Book Description
Drawing from the collection of the world-renowned Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bird Songs presents the most notable North American birds including the rediscovered Ivory-billed Woodpecker in a stunning new format. Renowned bird biologist Les Beletsky provides a succinct description of each of the 250 birds profiled, with an emphasis on their distinctive songs. Lavish full-color illustrations accompany each account, while a sleek, built-in digital audio player holds 250 corresponding songs and calls. In his foreword, North American bird expert and distinguished natural historian Jon L. Dunn shares insights gained from a lifetime of passionate study. Complete with the most up-to-date and scientifically accurate information, Bird Songs is the first book to capture the enchantment of these beautiful birds in words, pictures, and song. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, located in Ithaca, New York, is a nonprofit institution focused on birds and whose mission is to interpret and conserve the earth's biological diversity through research. The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab is the major source of sound recordings of birds for research, education, conservation, the media, and commercial products.
Listen here
Trumpeter Swan
Laughing Gull
Eastern Bluebird
Customer Reviews:
perfect book for young and old.......2007-10-17
I bought this for my wife and my grand daughter. They love it and the sounds authentic and the book is easy to use.
Reading level: Ages 9-12 - I don't think so!?!.......2007-10-01
Great book for my coffee table for people to press the bird numbers. My favorite is the Northern Mockingbird, and my cats never fail to perk up their ears at it.
I've seen birds in my back yard react to different bird songs I played, so I can imagine that a lighter weight book would be great to take on field trips for attracting certain birds.
Some of the owls are eerie sounding, but I love owls (they eat mice, right?), so I play them often. There are others I haven't even heard of, not being a birder. But I'm handling the learning curve, and it's certainly fun!
Great for beginning birders.......2007-09-27
This is now our favorite coffee table book-- although we have to tear it out of the hands of guests in order to have conversation about something else. The sound is excellent. Gave a copy to my sister who also loves it.
Great book.......2007-09-27
Great book. The pictures and writeups for each bird are good and the sound is pretty good. I wish there were even more calls included for each bird. Great gift for any bird lover.
Cool Book!.......2007-09-26
It is true, the birds will respond if you play the songs outdoors-It caught the attention of many of the woodpeckers In my backyard..I know the birds by sight but needed help with the songs and calls and this is perfect! Great Idea for a book and a must for beginning birdwatchers or just birdlovers....
Amazon.com
More than 10 years in the making, David Sibley's Guide to Birds is a monumental achievement. The beautiful watercolor illustrations (6,600, covering 810 species in North America) and clear, descriptive text place Sibley and his work squarely in the tradition of John James Audubon and Roger Tory Peterson; more than a birdwatcher and evangelizer, he is one of the foremost bird painters and authorities in the U.S. Still, his field guide will no doubt spark debate. Unlike Kenn Kaufman's Focus Guide, Sibley's is unapologetically aimed at the converted. Beginning birders may want to keep a copy of Sibley at home as a reference, but the wealth of information will have the same effect on novices as trying to pick out a single sandpiper in a wheeling flock of thousands. The familiar yellow warbler, for instance, gets no less than nine individual illustrations documenting its geographic, seasonal, and sex variations--plus another eight smaller illustrations showing it in flight. Of course, more experienced birders will appreciate this sort of detail, along with Sibley's improvements on both Peterson and the National Geographic guide:
- As in Peterson, Sibley employs a pointer system for key field markings--but additional text blurbs are included alongside the illustrations to facilitate identification.
- Descriptive passages on identification are more detailed than those in most other field guides. For example, Sibley includes extensive information on the famously hard-to-distinguish hawks in the genus Accipiter (sharp-shinned, Cooper's, and northern goshawk), noting differences in leg thickness and wing beat that will be of use to more advanced birders. A section on the identification of "peeps" (small sandpipers) includes tips about seasonal molting and bill length. Confusing fall warblers, Empidonax flycatchers, and Alcids receive similar treatment.
- As previously mentioned, ample space is given to illustrations that show plumage variations by age, sex, and geography within a single species. Thus, an entire page is devoted to the red-shouldered hawk and its differing appearances in the eastern U.S., Florida, and California; similarly, gulls are distinguished by age and warblers by sex.
