Customer Reviews

Arkansas Birds (Pocket Naturalist)

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These Pocket Naturalist field cards are a great help in identification of birds; however, they have a significant drawback: there is usually only one illustration provided for each species and its the male. In many species, the male and female are fairly different, so if you happen to be looking at a female Goldfinch, you will likely not be able to identify it as such because the Guide only shows the male (he's bright yellow, she's dullish yellow-green and much more nondescript).

I like the Pocket Naturalist for its small size and very little weight. Perfect for tucking in my knapsack while hiking or boating. HOWEVER, instead of purchasing the Pocket Naturalist guide, I would recommend that you check out the Peterson's FlashGuides series. Peterson's provides male and female illustrations and makes identification much easier with greater liklihood of success. There are several different versions of the FlashGuides for birds based on region, just like these Pocket Naturalist guides. Peterson's costs a little more, weighs a little more and folds out larger than the Pocket Naturalist (a drawback as its kind of hard to handle in the wind), but it is the better of the two products.