Birds of Los Angeles: Including Santa Barbara, Ventura and Orange Counties (U.S. City Bird Guides) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Herbert Clarke (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This attractive guide identifies the birds most likely to be seen in the backyards, streets and parks of Los Angeles. The books introduce the fascinating and popular pastime of birdwatching and include advice on building feeders and birdhouses. Color illustrations help you identify birds quickly while the text provides interesting information about each bird. These books are easy-to-use references for the urban birdwatcher.

About the Author

HERBERT CLARKE is a prolific author of, and photographic contributer to, nature books, most of them centered on California natural history. A keen birder since his childhood, Clarke travels far and wide across America, lecturing and leading birding tours. He is based in Glendale, California. CHRIS FISHER is a university-educated naturalist with a background in research in endangered species management and wildlife interpretation. He has conducted birding expeditions extensively throughout the United States, Canada and Thailand and is the author or co-author of eleven books on birds.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551051044
• ISBN-13: 978-1551051048
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #216,040 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Usable!, July 20, 2000

By	C. Sahu "Cathy Sahu" (Southern California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have tried identifying birds with other books before, and I usually gave up in frustration because there'd be, like, 20 birds that mine could possibly be related to, but no exact match. These were mainly books that covered all of North America, or all of the Pacific states.

With "Birds of Los Angeles," I have actually identified several birds! The pictures are big and colorful, the information (habits, habitat, etc.) enough to tell you what you casually want to know. Its dimensions are compact but it is a little heavy, because of the weight of the glossy paper, but not impossible to take along backpacking.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No better beginner's guide for Los Angeles birdwatchers!, December 22, 2005

By	Elias H. Zuniga (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book easily deserves a 5 Star rating. It is, I think, the best book to get if you are beginning to get interested in birdwatching and live in the Los Angeles area. First, it is comprehensive - it covers almost all of the birds one is likely to encounter when doing basic birdwatching locally. Second, the illustrations are nicely done and large in size, making it easy for the beginning birder to identify area birds. (Although pictures may seem "better" to the beginning birdwatcher, as you gain experience birdwatching you will eventually learn that illustrations are usually better for birding field guides than photographs.) Third, it is thorough and engaging, each species' listing contains habitat and basic behavior information, (written in a short, concise way - see photos) list of similar species, "quick i.d." guides, and month to month abundance charts. This is all presented in easy to understand, non-pretentious language that is easy for anyone to read, though he also includes a glossary of difficult terms. To round out the complete effort, he includes a few birdwatching sites in Los Angeles (though this is very limited and you'll want to look up more information on each site online), as well as a list of further books you can look at and a list of birds that you can check-off as you go along. Finally, as one would expect of a field guide, the book itself is well made and durable, the spine is sturdy and the pages glossy - a good thing if you end up dropping it along trails (as I have) or read it from cover to cover several times (again, as I have). I disagree with a previous review - it is very lightweight much more manageable than most other field guides. (Amazon's estimate of 9 ounces sounds about right.)

To sum up, this is the book that got my son and I both hooked on birdwatching, and it is still the first book my son (8 years old) chooses to take with him to birdwatch around Los Angeles. It is a superb effort and, at $9.95, a great value. If you remain interested in birdwatching after this guide, you can always "upgrade" to the much more thorough and technical Sibley's Guide to Birds later on. Even though I have Sibley's, I'm looking forward to purchasing the San Diego version of this guide soon!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Birds of Los Angeles: Including Santa Barbara, Ventura and Orange Counties, October 5, 2009

By	M. Mitchell ""Mel"" (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I like the individual species drawings in this book with a handy list of key features and similar species. An abundance chart shows the time of year that each species is found in the region. This is a very useful tool.

I was hoping from the book description that there were details on the good sites to each species in the region, but this features is missing as well as a good map of the local parks and reserves.

Overall, this is a handy book to have in the backpack when visiting natural areas. It is pitched at the beginner birdwatcher and is likely to be put aside when the bird species become more familiar and more challenging in terms of identification.