- Range maps are detailed and accurate, with breeding, wintering, and migration routes clearly depicted; rare but regular geographic occurrences are denoted by green dots.
- The binding and paper stock are of exceptional quality. Despite its 544 pages, a reinforced paperback cover and sewn-in binding allow the book to be spread out flat without fear of breaking the binding.
Some birders will be put off by the book's size. Slightly larger than the National Geographic guide, it's less portable than most field guides and will likely spend more time in cars and desks than on a birder's person while in the field. For some it will be a strictly stay-at-home companion guide to consult after a field trip; others may want to have it handy in a fannypack or backpack. But regardless of how it is used, Sibley's Guide to Birds is a significant addition to any birding library. "Birds are beautiful," the author writes in the preface, "their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature." Pleasing, too, is this comprehensive guide to their identification. --Langdon Cook
Book Description
David Allen Sibley, America's most gifted contemporary painter of birds, is the author and illustrator of this comprehensive guide. His beautifully detailed illustrations—more than 6,600 in all—and descriptions of 810 species and 350 regional populations will enrich every birder's experience.
The Sibley Guide's innovative design makes it entirely user friendly. The illustrations are arranged to facilitate comparison, yet still capture the unique character of each species.
The Sibley Guide to Birds provides a wealth of new information:
—Captioned illustrations show many previously unpublished field marks and revisions of known marks
—Nearly every species is shown in flight
—Measurements include length, wingspan, and weight for every species
—Subspecies and geographic varients are covered thoroughly
—Complete voice descriptions are included for every species
—Maps show the complete distribution of every species: summer and winter ranges, migration routes, and rare occurrences
Both novice and experienced birders will appreciate these and other innovative features:
—An introductory page for each family or group of related families makes comparisons simple
—Clear and concise labels with pointers identify field marks directly
—Birds are illustrated in similar poses to make comparisons between species quick and easy
—Illustrations emphasize the way birds look in the field
With
The Sibley Guide to Birds, the National Audubon Society makes the art and expertise of David Sibley available to the world in a comprehensive, handsome, easy-to-use volume that will be the indispensable identification guide every birder must own.
Customer Reviews:
Sibley is so helpful!.......2007-07-01
BACK IN THE DAYS...
when I was a young, inexperienced, birdwatcher of age 5, I found this book at a bookstore and started flipping through its pages. When my folks were ready to go, I would not leave it. So we bought the book, thinking "Was this book really worth it?" And it was.
3 YEARS LATER...
Sibley's guide is awesome! I could look at it for hours. It has got top-notch info that is suprisingly helpful for any person interested in birds. If you are a beginner, you will learn so much from it (I did!) and if you have studied birds for a while, you will get to know species better.
Go to your nearest bookstore or library to find it. It's really worth it!
The Sibley Guide to Birds----a must for birding ........2007-06-27
The Sibley Guide to Birds is necessary for anyone who has a serious or not-so-serious interest in identifying birds. The prose is well-written and easy to understand and each description gives plenty of information to help you further identify the different varieties of birds. But the most compelling feature, and one that isn't shared by any of the other bird books that I've come across, is the illustrations of each bird in all of its incarnations---from hatchling to adult and every stage of seasonal molt inbetween.
Bird watching.......2007-06-21
This book is excellent for Identifing birds.
THE guide to own for North American birds.......2007-06-18
This is THE guide to have for North American birds. It is complete, the illustrations are wonderful and very clear, and all information is included on the same page (I just wish a little more information on habitat & behavior were included). The book also includes pages illustrating birds of similar species one next to each other, which makes identification easier. The only real drawback of this book are its size and weight. It is not ideal if you are into hiking/birdwatching. If you are looking for another excellent but lighter guide to bring with you when birdwatching I recommend "All the Birds of North America" (American Bird Conservancy's Field Guide). It is complete, clear and much much smaller and lighter than Sibley. However, not only the art in Sibley is better, but there are way more illustrations of birds in different positions, of different age and or different forms (e.g. darker/lighter etc). What I often end up doing is bringing the lighter guide with me when I hike and using Sibley to check doubtful birds when I reach home.
A great book and a great gift.......2007-03-18
We've already got a copy of this book and we decided to give this copy as a gift. It was a hit. The illustrations and descriptions are great. Very easy to use.
