Book Description
All the birds of Texas and most of those found in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana are illustrated here in 60 plates that show key features. Descriptions of 542 species, silhouttes, and comparisons of similar species help with accurate identification.
Customer Reviews:
Peterson's Birds of Texas.......2006-11-04
I bought this book to supplement Peterson's Birds of Mexico et al. for a trip to the Yucatan peninsula. My goal was to obtain color pictures of all the birds in Cozumel and the nearby peninsula of Yucatan. To be complete in this regard, one needs both North American Eastern and Western Peterson books and the Texas book and the Mexican book. On a bird-watching hike in the Yucatan peninsula I carried Peterson East, Texas and Mexico. The illustrations were almost complete as compared to a checklist of birds of Cozumel (Google). Peterson is very succinct and misses few field marks.
Limited colour plates; good organization.......2001-01-14
For each bird, Peterson gives field marks, similar species, and where found (overall and within Texas) as the main information; the latter is useful for elimination. Where appropriate he also has sections for voice and nest. The emphasis on field identification is good, with additional sections showing, for example, silhouettes of accipiters, falcons, kites and harriers to show the differences.
However, many of the plates are black and white, or line drawings, and this is a significant drawback. For that reason I'd recommend John Tveten's The Birds of Texas instead, although it's not as handy out in the field, and has less coverage of casuals and accidentals. The organization of the Peterson is good enough that you might want to get both.
A starter but not a stand alone.......2000-07-28
Range identification excellent but, although there is a 1998 date on the book, the names do not agree with current ABA nomenclature. Illustrations and descriptions are separated and minimal use of color limits the usefullness. When used for identification, range information is the most usefull. Not up to the standard expected in connection with the Peterson name.
Good but not Great.......1999-06-16
This guide is good for identifying birds of Texas, the ranges are listed by their proximity to cities. There are no color plates, but the descriptions are pretty good. Would like to see information on feeding. I would recommend a supplemental guide (National Geographic 3rd Ed.) for additional information.
Product Description
Learn about and identify birds using Stan Tekiela's state-by-state field guides. The full-page, color photos are incomparable and include insets of winter plumage, color morphs and more. Plus, with the easy-to-use format, you don't need to know a bird's name or classification in order to easily find it in the book. Using this field guide is a real pleasure. It's a great way for anyone to learn about the birds in your state.
Customer Reviews:
Finally, An Easy to Handle Bird Guide!.......2007-07-16
I bought copies of this guide for both my husband and daughter, and they're both extremely pleased. We especially like the small size of the book. This makes it easy to carry in a car glove box or a backpack. Also, we like the way the birds are categorized. If one is curious about a particular bird, the color of the bird is all that is needed to begin the search. However, if one knows the name of a particular bird and is wondering if the bird being observed is this bird, it is extremely easy to find a picture (both male and female) by looking up that name. For example, after using this book, my daughter discovered that the red-headed woodpeckers that she was enjoying in her backyard, were in fact hairy woodpeckers. Because of its sensible format, I think that this book would also be helpful to youngsters interested in identifying different birds.
Easiest Field Guide.......2007-06-09
My copy is tattered and well used. I purchased this guide several years ago after covering a story on a local birder and becoming interested in identifying birds in my own backyard. This particular guide is very useful for a beginner, but also good for an experienced birder too.
It's thumb guide on the edge of the pages makes an easy start to identification first by color, then once in the color section, thumbing for the size of the bird and then comparing excellent photos of the birds for comparison.
I recently purchased a copy of this book for a man who lives at the assisted living place where my mom resides. He has thoroughly enjoyed being able to find the birds he sees by comparing the photos in this book to those in the gardens at the center.
There is a fun place at the back of the book to mark a box of birds you have seen.
Great little manual and compact!
