National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, Western Region (Turtleback)

by Miklos D. F. Udvardy (Author), Jr. John Farrand (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
A favorite of birdwatchers (especially those who prefer photographs to illustrations), this field guide, revised for 2000, accounts for the 544 bird species that live in the region west of the Great Plains. The clearly printed color photographs capture birds at rest and in flight; preceded by black-and-white silhouettes, the plates are organized by visually based, intuitive categories--"hawk-like birds," "pigeon-like birds," and "perching birds," for example--that make on-the-fly identification a fairly simple matter. The images are matched by clearly written text that describes a given bird, gives an approximation of its voice, and details its habitat, range, nests, and behavior. Sized to fit in a jacket or backpack pocket, this is a valuable companion for any birding outing in the region. --Gregory McNamee

Product Description
Introduced in 1977 and completely revised in 1994, these bestselling photographic field guides have become the birding bibles of more than four million enthusiasts. Virtually every bird found in North America is brought to life in a full-color photograph and with textual information on the bird's voice, nesting habits, habitat, range, and interesting behaviors. Accompanying range maps; overhead flight silhouettes; sections on bird-watching, accidental species, and endangered birds make these the most comprehensive field guides to birds available.

Note: the Western Edition covers the Rocky Mountain range and all the states to the west of it, while the Eastern Edition generally covers states east of the Rocky Mountains.

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Product Details

• Turtleback: 822 pages
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf; Revised edition (September 27, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679428518
• ISBN-13: 978-0679428510
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,702 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #56 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Birdwatching

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pocket-sized and Field Worthy, September 28, 2002

By	M. Swinney "Marc My Words" (Flower Mound, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The saving grace of this bird book is its portable nature. It is small enough to fit in a back pocket when traversing over hill and dell tracking down that Northern Flicker. The cover is also of durable material to weather the dirt, grass, the weather, or whatever you put it through. Those are the good things.

The detractors are that when compared to other bird books, the format isn't the friendliest. To find all the scoop about a particular bird it is easy to locate the picture, however there is a separate section identifying habitat, range, behavior, etcetera. Then there is a numbering system separate from the page numbers that make all this cross-referencing and flipping back and forth between the pictures and the descriptions somewhat confusing. Another confusing thing about the picture sequencing is that two different views of the same bird aren't always placed together. For instance, on frame number 185 (not the page number mind you) we find the Pied-billed Grebe winter plumage and then a couple pages over oddly enough on frame 195 we find what the Pied-billed Grebe looks like the rest of the year. So now we want to know more about this feathered-floater, we are directed back to the back of the book...pg. 341 (we are back to going by page numbers) to find out that this little guy has earned the local name, "Hell Diver."

So for an easier to use guide to read from the comfort of your living room or from a car's passenger seat, I would point you to the Stokes Guide to Birds. Audubon's book does have some good info and unique details on particular birds that can't be found elsewhere, can be carried into the field with ease, and does include some pretty good pics. The two complement each other nicely, but if I had to choose one...it'd be the Stokes.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful portable field guide and very comprehensive., August 26, 1999

By A Customer

I have used the older edition of this field guide for years and have always been able to find the bird I am looking for. This newer edition has much improved pictures from the older edition and a slightly better layout. Enough of an improvement that I felt I had to buy the newer edition. Happy bird-watching!

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loose Pages and Worn Cover, May 4, 2000

By	M. D. Cummings "Marv" (Kanosh,, Utah United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I see a new bird in town; I have to hurry and grab the binoculars and my trusty field book. The pages begin to slip out of the book and I fumble to try and retrieve them before the wind scatters them about. In the mean time, the not so patient bird flies away and I'm left disappointed having again missed a choice moment. I examine the loose pages and the worn cover of my trusty field book and decide it's not so trusty anymore. With mixed emotions, I reverently put away the old field book and buy me this new one.

I've yet to find a bird in the new addition that I couldn't identify, including, a few rare instances when we get visitors from the East. A common crackle is not so common in Utah. But this field book told me that from time to time they will cross the great divide to visit their cousins in the West.

If you like birding, you'll love this field guide; it's the best I've seen for a long while.