Book Description
Birding is the fastest growing wildlife-related activity in the U.S., and even conservative estimates put the current number of U.S. birders at 50 million. According to the New York Times, some authorities predict that by 2050 there will be more than 100 million—and the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America will be the essential reference for field identification and the cornerstone of any birder's library. This is the ultimate, indispensable bird field guide—comprehensive, authoritative, portable, sturdy, and easier than ever to use.
Among the the new edition's key elements and practical improvements: Every North American species—more than 960, including a new section on accidental birds—classified according to the latest official American Ornithologists' Union checklist 4,000 full-color illustrations by the foremost bird artists at work todayand newly updated range maps that draw on the latest data New durable cover for added protection against adverse weather, plus informative quick-reference flaps that double as placemarkers New reader-friendly features like thumbtabs that make locating key sections faster and easier, and a quick-find index to direct users straight to the information they need.
Customer Reviews:
A Fabulous Field Guide - Sibley's now has competition.......2007-10-15
I've been using Sibley's Field Guide for the last three years, and my Western Sibley's is very well worn. But now, the field guide I refer to is the National Geographic. The new fifth edition is great. Rather than just list field marks, it offers tips on distinguishing similar species. The art is all new, and IMHO, very close to actual (compared to previous editions which were...schematic...[that's putting it kindly]).
Additionally, the submerged tabs are very handy, and they've picked up on putting the map in the back, like Sibleys.
My only complaints are that it's not a harder cover, and that I'd like it more narrow and tall, rather than wide and short. Nits. It's a fabulous field guide.
Nat Geo Bird Guide.......2007-10-03
I think this is a good field guide. I find the organization easy to use. The infomation is good and includes the regions where each bird can be found. The pictures and drawings of the birds were very thorough, ie the birds may be sitting or flying, male vs female, juveniles vs. adults, and extensive markings are identified.
I'm rather new to bird watching, so I only gave it 4 stars. I thought the more experienced watchers may have a different perspective.
Great Guide for Birding.......2007-09-07
As a novice birder, I find this book to be invaluable. Not only does it provide great photos, it also gives information that entices the reader to learn more and more. This is the text our birding instructor insists we all have in our libraries, and I certainly know why. The guide is a must for anyone interested in learning more about birds.
Still the best in its field.......2007-08-31
I've owned a previous edition of this field guide (it fell into a pond), and I think this continues as the clearest, most practical North American field guide I've found.
The text is simple and to the point. The illustrations are not always as beautiful or lifelike as the drawings or photographs in other guides, but are often much clearer, with useful distinguishing details always picked out well, and a range of plumages/postures shown when necessary. It's not posket sized, but it's not too large or heavy for a backpack or fannypack. As a practical field guide, this is my choice.
I haven't found any changes from the fourth edition that make much of a difference for me, so I wouldn't suggest buying this just as an upgrade.
Hawkeye Review.......2007-06-26
Excellent Field Guide for North American birds----I have owned numerous field guides and this one is by far the best. The bird pictures are excellent and easy to compare with the living specimens. Field notes and range maps are also excellent. A great birding guide that will not dissappoint. National Geographic continues to put out top quality publications.
Book Description
The Sibley Guide to Birds has quickly become the new standard of excellence in bird identification guides, covering more than 810 North American birds in amazing detail. Now comes a new portable guide from David Sibley that every birder will want to carry into the field. Compact and comprehensive, this new guide features 650 bird species plus regional populations found east of the Rocky Mountains. Accounts include stunningly accurate illustrations—more than 4,200 in total—with descriptive caption text pointing out the most important field marks. Each entry contains new text concerning frequency, nesting, behavior, food and feeding, voice description, and key identification features. Accounts also include brand-new maps created from information contributed by 110 regional experts across the continent.
The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America is an indispensable resource for all birders seeking an authoritative and portable guide to the birds of the East.
Customer Reviews:
The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America.......2007-08-23
I have had the Sibley Guide to North American Birds for years and it carries so much information I sometimes carry it into the field but it is heavy and cumbersome. Now with the smaller, lighter field guide I can always have a Sibley's with me. In fact I keep it in the car along with my second pair of binoculars. I still like and admire the National Geographic series but the Sibley's is my first choice for identification, plus salient details of a particular bird's life is quickly found. And thanks to Amazon for getting it to me so quickly. Living out in the Texas country, Amazon has been a boon companion for almost all my shoppin needs.