Best Field Guide.......2007-04-02
Stan Tekiela has prepared Field Guides of Birds for each State and they are terrific. The book fits in the palm of your hand and includes all the birds that live or migrate through your selected state. It has the birds listed alphabetically in the back, but you can also find unknown birds quickly, as the book is divided into all the main colors of the species. Each bird has a picture page of the male, female and juvenile and a page of useful information, e.g., size, bill type, feet and legs, where they nest and when, and cross references, if necessary, with all similar birds, and much more. It's a must have book for anyone who likes to watch, feed and follow birds.
A great quick-reference guide to the birds of Texas.......2007-02-16
This book certainly won't take the place of your National Geographic or Sibley's bird guides, but it's very handy for making quick identifications of the more common Texas birds.
There are full-page color photos of the birds on the left side and descriptions and range maps on the right. This makes it very easy to flip through the book quickly to find the bird you're trying to identify. I also found the author's notes with a little "nature trivia" about most of the breeds interesting and informative. The book is also quite small, so it's very easy to carry along in the field. I compared this to National Geographic's guide to Texas birds and felt that Tekiela's book was bit easier to flip through quickly.
I like using this book to make quick IDs and then reference my bigger and more detailed field guides when I get home.
LEARNING ABOUT BIRDS.......2007-01-05
THIS IS ONE OF THE VERY BEST BOOKS ON BIRDS. THE PAGES ARE COLOR CODED TO THE COLOR OF BIRD AND YOU CAN LOCATE A NEW BIRD BY LOOKING FOR THE COLOR IN THE PAGE TAB. I LIKED IT SO MUCH THAT I GOT THE SAME VERSION FOR COLORADO. I GO TO IT BEFORE ANY OF MY OTHER BIRD BOOKS.
Book Description
National Geographic Field Guide to Birds provides affordable, portable, reliable region-specific information, perfect for the novice or experienced birder. In each guide, an introduction by an expert birder from the region offers guidance on where to look for key birds. An opening section gives pointers on how to look for key birds and what to focus on when you spot them. Each guide features approximately 150 birds, grouped by family. Two indexes: one alphabetical and one color-coded help readers identify a bird quickly.
Each entry has a vivid photograph showing the bird in its native habitat. On the facing page, there is a list of bulleted points of field identification clues as well as behavioral and habitat information, and the best local places to find the bird. Special field notes give additional i.d. or behavioral information and detailed maps show the range of each bird's habitat. With comprehensive coverage of the region and valuable advice from experts, these user-friendly guides will quickly become favorite companions on the journey to lifelong birding.
In Texas, birders will find the richest possible range of species in this ultimate migration ground that draws birds from around the world.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent resource.......2007-05-14
This book was just what I was looking for. It has great pictures, description of the female and territory map. It has been no end of value and has helped me identify all the birds that have come into my yard so far.
national geographic field guide to birds: texas.......2007-01-19
Left a lot of state birds out, and had those that were there in a strange order.
Well below the "Geo Guide" standard.......2006-04-20
This book is published by the organization which also produces the NA Bird field guide considered "best" by most avid birders, the National Geographic Field Guide (Geo guide for short). However it is absolutely NOTHING like said field guide! It is very small (6 inches by 4 inches) and consists entirely of full page color photographs on the left page, and brief descriptive text with a Texas-only range map on the right page. At the bottom of the text page are even more brief notes, usually about another similar bird, and often accompanied by a tiny painting of that bird (which appears to be taken directly from the Geo Guide).
The photographs are quite good, and really are the only saving grace of the entire book. They appear to be chosen for their artistic value more so than to illustrate field marks, however. The selection of species is extremely superficial - for example, the only species of oriole shown is Bullock's Oriole, despite the fact that in west Texas Scott's Oriole is routinely found, and for birders in the lower Rio Grande valley the target species is likely to be Altamira Oriole (not pictured), or, if coverage was as exceptional as I had hoped an NGS bird publication would be, even Audubon's or Black-vented Oriole - and one also wonders why Orchard Oriole, found throughout the state, is left out!
