National Geographic Eastern North America (1 Viewer)

[Tero]

This book just came out. If the NG is your favorite and you live in the East, you might get this. There are less pictures, so it is designed to make ID easier that way, less subspecies to sort through.

The added text deals with ID, good idea, but some of it may be derived from the hard cover National Geographic Complete Birds of North America. The added text is in side bars running along the bottom of selcted pages, where the room was made by removing Western birds on the color plate.

It does cover pretty well, even through Texas, so us in the middle of the country are still covered in the book.

There is not much point to a West version, as it will have less birds, or overlap through the middle quite a bit. But if I were out west, I would use the slightly bigger N America book.

It took me pretty much forever to get Sibley West, but I did eventually get it. And I have never used it out west, I always take just Kaufmann.

 

[Tero]

There is a West edition out too. The Amazon price is really good if you manage to get free shipping
http://www.amazon.com/National-Geog...=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224636080&sr=8-5

 

[Tero]

I looked at this in the store again. The ID bints in the side bars are helpful, but they simply do not have the experience of say the Pete Dunne book, all text. If someone could combined the Pete Dunne ID info with good pics, we would have the ideal guide.

Checked terns and sparrows when looking at it, and no real ID tips on the sparrows. So now I have a sparrows only book. Juveniles etc all covered there.

 

[JohnJos]

Agreed. I looked at it today and didn't see any reason to buy it since I already have the original 5th Edition that covers all of North America. It's the same size just a bit thinner. The text per entry is shorter and, like Tero, I didn't see a lot of usefulness in the identification tips on the illustrations. I like Peterson's the best actually with Sibley's second and NG third. But I use them all constantly.

 

[Jaeger01]

Tero, is it any smaller, any easier to get in a jeans pocket? I looked it up on amazon but it appears to be the same size as the full book from their description.

Jaeger near Chicago


question answered by JohnJos and thanks to JohnJos. I use Kaufman's primarily for it's size but like NG from a stand point of info with Sibley second and Peterson's last.

 

[Tero]

Sorry, did not notice the question. The page size is exactly the same, does not have the tabs of the 5th edition. Little bit thinner, but not much luck with the jeans pocket. Coat pocket yes.

 

[Tero]

I am now going to eat my words. To get the best of these new slimmer guides, you are better off getting the full book first, and then the East or West for the part of the country you are less familar with. This would then be of use for birding tips on unfamiliar areas and birds. It is only the new text that is worth the extra for experienced birders.

For beginners, the one for your own half is best.

Thus I have the West now. I like the Western birds best anyway.

 

[Microtus]

Tero, where is the new text? I studied a handfull of accounts of gulls and sandpipers in the new Eastern guide, comparing them against the mother guide, and did not note any new text except on the plates. One shorebird had a brand new illustration.

 

[Tero]

The new text is on certain pages as side bars and then in the listing of areas for each bird. Not every bird is updated.

 

[Microtus]

I see. I'll probably not be buying the new Geos; there seems to be less that is new compared to the Mini-Sibleys (and it took me until a year ago to buy them).

 

[jedigrant]

Thanks for the info Tero. I finally got to (quickly) leaf through these new guides, but not enough to get a firm impression. It seems like these may be a good buy for those who don't yet have the full NatGeo. But otherwise, I'm not sure. I must say, though, that I'm a big fan of the pointers with text on the plates (like Sibley and Collins). It's a very efficient and effective way of presenting the info.

 

[Tero]

I am looking through assorted field guides, and the NG West and East editions are quite generous in covering the other half, near the border. East does not have Dipper, but many others that wander to Nebraska or Kansas at times. Magpie, found in Minnesota, is covered.

Some sets require you to carry the E and W if you are near the dividing line for that set of books. Then you might as well use the National guide, big fat one.