Good book for a good price.......2007-08-09
The book is a very useful guide for who wants to do birdwatching, and who has a basic knowledge of birds. In the case you don't have a basic knowledge of birds but you are a good watcher, the guide is still helpful as it make a summary of some concepts.
Sibley's guides.......2007-05-12
I love all the Sibley guides and have found that they are used by most of the ornitholigists in the field. I have one and got our grandson two for his birthday and he is so happy with them
Sibleys Field Guides to Birds.......2007-05-07
An excellent guide to identifying birds in the field using concise descriptions accompanied by excellent renditions. The paintings depict the birds in both breeding and non-breeding plummage. Mr. Sibley also mentions song and each species has its own range map with a breif description of habitat. An excellent resource for anyone interested in the birds of the Eastern Half of America.
Hooray for the Sibley.......2007-04-10
My wife and I are avid birders, and living near a lake that attracts all sorts of species, this has become our constant companion for even an evening walk to the store. Excellent and indispensible.
Book Description
Discover how to create a backyard bird sanctuary with the expert guidance of the National Audubon Society. Your backyard will come alive by applying these feeding and gardening techniques. Includes a photographic guide to the birds of North America, as well as the trees and plants that attract them. The ultimate resource for anyone interested in creating a bird-friendly habitat.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book for newer bird watcher........2007-03-08
We found your book to be full of beautiful bird pictures and good information. A excellent book especially for the newer back yard bird watcher. An excellent addition and tool for anyones library. A beautiful gift.
Great pictures, information, poor selection of birds.......2007-01-23
I purchased this book for myself and our children to aid us in identifying the birds that are visiting our southern Arizona feeders. Unfortunately I found many of the birds we see were missing from this guide. It's got fantastic pictures, and excellent full page details on each bird which IS included, such as song, nesting habits and duration. I was very impressed with the guides on how to make your own birdfeeders of various types as well as the helpful guide in the back regarding landscaping for birds. Unfortunately, because it's not a regional book, it is proving to be less useful than I hoped. It's a great book to start with, but I think many birdwatchers, even casual ones like myself, will quickly wish for a more comprehensive guide.
Great book, informative on many levels.......2006-12-15
I am new to birdwatching and purchased this book along with Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America. The Sibley guide covers more birds, but the Audubon has all of the common ones that I see in my yard, and has actual photos of the book as opposed to the drawings in the Sibley guide. I find that I refer to both of them frequently, however the Audubon book is one that you can sit down and read, whereas the Sibley one is a true field guide with just a paragraph on each type of bird. The Audobon book is a great starter book, and not only contains information on particular bird species, but also has great information on bird behavior and things you can do to encourge more visitors to your yard. I have enjoyed this book so much I just purchased it as a Christmas gift for my sister who is new to birdwatching also.
excellant book for the money.......2006-08-12
Well illustrated, informative,helpful,perfectly priced.I recomend this book to amateurs and veterans of this hobby, this is a beautiful book easily worth the money.
YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH THIS ONE.......2006-06-23
I have been a rather serious birder for well over fifty years now and when I first saw this book (it was a gift) I almost felt insulted...back yard birder indeed! Well, I was wrong...I admit it. I have actually enjoyed this one far more that several of the many hundred or so more technical books on the subject that inhabit my shelves. This is a wonderful quick reference and is quite well organized. I have interested grandchildern and I not when they are here, which is almost daily, they reach for this volume far more than any of the others. Sharing my passion and hobby with them is great and this work is a wonderful help tool. Recommend it highly.