The book description here on Amazon is "generous" in its pronouncements. The "guidance on where to look for key birds" consists of a one-page, incredibly simplistic commentary on birding in Texas ("The Texas coast is well-known as a place for migrant birds to rest and feed on their way northward." "Other regions of the state include the High Plains where Lesser Prairie-Chickens still strut . . .") Turn the page and the most specific location data provided is a map of the entire state with numerous parks and refuges depicted. But it is left entirely up to you to figure out how to navigate to Anahuac NWR to look for those migrants (where's High Island?), and, since Lesser Prairie-Chicken isn't even included in the main text, how are you supposed to know that Muleshoe NWR might be a place to try to see them?
My greatest hope for this book was that it would give additional insight into the Texas specialities of ABA area birding, but even here it is basically incomplete. Plain Chachalaca, Least Grebe, White-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Common Paraque, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Ringed Kingfisher, Great Kiskadee, Black-capped Vireo, Green Jay, Colima and Golden-cheeked Warbler, and Olive Sparrow are all here, but missing are a few regular species which make Texas birding so unique, such as Groove-billed Ani and White-collared Seedeater. Since only in south Texas can a Muscovy Duck be counted (as opposed to being labelled an escapee from you local park's pond), why not show a wild Muscovy instead of another photo of a wild Mallard? And what about every birder's favorite dump denizen, the Tamaulipas Crow?
Overall this book is not recommended, at any level of birding, for any use other than its collection of photographs. For a beginner in the field (or even in the backyard) it doesn't provide the necessary comparison images to differentiate even the most obvious field marks so as to allow identification. For the intermediate birder trying to locate target species in Texas, the guidance (or essential lack thereof) to places where the birds can be found is woeful. And for advanced birders - well, they really don't need something this small in size or detail.
Be aware that there are several other titles in this series, for other states, and I suspect that this review's basic criticisms hold for all of them. As for me, I'll hold on until November when the Fifth Edition of the REAL Geo Guide comes out!
Average customer rating:
- Good birding resource
- Great Book
- Field Guide Misleading
- Excellent for birds of this number one birder's park
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A Field Guide to Birds of the Big Bend, 2nd Edition (Texas Field Guide Series)
Roland Wauer
Manufacturer: Gulf Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Naturalist's Big Bend: An Introduction to the Trees and Shrubs, Wildflowers, Cacti, Mammals, Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians, Fish, and Insects (Louise Lindsey Merrick Natural Environment Series, 33)
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Hiking Big Bend National Park, 2nd (Regional Hiking Series)
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Birds of the Trans-Pecos (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)
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Adventures in the Big Bend: A Travel Guide
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Cactuses of Big Bend National Park (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)
ASIN: 0877192715 |
Book Description
This current revision, reflecting the extensive amount of birding activites that occurs year-round at Big Bend National Park.
Customer Reviews:
Good birding resource.......2006-03-07
My husband & I just returned from a week-long trip to Big Bend, during which we found this book a very useful, easy-to-use resource for listing, by species, of birds encountered in the park, frequency, when, and where. It helped us see and hear many species, including 4 new ones for us. It should be used with a field guide if one wants to identify species. It would warrant 5 stars rather than 4 if somewhat more updated. However, I would recommend it for birders visiting the park.
Great Book.......2001-05-28
Mr. Wauer has lived most of his life in Texas. He was the chief naturalist for big Bend National BPark, where even today he is called on for advice. He is extrememly knowledgeable of the birds of Big Bend. While it is not, maybe, technicially, a field guide, it deals with the enviroment of the birds. Some of the Texas birds are difficult to differentate, and the books makes it easier to tell apart.
Field Guide Misleading.......2000-01-25
The title, "A Field Guide to Birds of the Big Bend" is extremely misleading. I purchased this book as a guide for my first bird watching trip to Big Bend National Park. With 'field guide' in the title, I expected the book to assist me with identifying birds found in the Big Bend area. There are few pictures in the book and all of them are black and white sketches. This book is not useful for identifying birds and therefore does not fit the common definition of 'field guide' used by resources common to every birder such as the Peterson and Audubon field guides. I was extremely disappointed and returned the book.
