What is the Best Bird Field Guide For You?

[@outdoorztime2923]

Nice video, Mr. McKellar. It is always fun getting people interested in birding and the outdoors.

[@nicholasrickfordpavlovic-g2886]

I am still pretty much a beginner birder, and I have to agree with you that those "Birds of (State Name)" guides are really good for a beginner. A beginner sees a bird, wonders what it is, and wants to look it up. But how? With guides like Sibley's, you have to know what general kind of bird it is, and then you can use the guide to distinguish which sparrow or titmouse or cardinal you're looking at. But if you can't tell the differnence between a titmouse, a wood-pewee, and a chickadee, then you're sunk. . . all you really know is the color, and that is why those state guides are good. They give you a starting point from which to look them up, and then you can go to a Sibley-like guide to help confiirm or differentiate or whatever. The Hoffman guide also has a color lookup function. The advanced guides teach you about recognizing field marks, which is useful except that once you recognize a field mark, then what? If you don't know what kind of bird it is, you are still stuck with color. I wish there were a guide where you could look up birds by field marks in an index - say, tufted birds, birds with eyebands, and so on. Maybe there is such a guide. Anyway, love your stuff. Thanks!!

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

We all share that frustration when we started out. The good news is that you lean to associate birds quickly “that birds looks like a robin” etc and gets you close to the right group. Another useful tool are the apps that allow you to enter field marks you see like crests and eyelines. Glad you like the channel.

[@Slaydough]

Thanks for your insights!