Book Description
Roger Tory Peterson had already made his mark with his innovative field guide when he conducted DDT research during World War II. His friend and fellow naturalist Rachel Carson built on these efforts and eventually wrote Silent Spring, a landmark text that, along with Peterson's field guide, jump-started the modern environmental movement. By combining the tireless observation of a scientist with the imaginative skills of an artist and writer, Peterson created a field guide that Robert Bateman, in his foreword to the fifth edition, says was the doorway for millions of people into the wonderland of natural history. The Peterson Identification System has been used in the more than fifty books that make up the Peterson Field Guide series. Peterson's magnum opus, now in its fifth edition, created the trail for countless field guides to follow. They are still following year by year, but his is the standard by which all other field guides are judged. On the morning of July 28, 1996, Roger Peterson was painting his final bird plate. He died peacefully in his sleep later that day. It is fitting that his final worka culmination of more than sixty years of observing, painting, and writingshould be this one, a revision of the guide that started his legacy.
Customer Reviews:
better then the audabon.......2007-09-30
The North Carolina bird watcher's assoc. said it was about the best and I believe they are right.
Field Guide to Birds of Eastern & Central America.......2007-09-27
Best book I ever found on birds in Eastern and Central America. Excellent color photos.
Excellent Gift, great resource.......2007-08-23
I love the peterson's bird guides, they are much better than other birding guides. I bought this one for my friend so we could compare life lists.
A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America.......2007-08-09
This is one of the best birding books for beginners as well as expert birders. I have had my field guide for years and just recently gave my daughter a copy so she would stop calling me and asking me to identify birds over the phone to her.
Great bird guide.......2007-08-05
I like this bird guide. It is very helpful in pointing out specific markings/traits similar birds have. This way I can decipher who I'm looking at. I like the maps that indicate where the birds summer, winter or stay year-round. Most drawings have pictures of juveniles. One of the things I would have liked to seen is more juvenile pictures as many juvenile birds visit here in early to mid-summer. I wasn't able to readily recognize them due to similar body types to other types of birds and their plumage being so differnt from their parents. Another thing I would have liked to seen in the guide is what the birds eat at different times in their lives and at different times of year. This would help in locating and identifying. However, the guide does tell what type of areas the birds live in. Overall, I really like the guide. It is durable, the illustrations of the birds are very detailed and it is informative.
Amazon.com
Covering 508 bird species found east of the Rocky Mountains, the revised second edition takes into account changes in taxonomy and uses improved photography. At the heart of the guide is a set of 646 well-made color photographs whose subjects are organized by easily discerned characteristics (e.g., "chicken-like marsh birds," such as the clapper rail; "gull-like birds," such as the kittiwake; and "upright-perching water birds," such as the common murre). The photographs are then keyed to textual descriptions of the birds' appearance, range and habitat, nesting characteristics, and behavior. Easy to use and handsomely produced, this belongs in every eastern birdwatcher's collection. --Gregory McNamee
Book 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 Eastern Edition generally covers states east of the Rocky Mountains, while the Western Edition covers the Rocky Mountain range and all the states to the west of it.
Customer Reviews:
The BEST Field Guide.......2007-10-17
This has to be the best field guide I've ever used. It's well organized and simple enough for a beginning birder. It's also crammed full of information for the more serious ornithologist. The photos are spectacular!
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Easter Region.......2007-09-17
The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region is the most comprehensive guide that I have enjoyed in many years. It has clear, concise pictures of the birds of my region with a written synopsis of each bird's habitat. I recommend this book to any avid bird lover! It is an awesome book!
Excellent tool for birders!.......2007-09-16
This book provides excellent descriptions of the birds' physical appearances, lots of photographs, and maps of their winter and summer range. It is small enough that you could take it out birding, and has a durable cover. You will not be disappointed!
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region - Revised Edition.......2007-09-09
My favorite bird watching book because all the photos are organized by color of bird and variety of birds. The plentiful information is carefully correlated but is not on the page with the photos. I prefer this when I am searching for the bird in my view. Handy is size and shape for quick browsing.
I also have the rocks and minerals guide and the guide for N.American trees.
north american birds.......2007-07-14
the best, most informative,with clear photos instead of drawings as in other bird reference books.
Book Description
The Sibley Guide to Birds has quickly become the new standard of excellence in bird identification guides, covering more than 810 North American birds in amazing detail. Now comes a new portable guide from David Sibley that every birder will want to carry into the field. Compact and comprehensive, this new guide features 703 bird species plus regional populations found west of the Rocky Mountains. Accounts include stunningly accurate illustrations—more than 4,600 in total—with descriptive caption text pointing out the most important field marks. Each entry contains new text concerning frequency, nesting, behavior, food and feeding, voice description, and key identification features. Accounts also include brand-new maps created from information contributed by 110 regional experts across the continent.
