Eastern Birds: A Guide to Field Identification, Revised and Updated (Golden Field Guides) [Paperback]

James Coe (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Golden Field Guides | Publication Date: April 14, 2001

Can you name all of the birds visiting your backyard feeder, swimming on a local pond, or soaring through familiar skies? This easy-to-use guide is perfect for the casual observer or beginning bird enthusiast. Its innovative Master Plates help eliminate confusion between similar birds, and the landscapes depicting a bird's habitat speed identification. Highly acclaimed by critics, Eastern Birds is the perfect companion for nature walks and for pleasurable birdwatching.

* Covers all of North America east of the Rockies
* Focuses on common species
* Describes plumage, gender differences, breeding habits, songs, and calls
* Maps detail summer, winter, year-round, and migratory ranges
* Common and scientific names

Comprehensive * Up-to-date * Authoritative

Written by world-renowned scholars, Golden Field Guides from St. Martin's Press are the leading nature guides for the home, field, and classroom. Designed for portability and easy access, these compact, lightweight books help Americans of every age explore a world of natural wonders.

Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press-- a trusted source for generations

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Coe, an artist, author, and naturalist with a degree in biology from Harvard, grew up in the suburbs of New York City. As a child he was fascinated by the egrets and herons he spotted in nearby tidal marshes, and he quickly learned to identify most of the birds he found around town. Jim began to paint when, with a friend, he set out to compile a field guide to the local bird life-- a goal that has finally been realized with the publication of this book.

Jim obtained a Master's degree in painting at the Parson's School of Design, in New York City, in 1984. Over the years, he has contributed illustrations to numerous other books, including the Macmillan field guide Birds of North America: Western Region, and Birds of New Guinea, and to Frank Gill's widely used college textbook, Ornithology. His paintings have been published on the covers of Bird Watcher's Digest, and twice he has been commissioned to illustrate bird species new to science for Auk, the professional journal of the American Ornithologists' Union. Jim's artwork has been exhibited at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, in Wausau, Wisconsin, the Bennington Center for the Arts, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and at the New York State Museum.

Jim lives with his wife and two children on the western rim of New York's Hudson Valley. It is an ideal setting for a wildlife artist. From his studio, perched on the second story of a recent addition to their 150-year-old farmhouse, Jim can look out on acres of woodlands, a wildflower meadow, and a small pond. He has spotted 141 species of birds on the property.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press; Revised and Updated edition (April 14, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582380937
• ISBN-13: 978-1582380933
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,101,975 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great guide for new birdwatchers!, July 28, 2008

By 

Patrick W. Crabtree "The Old Grottomaster" (Lucasville, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Eastern Birds: A Guide to Field Identification, Revised and Updated (Golden Field Guides) (Paperback)

This nice little field guide has evolved over many years to notable status in the world of birdwatching. I often see experienced birdwatchers carrying and using this volume as my wife and I attend bird hikes and outings.

This reference guide fits nicely in a large pocket or in a day pack and the terminology is quite readable and comprehensible to those folks who haven't had the time to pick up on all the birding technical jargon.

There are currently three other viable field guides available to birders, all of which have withstood the test of time:

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America (Peterson Field Guides(R))

National Geographic Field Guide To The Birds Of North America, 4th Edition

The Sibley Guide to Birds

All the field guides are excellent in their own ways but Eastern Birds: A Guide to Field Identification, Revised and Updated (Golden Field Guide from St. Martin's Press) is my final recommendation for newcomers to this fascinating hobby.

You can also refer to my "So you'd like to buy a birding field guide?" post here on Amazon to hone your personal knowledge on the various birding field guide options.

Enjoy your new hobby!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect, May 7, 2009

By 

Tempest Jrock "Tempest" (Atown, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Eastern Birds: A Guide to Field Identification, Revised and Updated (Golden Field Guides) (Paperback)

I am a beginner birder, and this book is perfect for me. It has been easy to use, and very informative. Two of the long time birders I know also enjoy looking at this book, so it's not just for beginners.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great bird book for the backyard'birder', January 14, 2011

By 

B. Graupmann "dollnana" (Mobile AL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Eastern Birds: A Guide to Field Identification, Revised and Updated (Golden Field Guides) (Paperback)

I ordered this book becuse I wanted one with a little more substance than my old introductory bird book. This one's a winner with pictures of the immature birds of each species as well as males and females, really good info on habitat and nesting habits ; info on similar looking birds tells you what to look for to tell these birds apart, and some of the differences seem minor but if you like to know who's visiting your feeders and bird bath, it's good info to have.

I am strictly a backyard birder, just enjoying them from my back porch or front windows. I am seeing a lot more variety of birds these days and I use this book almost daily. It's not huge and the price is great for the amount of info and colored pictures you get. I'm glad I chose this book over a couple of others I had looked at in bookstores.