Customer Reviews

National Geographic Guide to Birding Hot Spots of the United States

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Most bird watchers get their start by trying to identify the birds in their own backyard. As their knowledge increases their love for their new hobby takes them further and further afield. I have visited many of the major birding hot spots in the US and abroad and it has always amazed me to see how far someone will travel a add a single, elusive bird to their lifelist (myself included!)

As a birder's wanderlust develops so does their need for a guide book that highlights the major areas of interest in each state. Let me say for the record that no one book can do it all. ABA (The American Birding Association) sells over 30 guidebooks for the state of Texas alone! Some birding books will give you an overview of the whole state, some will give details on a portion of the state and others are dedicated to a single park or wildlife refuge, giving you maps of dirt trails, detailed lists of birds seen there, even suggestions of where to eat and what local guides to hire. Before one can delve into these details an area needs to be chosen from all of hundreds of options. That's where this well designed book comes in.

Before a person can plan a bird watching trip in detail they must first select their general destination (sometimes one is chosen for you, such as when combining a birding expedition with a visit a relative). Once the area of the country is selected and the specific state or part of the state is decided upon, then a date needs to chosen that will give the traveler the best chance of seeing as many different types of birds as possible. The National Geographic Guide to Birding Hot Spots is first divided into these regions:

* New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut)

* Mid Atlantic (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland)

* South Atlantic (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia)

* Florida (S. Everglades and the Keys, Southeast and Southwest, Northern Peninsula, Panhandle)

* South Central (Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana)

* Eastern Texas (Upper Coast, Central Coast, Lower Texas Coast and the Rio Grande)

* The Heartland (Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin)

* North-Central (Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky)

* The Plains (Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota

* Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Western Texas)

* California (Northern California, Southern California)

* Central Rockies (Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada)

* Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana)

In each section you will find:

- A fairly detailed map of the entire region with the Hot Spots listed by number

- A list of the Special Birds of that region

- A paragraph or two describing each hot-spot, including what birds to look for there

- The best time of the year to visit that area

- Rare Bird Alert Hotline numbers

- Phone numbers and websites for each hot spot

- A photograph taken in each state

- Drawings of birds taken from National Geographic's Field Guide to the Birds of North America

The Books ends with a list of suggested "Additional Reading" for each region.

The photographs are excellent (this is from National Geographic after all) but purposely small. This is not intended to be a coffee table book for armchair travelers (I have some of those too and I look at them when I want to be inspired, not for guidance). Instead, this book is designed as a working field guide, something to be carried around and poured over, to be used on the kitchen table along with road maps when planning a birding trip. It is well thought out, concise and practical. It, like my Sibley's field guide, will never be far from my side.

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Many an out-of-state birder wants a guide to local hot spots or a guide to finding specific species.

Perhaps this guide tries to do too many things and thus does all of them only moderately well.

Directions within specific areas are often general only. Similarly the species lists are too frequently vague regarding time of year or location. I think the internet with its rapid notification and very detailed locations, makes this printed reference seem doubly vague.

Within those limits this is a useful tool.

Finally, a book with specific places to go for good birding by regions and then by state. This book has been so helpful. It tells what birds to expect where saving all levels of birders much time. It is a great companion to National Geographic's Field Guide.

My wife and I can't wait to visit the sites mentioned in this great bird manual. Very clear and precise and in excellent condition.