The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America is an indispensable resource for all birders seeking an authoritative and portable guide to the birds of the West.
Customer Reviews:
One of the best bird books available.......2007-10-09
The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America is a must-have for any birder. It comes in a large, hard-back version, but this smaller, soft-cover version is perfect for carrying on birding excursions and in the field. If you are even a casual birder, add this field guide to your collection.
A Stiff Sort of Guy.......2007-10-06
I am a 40 year old Birder and found Sibley too cut and dry. I like the old folky Roger Tory Peterson.
The Sibley's drawing - thanks to new techology - presents better images than A Field to Western Birds.
I'm glad to have both in my library.
Arizona Trip.......2007-08-26
I recently traveled West for the first time and this text was not only the right size (Sibley's other guide too large for the field) but the color plates were very accurate and helpful. I recently reccomended this text to my Bird club if traveling out West.
Best Field Guide.......2007-06-27
I have several field guides and all are good. But this one is the best. It offers the most accurate and diverse illustrations and descriptions.
My Favourite Bird Guide.......2007-06-10
We have all the guide books here at the field station, and after looking through them all, Sibleys is definitely my favourite (and has been praised by everyone else too). I've gone and ordered both Western & Eastern books myself. Having read the comments from other reviewers, it's true that some of the drawings may seem slightly duller than the real bird or drawings/paintings in other guides, but this hasn't caused me any identification problems. What really hooked me on this guide was how it illustrates the bird not only perched, but also in flight (below and above views), and illustrates differences between sexes and between adults and juveniles. Also, for some species, characteristic flight patterns and other important diagnostic features are highlighted and/or illustrated. Finally, features are pointed out on the drawing with arrows so one knows what to look for specifically.
Overall, an excellently organised guide book, standard "field guide" size, without the feeling of there being a loss of information. We have the big book here too (for all of NA) and it seems to contain the same information so bigger isn't neccessarily better! I recommend the two regional guides instead: less birds to decipher between and easier to carry with you in the field!
Book Description
BIRDING BY EAR uses an educational and entertaining method for learning bird songs. Instead of merely providing a catalog of bird song samples, BIRDING BY EAR actually teaches. This proven method has greatly enhanced the field experience for birders across North America. The authors have created learning groups of similar vocalizations and clearly point out distinguishing characteristics. Using techniques such as phonetics, mnemonics, and descriptive words, Walton and Lawson provide a context for learning the songs and calls of eighty-five species of birds found east of the Rockies. Combine the auditory instruction here with the visual features of the Peterson Identification System. Page numbers in BIRDING BY EAR's booklet refer to species descriptions in the PETERSON FIELD GUIDE TO BIRDS OF EASTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH AMERICA, fifth edition.
Customer Reviews:
Birding by Ear.......2007-09-27
Great item. Good for listening to in your car. My wife loves it and we have used it to learn our birds in Alabama.
Not the only one you want to have.......2007-06-27
This is a good set of disks that groups bird songs by some feature of similarity. I never knew, for instance, that robins and scarlet tanagers sound so similar. The disks are quite good for helping you learn the differences between similar-sounding species. Keep after it and you will learn to distinguish Carolina from black-capped chickadees.
That said, I would not want this for my only set of bird songs, because if you want to listen to a specific bird, it's too hard to find without the booklet in your hands. Since I listen to these disks on my PC on the patio or my PDA & my MP3 player when I'm out walking or in the car, that is not convenient for me. I bought it in combination with the "Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern Region" and am much more pleased with the combination than I would have been with this set alone.
Mind you, having the disks does not guarantee species identification. At this moment I'm sitting at the PC with the window to my suburban back yard open, listening to a low "chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck" that I canNOT find on either set of disks!
REALLY surpassed my expectations! You'll LOVE it!!!.......2007-05-11
I recently got interested in birding a few months ago and asked for this CD set for my birthday. My mom gave it to me and I couldn't believe how easy it made recognizing a LOT of different bird songs and calls. The narrator gives you a "handle" on each bird song so you can remember it easily, and he gives great suggestions on how to devise your own handles. Similar-sounding birds don't seem confusing after he explains the differences to listen for. He educates you, but doesn't include any unnecessary "filler" information, only what is important and what will really matter out in the field.
