Field Guide Recommendations? (1 Viewer)

[maplekong]

Hi,

I'm relatively new to birding, but I've started off with the RSPB pocket guide (bad first choice in hindsight), devoured it, and now in search of a more complete guide. While I now am familiar with the basic species, I would love to known more about more species than the mere 215 in the pocket guide.

Also, I was thinking a photographic one would be helpful- drawings while accurate can't capture the particular feel of a bird as well as a photo.

Does anyone have suggestions? Thank you!

Maple

 

[foresttwitcher]

Collins Bird Guide is all you will need for UK & Europe - however, it is illustrated as, personally, I see it the opposite to you, I get a better feel for a bird from a good set of illustrations than a photo. Hopefully someone else will suggest a good photo guide for you.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

The easiest photo guide if you have a smartphone is to download the Merlin app and get the pack for the UK (or for the Western Palearctic if you want). That has good photos, text and very good sound recordings with sonograms. It's also completely free.

 

[Farnboro John]

Hi,

I'm relatively new to birding, but I've started off with the RSPB pocket guide (bad first choice in hindsight), devoured it, and now in search of a more complete guide. While I now am familiar with the basic species, I would love to known more about more species than the mere 215 in the pocket guide.

Also, I was thinking a photographic one would be helpful- drawings while accurate can't capture the particular feel of a bird as well as a photo.

Does anyone have suggestions? Thank you!

Maple

Actually photos, being an instant rather than an average, can be utterly misleading as to shape and feel. Not only that but light and shade can obscure essential details. You are much better off with an illustration by an experienced wildlife artist specialising in field guide plates.

John

 

[BenjiS]

Hello maplekong, my first (and as of yet only) field guide was the wildguides - europes birds
Attached are some photos of it
1 - a photo of the front cover

2 - a photo of what each page involves

3 - a photo of a random page

and 4 - an extra bit at the end which has pictures and brief descriptions of all the rarer birds that have at least once shown up in britain and europe

Obviously there are other possibilites, and, be warned, if you get this it is no pocket guide - dimensions approx. 21cm x 15cm x 4cm
However there are also wildguides smaller guides that I haven't got - britains birds and british birds a pocket guide

Europes birds is about £15, Britains birds is also about £15 and the pocket guide is about £7

Hope this was helpful!

 

[Mono]

Another vote for Collins Bird Guide.
Another vote for illustrations rather than photos. But don't forget to read the text, it is not all about the image.
Apps are great for on the go but you can't beat a book.

 

[Richard D]

The Wildguides book is excellent - I find that and the Collins complement each other

 

[Strontium Dog]

I also have the Collins and the WildGuides/Europe's Birds. They are both very good. If you want one with photographs, then the latter is it.

 

[THE_FERN]

(you've asked about Europe. Recent painted guides for this area will be more or less accurate. For more exotic places, they can be more or less fanciful, however. So there certainly is space for photos.

An example would be primary projections/wing shapes for tyrant-manakins in "birds of Northern South America" which I checked recently: completely wrong.

Merlin effectively packages up the "headline" photos from the ebird accounts. Other photos in the Macauley library may be wrongly identified...)

 

[Xenospiza]

The most modern photographic guides have benefited greatly from digital photography and editing software. The old complaints that they don't capture the bird well, have strange shadows etc. are not particularly valid anymore.

In fact, away from some top guides you will find that many birds are not done any justice in their illustrations (@THE_FERN : Birds of Northern South America is indeed an example of bad artwork).

I am saturated with books on European birds, but those photos are a convincing review for the WildGuides book!

 

[THE_FERN]

(just to note re: "birds of Northern South America": the plates vary greatly. I personally think the warblers are very good, for example. Often illustrates things which aren't elsewhere)

 

[maplekong]

Thank you so much everyone for your help, I don't know what rubbish I may have ended up with- I will definitely get Collins and and the Wildguides British one. Maybe drawings are more helpful, so both. I'll start from there and get all of the Europe/Britain/Pockets if necessary. They look very detailed and have so much information. While Merlin and online photo libraries may be useful, I don't trust them that much from what I've heard about it on this Forum . I can't wait to get headaches from spending too long binge-reading everything in the first few days (it happens to me all the time, I've accepted it now).

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Thank you so much everyone for your help, I don't know what rubbish I may have ended up with- I will definitely get Collins and and the Wildguides British one. Maybe drawings are more helpful, so both. I'll start from there and get all of the Europe/Britain/Pockets if necessary. They look very detailed and have so much information. While Merlin and online photo libraries may be useful, I don't trust them that much from what I've heard about it on this Forum . I can't wait to get headaches from spending too long binge-reading everything in the first few days (it happens to me all the time, I've accepted it now).

A note that the problems with Merlin are mainly to do with the AI systems for identifying birds from sounds and photos i.e. using your phone in the field to pick up sounds that Merlin then identifies for you automatically. This is very impressive but a long way from perfect. What I mentioned above are the 'packs' that you can download. These are effectively fieldguides that include text, photos, maps and sound recordings. They are probably the equal of many photographic guidebooks, and have the advantage of being more portable and including sound recordings. And its all free.

 

[maplekong]

A note that the problems with Merlin are mainly to do with the AI systems for identifying birds from sounds and photos i.e. using your phone in the field to pick up sounds that Merlin then identifies for you automatically. This is very impressive but a long way from perfect. What I mentioned above are the 'packs' that you can download. These are effectively fieldguides that include text, photos, maps and sound recordings. They are probably the equal of many photographic guidebooks, and have the advantage of being more portable and including sound recordings. And its all free.

Will check it out, thank you!