Peterson Field Guide: Eastern Birds' Nests (Paperback)

~ (Author), Roger Tory Peterson (Editor), Mada Harrison (Editor), Ned Smith (Illustrator) "Breeding range: New England west through extreme n. U.S..." (more)
Key Phrases: feeds incubating mate, lined with rootlets, extending range northward, New York, New Jersey, Gulf Coast (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This guide includes the nest and eggs of 285 species found in the 26 states east of the Mississippi River. Descriptions of breeding range and time, habitat, and nests and eggs are enhanced by 222 color photographs.

About the Author

Roger Tory Peterson (August 28, 1908 – July 28, 1996), was an American naturalist, ornithologist, artist, and educator, and held to be one of the founding inspirations for the 20th century environmental movement.

Peterson was born in Jamestown, New York. After graduating from high school‚ Peterson moved to New York City‚ where he attended the Art Students League (1927-1928) and the National Academy of Design (1929-1931). He then taught science and art at the Rivers School in Brookline, Massachusetts. In 1934 he published his seminal Guide to the Birds, the first modern field guide, which sold out its first printing of 2‚000 copies in one week, and subsequently went through 5 editions. He co-wrote Wild America with James Fisher, and edited or wrote many of the volumes in the Peterson Field Guide series on topics ranging from rocks and minerals to beetles to reptiles. He developed the Peterson Identification System, and is known for the clarity of both his illustrations of field guides and his delineation of relevant field marks.

Peterson received every major American award for natural science, ornithology, and conservation, as well as numerous honorary medals, diplomas, and citations from America and elewhere, including the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Order of the Golden Ark of the Netherlands. He died in 1996 at his home in Old Lyme, Connecticut. The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Jamestown, New York is named in his honor.

Hal H. Harrison is a published author of several Field Guides. Listed below are some of the publications:
1998 - A Field Guide to the Birds' Nests : United States east of the Mississippi River (Peterson Field Guides(R)) 1988 - Field Guide to Western Birds' Nests

1979 - A Field Guide to Western Birds' Nests : Of 520 Species Found Breeding in the United States West of the Mississippi River

1975 - A Field Guide to the Birds' Nest in the United States East of the Mississippi River (Peterson Field Guide Series)

Wood Warblers' World

1998 - A Field Guide to the Birds' Nests : United States east of the Mississippi River (Peterson Field Guides(R))

1988 - Field Guide to Western Birds' Nests

1979 - A Field Guide to Western Birds' Nests : Of 520 Species Found Breeding in the United States West of the Mississippi River

1975 - A Field Guide to the Birds' Nest in the United States East of the Mississippi River (Peterson Field Guide Series)

Wood Warblers' World 

E. Stanley "Ned" Smith was born October 9, 1919 in Millersburg, Pennsylvania., a small town on the Susquehanna River north of Harrisburg. A self-trained artist and naturalist, in his 46-year career he created thousands of astonishingly accurate drawings and paintings of wildlife for books, magazines and other publications, as well as dozens of limited edition prints.


Mada Harrison is a contributor for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt titles including: A Field Guide to the Birds' Nests.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Exp Sub edition (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395936098
• ISBN-13: 978-0395936092
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #63,754 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Many Like This Out There, June 10, 1999

By A Customer

This is a highly recommended book for identifying bird's nests. It's amazing to see all the different types of nests that birds make. These creatures have true workmanship. It must have been a great challenge for the photographer(s) to find and photograph all the different nests throughout this fascinating book. You don't see many books out there on the market like this, so I recommend it.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique and excellent resource for birders., December 9, 1998

By	[e-mail] (St. Louis area) - See all my reviews

This book has information which to my knowledge cannot be found anywhere else. The photographs of nests and eggs must be seen to be appreciated. It is not difficult to identify a bird on the basis of its nest or egg using this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for bird watchers, May 14, 2007

By	Suzanne Haig (Deep River, Ct.) - See all my reviews

I was giving a class on monitoring bluebird boxes and I needed to show people the nests of predators and other birds that use the bluebird boxes. I wanted people to be able to see the difference between the nests built by bluebirds as compared to house sparrows, for instance. Also, I needed to show the different colors of eggs.

This book was absolutely essential for this. Once examining the photos in the book and reading the text, people were easily able to identify the different kinds of nests that had been built in the boxes we were monitoring.