Before I listened to it, I thought the narration would just be someone saying, "This is the Orchard Oriole" with a short snippet of what one sounds like, then on to the next bird. But it was a great surprise to get all this extra information. He also repeats the songs several times so you don't have to constantly rewind, and he pauses for just the right amount of time between repetitions; I found that I learned the calls pretty fast if I had the right number of seconds to consider each one. Believe it or not, after several seconds you actually do start to forget what you just heard, but it was uncanny how at the very moment I'd start to forget, it would repeat, and that was very satisfying.
I never write reviews for anything, but on this particular product, I felt like the makers really needed to be commended for sharing their knowledge in such a thorough and extremely effective fashion. They obviously spent a lot of time deciding what to include, how to arrange everything, and how to explain everything to a novice so that they would understand. Real quality seems so rare these days. I appreciated the fact that their main objective was really to teach effectively, not just to put a CD together that would make money. You'll be way more excited about birding after you listen to these CDs.
Also I wanted to mention that the audio quality is absolutely superb. One time I started my car while the CD was in, and I didn't realize it was starting to play...I got really excited because I thought I heard a White-Throated Sparrow loud and clear right by my car, so I frantically screamed to my son that one must be RIGHT NEXT TO US SOMEWHERE!!! ... but then I realized it was the CD and I was so embarrassed.
My favorite ones to listen to are the Pileated Woodpecker, the Bobolink, the Red-Shouldered Hawk and the Barred Owl. These 4 birds sound extremely bizarre and you will probably laugh your head off at the sounds they make. The Bobolink sounds like a spastic alien computer switchboard. The Veery is unbelievably weird and haunting, and the Eastern Meadowlark and Northern Cardinal are really beautiful. There are lots of different song categories which are separated and easy to find if you are looking for a certain one. Also, if you have kids, their jaws will drop listening to the intriguing sounds. Most of the birds are pretty common so you are bound to hear at least some of them if you just walk around outside.
Can you tell I'm impressed?!!!
as expected.......2007-04-29
this cd is as expected, no surprise,no complaints.a good selection of birds have been packed into this.
Excellent Teaching Style.......2007-01-19
The narrator discusses each bird's song and/or call, telling you specific things to listen for, including comparisons to similar calls. Then the song/call is played. The narrator finally reviews what you heard, pointing out similarities and differences again, as well as noting peculiarities. I found this to be a very simple to follow format, and one which helped me to remember the songs/calls of each bird better than similar CD's which just give the name of the bird & then let you hear the song/call. A booklet is included for review as well.
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
From the creator of the seminal field guide, The Sibley Guide to Birds, comes another indispensable book for bird watchers. This veritable bible to the world of birds is the collaborative effort of 48 expert birders and biologists, who combine scientific accuracy and detail with an easily readable and well-organized format. How does a tiny chickadee survive subzero temperatures? How do flocks of birds synchronize their flights? How can an albatross cross miles of ocean without flapping its wings? Which bird brains are actually intelligent? It's all here in essays giving an overview of avian evolution, biology, and the aerodynamics of flight and in chapters devoted to the 80 bird families of North America, each one detailing taxonomy, habitats, feeding, breeding, vocalizations, migrations, and more. Concerned about declining populations, Sibley also discusses the conservation status of each species and the factors that threaten them. This fascinating source of information is destined to be a well-thumbed companion. -- Lesley Reed
Book Description
“Once in a great while, a natural history book changes the way people look at the world. In 1838, John ames Audubon’s Birds of America was one...In 1934, Roger Tory Peterson produced Field Guide to the Birds...Now comes The Sibley Guide to Birds.”
Thus did The New York Times, in 1999, greet David Allen Sibley’s monumental book, which has quickly been established nationwide as the peerless, standard bird identification guide.
The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior is the new landmark book from David Allen Sibley. Designed to enhance the birding experience and to enrich the popular study of North American birds, the book combines more than 795 of his full-color illustrations with authoritative text by 48 expert birders and biologists. In this new guide Sibley takes us beyond identification, to show us how birds live and what they do.
