Customer Reviews

Birding in the American West: A Handbook (Comstock books)

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Serious bird-watching enthusiasts are known for traveling halfway around the world to see a particular species of bird. They are also great consumers of bird-related literature. Finally, advanced birders tend to spend a disproportionate amount of time focusing on superficially similar species that are hard to identify and/or find. This book will satisfy such birding enthusiasts who can use it to build a store of knowledge on bird habitat associations, seasonal patterns of bird abundance, and nuances of field identification by sight and sound. Mr. Zimmer makes it clear that his book does not intend to provide directions to specific sites in the West (from ND to TX and west, including AK). Rather, it seeks to provide generalizable information that can be used anywhere. As such, it is a novel and useful new volume with numerous black-and-white illustrations and photographs of similar species and sought-after birds. This is an accessible book for beginning and advanced birders living in or planning a visit to the western U.S.

This handbook is highly recommended to ALL North American birders and visitors, not just those in the west.
This is essentially three books in one. The first section deals with general birding tips, and is applicable to everyone.
The second, and largest, section deals with difficult identifications. This is very similar to Kenn Kaufman's Advanced Birding (Roger Tory Peterson Field Guides). The species covered are those that can be found in the west, but can also be beneficial to those of us in the eastern portion of the country. For example, each of the empidonax flycatchers are covered in great detail.
The last section is a general bird-finding guide to western specialties. This section won't be as detailed as those found in more specific guides, but are still helpful to those who want to find a good spot to see certain birds.

This is a great reference for all North American birders.