Customer Reviews

Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion: A Comprehensive Resource for Identifying North American Birds

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dunne has performed a remarkable feat with this book. He has captured in 700 or so pages the wisdom of a lifetime of birding. This is all the more amazing, or at least shocking compared to all the other bird ID books out there, in that there are zero pictures or illustrations.

Every breeding bird species is covered with a ½ to 1 page write-up. Each write-up is presented in a consistent manner making it fairly easy to scan for what you are looking for. Throughout Dunne adds some levity to a topic that could use more (obviously the Bathtub Duck = Ruddy Duck). Since there are no illustrations the focus is on GISS (general impression of size and shape) or gestalt. The GISS method of birding is an extremely valuable tool for the birder's toolbox. How many times has a bird gone unlabeled because it was only a silhouette or just a fly by? GISS can greatly aid in these ID situations. There is also a great deal of info on behavior and habitat that can be equally valuable in IDing a bird.

Due to the sheer volume of information in the book the density of information is very high and as a result it is not the easiest book on the eyes. Each page has 2 very dense columns of print. Some of the sections within a species account tend to run together, a bit more white space would have helped. It would have meant more heft but this is hardly a book that you would haul into the field so that extra weight would likely not matter.

Overall even with my minor quibbles this is an outstanding book and one that no birder should be without.

Pete Dunne's latest tome, Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion, has been reviewed several times by various bloggers already including <a href="http://dendroica.blogspot.com/2006/07/review-pete-dunnes-essential-field.html">here</a>, <a href="http://www.birderblog.com/post.php?id=1530">here</a>, and <a href="http://birdaz.com/blog/2006/06/11/pete-dunnes-essential-field-guide-companion/">here</a>. After receiving this book for a birthday present a few weeks ago, I thought I would throw my $.02 in.

As everyone knows, this book has no photos. I'm ok with that. I understand that the point of the book is to explain the "Cape May School" of birding, otherwise known as the "GISS" method. I think the book accomplishes its goals with some minor flaws. As a somewhat experienced birder, I think the most useful purpose for this guide is to learn some of the nuances of the more difficult to separate species such as the Empidonax and Myiarchus flycatchers, kingbirds, Catharus thrushes, gulls, fall warblers, etc. Learning to distinguish these species can help advance a birder's field skills immensely. Pete's detailed descriptions of the species are a true companion to your Sibley guide. You can sit with your field guide by your side and read the descriptions and really see the differences. Also, some of the species accounts have a section called "Pertinent Particulars" that I found especially useful. This section gives helpful hints on distinguishing the bird from similar species or just some general tips on identifying it.

My biggest complaint about the book are the silly names that Pete has given to some of the birds. Some of them are useful, but some seem like he was trying too hard to find a name for the bird or the name seems very personal to the author. The Ninja Heron for Tricolored Heron? Twig Fairy for Blue-gray Gnatcatcher? Peterson's Woodpecker for Northern Flicker? "A Busy, Jerky, Single-minded Little Bird" = American Pipit. Huh?

My only other complaint is the length of the book. If it truly is a field guide companion then he possibly could have left out the range descriptions completely or at least shortened them. That information can easily be found in a field guide.

I salute the intent behind this book and all of the work that Pete Dunne put into it. I'm sure I will be referencing it periodically.

I won't repeat the (well-deserved!) accolades. Rather, I write to ensure that potential buyers are aware of one particular feature which is as profoundly helpful as it is unique. Each bird discussion includes the assignment of a V.I., that is, Vagarancy Index. This is best explained by example.

... You're looking out into your yard, and see a new bird (new to you, that is) around the feeder area. You digest its markings, then flip thru a field guide or two, trying to confirm an i.d. You're just about sure that it's, say, a white-throated sparrow, but the maps in your state guide AND a more enlarged regional guide indicate that this particular sparrow would only show up in your neck of the woods, if at all, during the winter--- and it's the dog days of July...

In the past, I would have immediately assumed I was wrong. But instead, I went hunting thru Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion. I learned: the white-throated sparrow is so extremely likely to be found outside the areas depicted in field guide maps, that those maps become all but irrelevant as regards that particular type of bird. This happened again just last week, as regards a black and white warbler.

In other words, despite being relatively new to the birdwatching hobby, my passion grows as I get confirmation-- from an expert-- that I not only have a clue, but sometimes, I'm right on the money, even when the field guides would have me believe otherwise! Therefore, this is the most aptly titled book you will ever encounter, and I can say, withOUT reservation, that it truly deserves a spot on your bookshelf.