Introductory essays outline the principles of avian evolution, life cycle, body structure, flight dynamics, and more. The 80 family-by-family chapters describe the amazing range of behavior dictated by birds’ biology and environment. Among the subjects covered and illustrated are:
--molts and plumages
--habitats
--food and foraging
--vocalizations and displays
--courtship and breeding
--rearing of young
--migration and movements
--scientific groupings
--introduced species
--accidental species
--anatomy
--flight patterns
--nests and eggs
--conservation
--global distribution
Accessibly written, superbly designed and organized, and brilliantly illustrated, The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior is an indispensable source of information on the avian life around us.
Customer Reviews:
Another Gem.......2007-07-28
Like all the Sibley books, this is comprehensive and well-written. A necessary and welcomed addition to any birder's library.
An informative book........2007-01-11
This is a useful book about bird behavior written by a true expert. It's a bit like a textbook the way it approaches broad topics and discusses various aspects.
Like any textbook, I suppose, if you go into this book with a specific question and hope for a specific answer, you may not find it. However, if you were trying to write a school report or something you would certainly find lots of useful tidbits of information in the general area of your topic.
I'd say that rather than thinking of this as a reference book, you should think of it as background reading, to be taken in small doses, for the above-and-beyond birding enthusiast.
From the perspective of a non-birder..........2006-08-24
I'm not a birder, though it seems like an interesting hobby. But I just look at the birds at the feeders and birdbath in the back yard and think, "I wonder what that one is?" So, I bought "The Sibley Guide to Birds" (which is outstanding) on the recommendation of a birder friend, and that led me to this book.
On the one hand, it's a long, dense, scientific work. The years of effort and study that went into it is astounding.
On the other hand, it's an extremely entertaining set of answers to all of those "Why do they do that?" questions that come up when you're watching birds. For example, why do bird knees seem to bend backward? Well, they don't; the knee is close to the bird's body, and what seems to be a backward knee is actually the bird's ankle. The birds are in effect walking around on their tip toes.
If hundreds of pages of information like that, coupled with beautiful illustrations and great maps, all wrapped in an easy-to-use organizational scheme sounds interesting and useful, then get this book.
For a non-birder like me, it's probably more information than I really need, but I found it fascinating.
The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior.......2006-08-08
Includes all the information our other guides - Audubon, Peterson's, the other Sibley's Guide -- have left undescribed. Devotes many pages for further study of bird species and sub-species.
Instructive, engrossing, delightful .......2006-05-04
Have you ever wondered how an owl navigates in the dark? Why the whip-poor-will has bristles around its mouth? How the kingfisher teaches its young to dive for fish? How the woodpecker can keep up all that drumming without getting a concussion?
If you have observed a phoebe building a neat cup-shaped nest on a ledge under a roof overhang, or if you have watched a green heron using bait to attract fish, you must have felt an urge to learn more about these creatures. How intelligent are they? Or do they just "follow their instincts"?
This book will answer most of your questions - whether you are an avid bird watcher or a curious novice; and where there are no definite answers, a number of working hypotheses are suggested.
The beautiful water color illustrations by David Sibley show the birds in characteristic postures and hone in on diagnostically important features; and the individual chapters by various authors on bird biology, evolution, classification, behavior, migration, habitats, populations and conservation are illuminating.
Recent DNA studies have shed new light on hybridization and mating systems and have led to some revisions in species and family classification. There is also a very helpful glossary: if you just want to browse, this may be a good place to start. Before you know it, you will be hooked; and every time you open this book you'll come upon new insights that will astonish and delight you.
Books:
- Bird Songs
- Bird Songs
- Bird Songs
- Bird Songs
- Birding by Ear: Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides(R))
- Birds And Birding at Cape May
- Birds and Light
- Birds of Cape Cod and the Islands
- Birds of Michigan Field Guide, Second Edition
- Birds of Michigan Field Guide, Second Edition
Books Index
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Bird Songs from Around the World
Birds of the World
The Art of Pishing: How to Attract Birds by Mimicking Their Calls (Book & Audio CD)
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fifth Edition (National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America)
The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America
