[whomes]

Being fairly new to all this I'm quickly learning how important a good field guide is.

Using my RSBP pocket book I tried to confirm some ducks today. I was pretty sure they were Teal, but going on my past misidentificatons (Dartford Warbler for Stonechat, Peregrine for Sparrowhawk, the list increases) I thought I'd check in the book. Everything fitted except the yellow patch on side of tail, which wasn't mentioned anywhere!

Back home to the RSPB Handbook of British Birds and the obvious confirmation was obtained. Can anyone recommend a definitive guide for the hard of thinking?

[Mike Johnston]

Originally Posted by whomes

Being fairly new to all this I'm quickly learning how important a good field guide is.

Using my RSBP pocket book I tried to confirm some ducks today. I was pretty sure they were Teal, but going on my past misidentificatons (Dartford Warbler for Stonechat, Peregrine for Sparrowhawk, the list increases) I thought I'd check in the book. Everything fitted except the yellow patch on side of tail, which wasn't mentioned anywhere!

Back home to the RSPB Handbook of British Birds and the obvious confirmation was obtained. Can anyone recommend a definitive guide for the hard of thinking?

Best european field guide is the Collins Bird Guide (Mullarney, Svensson, Zetterstrom and Grant), or some prefer Birds of Europe (Jonsson). A bigger ID guide that is worth getting is the Handbook of Bird Identification (Beaman and Madge). A useful lightweight pocket guide is Birds of Britain and North-West Europe (Knightley, Madge and Nurney).

[halftwo]

Hi Whomes,
The Collins Guide to Birds of Britain & Europe (Fitter et al.) tends to be the commonest. There are several others - you could try Amazon- some websites let you browse the contents of the books.
Halftwo

[Gill Osborne]

Yes, they ARE Teal - two males


I too use the Collins guide as I find it the best on the market at the moment.

[tarzzz]

Two male Teals..

//Ben

[whomes]

Thanks all - Collins guide for Xmas then (£11.21 from Amazon apparently!)

[Ben M]

Originally Posted by whomes

Thanks all - Collins guide for Xmas then (£11.21 from Amazon apparently!)

There's a Best Bird Book thread in the Tips For New Birders section. I recently posted about getting the Hardback Collin's for £12.49 (1/2 RRP) at Waterstones. Maybe it works out better than Amazon, if you take into account postage and the fact that you can look through it first. Also, the Amazon one at 11.21 might be paperback (which you might prefer?!).

In all cases, a great book.

[bitterntwisted]

Originally Posted by whomes

Thanks all - Collins guide for Xmas then (£11.21 from Amazon apparently!)

I should be on commission here, but endorse the choice completely. The only criticism I think has legs is that it has too many species for the beginner, and is also therefore bulkier than you might want.

Well, it ain't small but I can just stuff it in one of my pockets. It has many birds you'll never see but it clearly codes which occur in the UK, when, and in what numbers so you should be able to assess relative likelihood. Plus it therefore covers any european advnetures you go on.

Oh, and it doesn't cover auks of the Pacific, so you risk mis-identifying one. But what are the chances, eh?

Graham

[Keith Dickinson]

Birds of Britain and North-West Europe (Knightley, Madge and Nurney). This lives in my car.
The Collins guide is great but there is sometimes too much in it, hardly ever take it out with me.

[pduxon]

if the rspb handbook confirmed the id why not take it out in the field rather than leave at home?

[whomes]

The stupid answer is, that it was bulkier!

Anyway the opinion seems to be weighted towards Collins.

[pduxon]

Originally Posted by whomes

The stupid answer is, that it was bulkier!

Anyway the opinion seems to be weighted towards Collins.

which is brilliant but even bulkier.

[bitterntwisted]

Originally Posted by pduxon

which is brilliant but even bulkier.

'Tis fair comment. I'm pretty bulky myself so it suits me. Ultimately it has to be a question of personal taste. Very very few people would dispute the excellence of Collins, and I don't think there is much reason not to own one, but you may find that you want something smaller to carry around.

Graham

[pduxon]

fwiw i carry the Pocket Guide to the Birds of BRitain & NW Europe by Kightley Madge and Nurney

[dbradnum]

Be careful: there are two guides published by Collins, both priced £11.21 on Amazon!

The one (I'd suggest) you want is by Grant, Mullarney & Zetterstrom - it's relatively recently produced, and the artwork is fantastically accurate.

The other, by Heinzel, Fitter and Parslow, is a reprint of a much older book. It's not at all bad (was very highly rated in its day), but by comparison is rather dated.

[Mike Johnston]

No harm in having a few guides, to compare and contrast - especially when you're starting out. No one artist can capture every bird just as you see it. Even a decent photoguide to go alongside can help.

[Chris Oates]

I have Collins & the quick index that someone here made for it - the Collins index isn't the greatest.
However the book I take everywhere with me is the Hamlyn guide, Birds of Britain & Europe - £3.99 from National Trust shop when there's a sale on (pretty much all the time).
I like it for many reasons....
It's easier to find the birds
Covers rare migrants & vagrants
Has a good intro of bird topography & birdwatching info
The descriptions are concise and easily readable
The call descriptions are often more understandable than Collins
It weighs a lot less.

Having a book is one thing - not much good if you can't see the birds - Geoff Sample's Bird Songs & Calls from Collins (2 x CDs) is excellent - when you know the call you can consult the book to find out where you should be looking.

[whomes]

Originally Posted by bitterntwisted

I should be on commission here, but endorse the choice completely. The only criticism I think has legs is that it has too many species for the beginner, and is also therefore bulkier than you might want.

Well, it ain't small but I can just stuff it in one of my pockets. It has many birds you'll never see but it clearly codes which occur in the UK, when, and in what numbers so you should be able to assess relative likelihood. Plus it therefore covers any european advnetures you go on.

Oh, and it doesn't cover auks of the Pacific, so you risk mis-identifying one. But what are the chances, eh?

Graham

I've never been so insulted! The pic on the left is the Marbled Murrulet, and the one on the right is clearly a Little Auk.

[Wiktoria]

Originally Posted by Mike Johnston

or some prefer Birds of Europe (Jonsson).

I have got L.Jonsson "Birds of Europe" and it is great
I don't see "Collins", but have listened a lot of positive opinions

[bitterntwisted]

Originally Posted by Chris Oates

I have Collins & the quick index that someone here made for it - the Collins index isn't the greatest.

This may be a fair comment but tragically I don't know as I pretty much had Voous order memorised when I was seven - at least to the level of families and most genera. But I can see that for the less geeky a poor index could be a problem.

My parents have an RSPB guide that they like because it has all the little birds at the front! What a travesty - utterly unusable.

With the whole thing getting shifted about, Anatidae moving up to the top etc. are future guides going to reflect this? Not looking forward to being an old dog learning new books.

Graham

[whomes]

I suppose the bottom line is that no book will list every variation of plumage etc for every bird.

There's often disagreement on here about a bird's ID, even when a photo is of good quality. In the end I'm learning with every bird I ID, or is identified for me, and that's actually becoming part of the enjoyment.

[skiingfool]

I have the collins field guide, and the RSPB handbook of British birds. I got it free when i joined, as someone that is fairly new to bird watching I find myself using the RSPB book more than the collins. I find it less confusing.