A diplomatically stated postscript: I learned about this book, published this summer, after running a keyword search on BIRD at DiscoveryChannelBookClub.com. (2d page of results hitlist)

How much would you pay to travel across the country for a year birding with one of America's biggest birding celebrities? While such a trip might set you back tens of thousands of dollars, about [...] can get you the next best thing if you buy Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion. Reading this new book is like following Pete Dunne on an extended field trip across the continent as he rattles off his own impressions of over 700 bird species--including his own nicknames for the birds, as well as tips on identifying them, their characteristic behaviors, and even unique aspects of the the way each species flies. While "essential" might be a bit of an oversell, this field guide companion will be useful to most birders, as well as a treat. It provides more information than most birders will master in a lifetime, as well as the closest approximation that most birders will get to actually birding with Pete Dunne in the field. As such, this book is valuable and fun to read, as in the final analysis, it provides a window into birds and the joys of birding that is essentially Dunne. [...]

This field guide companion looks stark at first, with no pictures, but that is part of the point. With many fine field guides available, this is meant to supplement them, and in no way replace them. The necessarily brief descriptions of a field guide are nicely fleshed out in this volume, which is best suited to browsing after returning from the field, or for thumbing through when you can't get out into the field. The best addition to my stay-at-home birding library since Ehrlich, Dobkin & Wheye's "The Birder's Handbook."

Field guides have to be compact to be useful. Since more information can be delivered via pictures than words, in makes sense for them to emphasize the former. However, sometimes word descriptions can be very useful. You can look at pictures of two species and fail to see (and remember) the subtle differences in appearance. Furthermore, behavior, vocalization, flight pattern and habitat are seldom complete (because of lack of space) in field guides. This book gives very detailed word pictures of birds. It should be helpful to birders who take notes or pictures in the field with the intent of identifying the bird at home, where reference books can be consulted. Especially helpful is the index since under each species it gives not only the main entry, but also the pages where it is compared to others. E.G. if you see a bird that appears to you very much like a Chipping Sparrow you can look that up in the index, chase down all the pages in the entry, and probably find the actual species (e.g. Clay-colored Sparrow) of your mystery bird, along with the criteria to distinguish the two species.

Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion: A Comprehensive Resource For Identifying North American Birds is weightier than most similar/competing field guides; and for a reason: it too offers a different approach to identification, doing so by bird structure and shape as well as observer's general impression of size and shape. When size, color, behavior, flight pattern and vocalizations come into play in the identification process, much mystery is cleared up: this provides hints and clues to streamline identification efforts and builds a fine guide for all levels of birders. No color photos here; just plenty of tips and description.

Excellent and valuable book, no doubt. And Pete Dunne is a pretty nice guy (I've birded with him).

However...his writing *does* have this smarmy tone. Yes, he probably *does* know everything, but his writing makes you sure you understand that. Hard to pick a specific page since I don't have the book in front of me. But pick almost any page -- through Amazon's random thingie? -- and you may see what I mean. However, he does manage to slyly insult two famous, but dead, birders in the introduction! Nice. (NOT)

In addition, will someone puh-leeze tell Pete Dunne that his continued use of the word "noisome" to describe loud birds is wrong, wrong, wrong?

The word means "offensive," and generally implies malodorous or stinky. It does NOT mean loud!

My guess: No one dares edit his work for fear they'll disturb his distinctive know-it-all style. Sigh.

P.S. I found at least one factual error. In New England, at least, Yellow Warblers are generally found singing high in trees, though rarely at the top, not "close to the ground" as Dunne has it.

P.P.S. To correct a previous post, this book is not meant as a field guide but as an added resource that covers stuff field guides cannot show you.

Great companion for field guides. It is especially good in describing bird behavior which can be useful when Identifying birds. The distribution and migration sections are much more detailed than most field guides and also help in understanding why birds are where you find them. I think it is valuable addition to my birding shelf.

When I bought this book, I thought it was an identification key. It is not nor does it need to be. Especially in the field where markings are difficult to see. I really enjoyed his emphasis on habitat and "vocalizations". Very thorough. It's not an exciting read but it sure is informative. Experienced birders could supplement their knowledge with this different approach. Novices would certainly benefit by having a fresh start with birding techniques. Using the "Cape May" approach might make a birder out of anybody.