can anyone recommend a field guide? (1 Viewer)

MikeMules

Well-known member

• Feb 27, 2003

• #1

Hi all,

It's time to finally bite the bullet, and buy a European/British Field Guide. Mostly, so I can get an idea about what you are all talking about; I have a Nth American Fieldguide (Audubon Guide to Western and Eastern Nth America), so I can follow most of the Canadian/US bird conversations, but birds such as Dunnock, Gadwall, Honey Buzzard and Ring Ouzel leave me scratching my head.

So what do you recommend? Collins Bird Guide (Mullarney, Svensson, Zetterstroem and Grant) is readily available for AUS$40, which at the current exchange rates is about 12 pounds. Is that a fair price, or should I keep looking? Or should I order in another field guide?

I'm going to head over to Europe for the first time at the end of the year, but won't be going to the UK. I'll be either in Portugal and Spain, or France, or Germany, so the guide will need to cover these areas too.

Thanks for your help.

 

Richard Ford

BF Member

• Feb 27, 2003

• #2

Collins Guide no question. £12 is about right, here is a link to the guide on Amazon UK.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0007113323/digitawildlib-21/026-2819087-5534005

Rich

 

Paul Rule

Well-known member

• Feb 27, 2003

• #3

Mike, That price sounds fair. The list price of the soft back copy is £16.99.

In my opinion it is the best guide available. It's so good I have 2 copies, the soft back to take out in the field, and the large format version for home.

 

robinm

Registered User

• Feb 27, 2003

• #4

The collins gets my vote

Robin

 

Reader

Well-known member

• Feb 27, 2003

• #5

I'm no different. I had two but gave one to Peter Hayes as I couldn't think of a finer fieldguide to use for both beginners and experts alike. The price quoted on that web site is excellent. Go for it Mike.

 

robhope

Well-known member

• Feb 27, 2003

• #6

I have to agree with the Collins, although you can never have enough Field Guides! I'm in double figures for British/European ones alone.

Rob.

 

IanF

Moderator

• Feb 27, 2003

• #7

Must admit that I like the Collins too !

 

Edward

Umimmak

• Feb 27, 2003

• #8

G'day Mike

I'm adding nothing new here by recommending the Collins Guide.
I've owned my (now very battered) copy since 1999 and I don't exagerrate when I say there's hardly a day when I don't look through it. It's magnificent.

 

Phil

Member

• Feb 27, 2003

• #9

Mike

You can't go wrong!

From another two-version Collins Bird Guide owner.

Phil

 

digi-birder

Well-known member

• Feb 27, 2003

• #10

We also are a two-Collins family. Hard back for indoor reference, softback for taking out.

Excellent guide. There is no substitute.

 

Booga

Wil Wilson

• Feb 27, 2003

• #11

Looks like Mike is going to get the Collins then! I wouldn't be without it.

 

Geoff Pain

Rural Member

• Feb 27, 2003

• #12

A Collins man here as well large hard backed version for home, smaller hard backed version for out and about.Go for it,you wont regret it.

Geoff :t:

 

M

martinow

Active member

• Feb 27, 2003

• #13

That'll be Collins then ! In my view it is the best, but if you can get it, and only for GB & Ireland, consider 'The Birdwatcher's Handbook' by Jonathan Elphick, it's well laid out, and consequently much easier to reference if you take your guides into the field, but what I find most useful is that, for each species, it lists 'confusion species' and points out the differences. Ideal for all other than true 'experts'.

No good for Portugal etc. tho'

Martin

Martin

 

Andrew

wibble wibble

• Feb 28, 2003

• #14

I call the Collins the 'Bible'.

 

Paul 42

Well-known member

• Feb 28, 2003

• #15

I use Lars Jonsson Birds of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. I find it very good, especially for raptors, as they are illustrated perched, in flight , from above, from below, female, immature etc. Also it covers the entire range of European birds, plus a few "yanks". A bit hefty at 550 pages, but then I've allways a little rucksack for water, jumper etc. Anybody else here use it? Seems to be "the Bible" in France. Very usefull if you find yourself on the southern edge of Europe.

 

P

peter hayes

Guest

• Feb 28, 2003

• #16

I agree that the Collins is brilliant. JohnJ kindly gave me the field guide which I take on birding trips, and I now have the larger version at home, so I am very much a Collins fan!

 

Ashley beolens

Breeding the next generation of birders.

• Feb 28, 2003

• #17

I agree with Paul Lars is a very good book and was all I used until the Collins guide came out, now I am never without it (makes my bag for work heavey but you neve know)! The collins guide is thought by most to be the best field guide in the world at the moment, and if someone surpasses it then they have obviously been in league with the devil!!

 

MikeMules

Well-known member

• Feb 28, 2003

• #18

Thank you all for your replies. As a result, I've now purchased the Collins Guide, and am thoroughly enjoying looking through it. There are a large number of bird groups totally foreign to me that I will need to get my head around - so much so that I'm actually finding the wader section the most familiar to look through!

It does appear to be of very high quality, with excellent pictures (although some a little small). But I'm not sure if it could be called the best field guide in the world, the australian Pizzey & Knight is its equal in usability and text (and in many of its pictures) and the Simpson & Day and the Morecombe both have an easier to use layout and would be very close in overall rating.

Thanks again for all your help, I look forward to using it later this year.

 

H

HH75

Well-known member

• Mar 2, 2003

• #19

Hi Ashley,
"if someone surpasses it then they have obviously been in league with the devil!!"
Well,the proposed 2nd edition Collins may just do that.....;-)
Harry

 

Edward

Umimmak

• Mar 18, 2003

• #20

Hi Mike

I have been to Australia once and my brother has been resident there for many years so further trips are planned. I love Australian birds, especially Fairy-Wrens. You question whether the Collins was the BEST, considering the other bird guides on the market. I have two Australian guides, Pizzey and Knight and the new-ish Morecombe. I suppose judging the best is a subjective thing but back in 98 when I bought and used Pizzey and Knight I thought it was the best field guide I'd ever seen, beautiful large illustrations and a very easy to use text. The only drawback is that it's so big and heavy but seeing as every bird I saw in Australia was unfamiliar it was absolutely necessary to have it with me at all times.

One area in which the Collins is superior is the way that the plates are annotated, drawing your attention to ID features. This was the approach taken in the Morecombe guide and I welcomed that. I generally like the Morecombe guide and its lay-out but the big drawback, and it is a big one, are the plates. Some of them are good (my beloved Fairy-Wrens) but some of them are appalling. Look at the Pechora Pipit and then compare it to the one in Collins. The ducks are pretty ghastly too.

As I say, judging a best is a subjective thing (the new Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa is pretty impressive although I've never used it in the field) and I just like to have them all on my shelves to remind me of the good times: Silvereyes, Leaden Flycatchers, Wedge-tailed Eagles, Noisy Pittas. Happy days.

Edward