David Allen Sibley

This is the second edition of this book (I gave the first to my mom) and is a fabulous resource for anyone even casually interested in their backyard birds. Now my backyard includes a river, this book has been a great help to ID migratory birds I've never seen before (like the greater scaup) and birds I didn't see in NH (like the broad wing hawks that I see almost daily flying over the yard). Most bird groups get a spread that shows all the species in that section so it's easy to pick your show more suspects. Each bird then gets a page detailing its different phases, flight positions, range, song/voice and sometimes even babies and fledglings. Plus the artwork is phenomenal. show less

Although I did indeed read this straight through from start to finish (a few pages a night before bedtime), this isn't really a book meant for that. The introduction drives that home by acting as a sort of annotated index, grouping information into categories like "feathers," "bird senses," "food and foraging," etc. If any of the bulleted tidbits of info intrigue you, you can follow the page number they provide to one of the bird portfolios that make up the bulk of this book and read a show more little more detail.

As for the bird portfolios, water birds are covered first, then land birds. Each bird portfolio includes a roughly life-size painting of an example species or two (so, for instance, the painting of a Brown Pelican is only able to feature most of its head, whereas the Killdeer painting features the whole bird), in addition to illustrations of everything from a Bald Eagle's line of sight to the structure of hummingbird tongues and more.

The paintings and illustrations are fabulous and make this book a joy to flip through. The "essays" are short bulleted paragraphs that expand upon information mentioned briefly in the introduction and use specific kinds of birds as examples. There's only enough time and space to just barely scratch the surface, but it all still made for fascinating reading.

I didn't exactly come away from this understanding what it's like to be a bird, and in some ways they ended up feeling even more alien to me. That wasn't unexpected, however, and I still had fun trying to wrap my brain around different bird senses, behaviors, and ways of living.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

I have to say this right off the bat, because I think it is funny and potentially points to my birding ignorance. At the end of this Sibley guide there is a "Species Checklist" which makes a lot of sense until you consider the size and weight of the book. Surely Elphrick, Dunning and Sibley don't want you carrying this behemoth into the field!
What you need to know about this guide is that it is unique in its voice. In addition to its glossary there is a section on author biographies because show more each chapter is an essay written by a variety of folks. Not just ornithologists and other types of bird experts contributed an essay or two. Students, biologists, naturalists, ecologists, writers, museum curators, photographers, and even a B&B owner.
Additionally, the illustrations and maps are stunning. show less

In the Sibley style, if you are familiar with his bird guides. Hand drawn pictures of trees and leaves are helpful because they draw attention to specific differences in tree species, and photographs are not as easy to identify. The words are good. I was skeptical (since Sibley's first love is birds, could he possibly be just as comprehensive with his tree knowledge?) but was surpsied at how much I liked the book. Definitely an essential guide for American tree identification.