% of the birds you would usually see.

The price is $15, and I think it could be sold better at $10-12. Many gift shops at parks would carry it.

I have not seen the corresponding Western birds. I can see these drawings eventually replacing thge old Golden guide, as a North America book in some 300 pages.

I hadnt heard of that guide. I'll keep it in mind, but I think I jst stay wiht Sibley.
Thanks for the info Tero

I had a chance to use Peterson West on a trip, and was not completely happy. I only brought that along. I think with that and Kaufman, I would have been better off. Or just Sibley West, which I do not have yet. The full SIbley was too heavy for casual birding.

Of all the guides, I find the Stokes books the most pleasant to browse thru and to read. They are photo books, and similar to Audubon field guides in that respect, so that may be minus for some users in the field.

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The Stokes have not been a lot of use except for shorebirds, where they are pretty good.