Excellent for birds of this number one birder's park.......1999-06-08
There is none better! This book, in a sense, is a classic! It includes all the birds known at publishing for Big Bend National Park. It includes details about the status and where and when they can best be found. It includes consididerable details on all the key park birds, such as Colima Warbler, Lucifer and Blue-throated Hummingbirds, Varied Bunting, Zone-tailed Hawk, and many more. It is a must have for anyone spending time finding birds in the park.
Book Description
Finding all the birds in Texas can be a lifetime pursuit.
Basic Texas Birds, an easy-to-use field guide, will help you identify over 180 species of birds that are found across the state, including a selection of the rarer "Texas specialties" that draw birders to Texas from around the world. These are the birds that form the basis of a birder's life list for Texas.
Basic Texas Birds is organized by bird families to aid in identifying any bird you see in the wild. It is loaded with resources, including:
- 200 full-color, close-up photos of the birds
- State-of-the-art range maps—the most accurate of any currently available—that show each species' distribution within the state
- Up-to-date species accounts that provide a wealth of current and historical information, including each bird's appearance, habitat, status, and distribution, and that also identify similar species
- A glossary of terms used in bird identification
- A list of selected readings for learning more about birds found in Texas
- The Texas Ornithological Society's list of birds documented in Texas
Much more convenient for identifying common birds than a comprehensive state or national field guide,
Basic Texas Birds is a must-have resource for both beginning and experienced birders.
Customer Reviews:
Great reference for the field........2007-07-19
This book does not cover all of the birds ever found in the area, but it covers the birds one is likely to find in Texas. Each description discusses the appearance and habitat of each bird with the typical geographical area marked on a map. One of my favorite features of this book is that there is a color photograph of each bird. These are real birds photographed in their Texas habitat by Texas birders. Many of the photos were taken by the author, himself.
I like that the book provides rulers printed inside the front and back covers in both inches and centimeters. Now I'll have a handy reference with me without having to guess at sizes.
Average customer rating:
- Great Book for a Great Part of Texas
- Birds and other wildlife of south central Texas- Corrie Hern
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Birds and Other Wildlife of South Central Texas: A Handbook (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)
Edward A. Kutac , and
S. Christopher Caran
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0292743157 |
Book Description
Nature takes a surprising turn in the heart of Texas. The flat Gulf Coastal Plains, which become the fertile Blackland Prairies in Central Texas, end abruptly at the Balcones Escarpment, one of the state's most dramatic geological features, and the rolling, more sparsely vegetated Hill Country begins. The animal life varies as dramatically as the land. More than 400 species of birds alone, nearly three-fourths of all Texas birds, can be spotted in the region. This handbook offers a concise natural history of Central Texas and a complete checklist of all native and naturalized vertebrate animals, including birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, as well as invertebrates that include butterflies and land snails. The listings cite both scientific and common names for each species, relative abundance in the region, and preferred habitats. A distinguishing feature of the handbook is its list of parks and recreational areas in the region, which includes the counties of Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Comal, Fayette, Gillespie, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall, Lee, Llano, Milam, Travis, and Williamson. The authors describe the recreational facilities available in each park and list the animal species likely to be encountered there. For birdwatchers, naturalists, visitors, and residents alike, this popular handbook will be the essential "where-to-find-it" reference.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book for a Great Part of Texas.......2003-04-18
Having lived a great part of my life in South Central Texas, I was very happy to stumble upon Birds & Other Wildlife of South Central Texas by Edward A Kutac.
Kutac used extensive research and has drawn from many sources.
Although it might not be everyone's idea of excitement, it is inclusive and goes the extra mile.
Birds and other wildlife of south central Texas- Corrie Hern.......2001-09-21
Totally disappointed. there is not a single illustration.
Customer Reviews:
Cumbersome for a field guide.......2006-10-23
This might be a useful reference to keep at the house, but I find it cumbersome to use as a field guide. The information about the birds is in the front of the book. The pictures are in the back. That means a lot of flipping back and forth. Definitely not something you want to be doing when you've just spotted a bird you need help identifying. And a few of the photographs are of such poor quality that they're not helpful. I don't have a favorite Texas-specific field guide (yet), but I've grown to love Sibley's field guides. Sibley has the bird info and the illustrations on the same page. And there are multiple illustrations for each bird (in-flight, male, female, juvenile, etc). Birds of Texas only has one photograph for each bird, and sometimes the individual you're trying to identify won't look anything like the photograph. Plus, it seems to be easier to _illustrate_ the bird's features and markings than to photograph them. It took me a while to believe this, but it's true. (Although the digitally-enhanced photographs in Kaufman's guide are wonderful, and may be preferred by some.) Birds of Texas isn't a bad book, I just don't think it's a good field guide.
Nice field guide, excellent color plates.......2006-02-21
I like the size of the book, has good quality color plates nicely cross referenced to accounts of species. Useful as field guide
622 Texas Birds.......2005-07-01
This guide has some nifty features (shows hawk silhouettes and under-markings), but suffers from small photos. It's handy to have around the house and helpful when teamed with a second guide. That way you have two chances to see the markings and identify a bird. Some photos have leaves or branches obscuring the bird's markings.
The placement of the photos in a separate section from the descriptions makes using the book a bit awkward. It causes the birder to flip back and forth a lot.
The description includes a range map, habitat, voice, markings and similar birds.
very poor at best.......2004-05-06
Rappole and Blacklock's book is a very poor choice for a book covering Texas birds. The range maps are generally inaccurate and horrible for many species. The descriptive part of the text is fine for what it is, but Texas and range sections are full of misinformation. There are many very nice photos in the back of the book, but with only one per species it makes the book useless as a field guide. Many species are depicted in plumages that are rarely seen in Texas (e.g. (Oldsquaw in breeding plumage). There are a number of birds included in the book that have never been documented in the state (e.g. Bristle-thighed Curlew, Great Knot, Blue Ground-Dove, Smooth-billed Ani). There are also a few mis-identified photographs (e.g. Double-crested Cormorant, Couch's Kingbird). There are other better choices that cover Texas (although most of those books cover all of North America).
Fantastic guide for traveling.......2004-01-07
This book was given to me as a gift. Ihave loaned it to several friends to take with them on their travels and all have said what an exceptional book this was. The photos were great and the descriptions right on the mark. I would highly recommend this book to all those that seek the perfect guide.
Average customer rating:
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Birding Texas With Children
Evault Boswell
Manufacturer: Republic of Texas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
ASIN: 1556228406 |
Book Description
Advice on planning and preparation includes information on the purchase and use of binoculars, field guides,and travel guides. There is also a list of bird clubs in Texas, and a section on camping accommodations in state parks.
Average customer rating:
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Birds of Houston
B.C. Robison
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Birds
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ASIN: 0892633034 |
Book Description
No matter where you see birds in the city--in parks or woodlands, on power lines or in parking lots--they are the natural soul of the urban landscape. They enhance the city and the lives of those who watch them. Nature writer B. C. Robison and wildlife photographer John Tveten have teamed up to produce this field guide for birders who want to identify the birds most commonly seen in Houston. Fifty-five species are included, ranging from such well-known favorites as the mockingbird and cardinal to the more exotic yellow-crowned night heron. A full-color photograph for each bird appears alongside warm and often witty description. For quick reference, a summary of the primary field marks of the adult bird is also provided. This summary includes not only identifying features of the bird but also its habitats, the time of year it can be found, and its distinctive behavioral traits. Aimed at the beginning birder, the guide also gives tips on buying binoculars and on attracting birds to your yard.
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- Audubon's Birds of America: The Audubon Society Baby Elephant Folio
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
- Bird Song Ear Training Guide: Who Cooks for Poor Sam Peabody? Learn to Recognize the Songs of Birds from the Midwest and Northeast States
- Bird Songs
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Birds of Texas Field Guide
