National Audubon Society: The Sibley Guide to Birds

Glad I bought it!!

We have quite a collection of bird idetification books and I initially debated about purchasing another one. Am I ever glad I did! There is so much, in just the introductory pages-- a wonderful wealth of information-- that it just makes you want to read and learn more. The pictures are really great, especially the variations shown and the in-flight views. It might be a bit overwhelming for a brand new bird lover, just in its size. But, it's one of those 'you get what you pay for' items that you can always grow into! Just days after I purchased it, there was a great review (whole article on Sibley, actually) in TIME. Helped me feel good about buying it! I can't believe how much I have learned in the short time I have had it-- hope other purchasers fell the same way-- go for it!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

#1 For The Novice

I am a novice birder, having just gotten hooked in the spring of 2001. The first guide I bought was a pocket book for eastern birds. Then I got a Petersons guide free with a bird feeder . Then I bought the SIbleys guide. It is the BEST. As a novice there are several birds I would not have been able to identify without the Sibleys guide. Some of them were imatures but several were just birds whos pictures or discriptions were poorly displayed in the other two books. Now all I use is SIbleys.I have learned so much from that book and I continue to learn every time I open up the Sibleys Guide To Birds.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Valuable Reference for Traveling, Experienced Bird Watchers

Before reviewing The Sibley Guide to Birds, I would like to note that David Allen Sibley has done an outstanding job of research, illustration, and description in this unique resource. He should be commended and honored for his contribution! Think of this guide as an encyclopedia for experienced bird watchers that you would feel comfortable having with you in your car for checking birds you do not already know well. As such, it will be of most value for those who are doing extensive bird watching in distant geographic areas which are new to them, north of Mexico in North America. The book is too large, bulky, and heavy to be easily carried by most people during actual bird watching activities. If you are making extensive sketches or taking photographs with appropriate lenses, you can probably wait to do your identifications until you get home. If you already have a good guide for identifying rare birds in your library, you can probably skip this book. If you don't have such a guide, this book is for you! As a true, carry-along-with-you field guide, I would rate the book a three star effort for beginning bird watchers because it is well beyond their needs or easy ability to use. A beginner would still be trying to find the right section long after the bird was gone, as Mr. Sibley points out in his excellent inroductory remarks on how to identify birds. The book has many commendable features. The Guide's best feature are the more than 6600 illustrations of 810 species and 350 regional populations. The illustrations also cover each bird during its development to full adult markings and characteristics. Each one is carefully done to capture the bird both sitting and flying from the same perspectives, to make comparisons easier to do. The beginning of the book has a superb, brief description of how to identify the feathered and bare sections of the various major feather groups. Clearly, anyone could enjoy this book simply to view at home in front of the fire on a cold winter's night. The illustrations evoked in me many of the same feelings of wonder that I feel when looking at Audubon's illustrations. The habitat and migration maps are detailed and well done. The voice descriptions are excellent. Many of the species also have good general descriptions. If you are not sure about a person's familiarity with identifying birds, you may not want to give this book as a gift. You may unintentionally provide a volume that will not be very helpful. If someone tells you they want this volume, they will be delighted to receive it as a gift because they will have a practical use for it and will appreciate its beauty. After you have had a chance to look at these gorgeous illustrations, I suggest that you think about the other potential appeals of bird watching. Bird behavior to me is far more interesting than bird identification. I also enjoy watching nesting behavior more than feeding behavior. How can you capture more kinds of fun and learning from your bird watching? What lessons does that hold for observing people, as well? Capture all of your importance experiences in a way that's meaningful to you! Donald Mitchell, co-author of The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The 2,000 Percent Solution

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Indespensible

I was introduced to this book last summer, and it has been the most useful, complete birding packange I've owned. I've given my other bird books to my younger sons and this is now known around the house as 'the Tome.' I can't recommend this book enough. The art is fantastic, the information top-notch and in a package that's just right for carrying around in your pack. If you have to buy ONE birding resource, this is the one you NEED.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful, easy to use guide

This is one of my favorite reference books. I love taking walks through the countryside and looking at the different plants and animals. This book (along with the field guide to trees) is one of the best to take along. Identification is easy with the neatly organized pictures, and the descriptions are complete and interesting. Brief history is included with some plants (i.e., native to East Asia and brought to the US). Some people may need to study some botany to understand all the terms included, but it's not necessary to enjoy the book.

National Audubon Society Wildflowers

This is a wonderful guide to take with you when traveling. The book's organization enables you to find the names of flowers quickly and easily. Each section of the book is divided first by the flower's color, then by the flower's shape, number of pedals, placement of pedals, etc. After you find the picture of the flower, you are then directed to a description in the back of the book giving you a more complete description and growth habits. Although the book is hefty, the size is small enough to tuck into my backpack for day hikes. On longer hikes when the weight you are carrying is more important the book stays in the car and is used when flower photos are uploaded.
All of the Audubon's books are great and make great gifts for like minded friends.

Audubon Society--Just what you would expect!

Excellent review for all those flowers, weeds, trees, etc. you encounter on your walk or in someone's garden.

good book

this book is nice,for people who are interested in wild flowers.
I'm just a beginner.and it's very useful.
this is a book to buy.

For identifying wildflowers on the trail

I have had the chance to view the spectacular forest wildflowers of the eastern U.S. many, many memorable times, from bluebells to shooting stars to all the different varieties of trilliums. Most of these flowers I learned to identify with the help of a few friends while on the trails. However, this guide, which was given as a gift to me, has proven incredibly helpful in identifying the wildflowers for which I didn't know the names. Full color plates as well as maps of distribution and descriptions of habitats are provided in this book, which is light and therefore quite easily portable. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in wildflowers of the eastern U.S.

Great Book

This is the best bird book that a birder can purchase. Full of information that one needs to identify the birds.

The Best

My child had to do a wildflower project for her school... she needed to identify and find 40 flowers. This helped alot having it at home. The pictures are great with grat color. Things were easy to find in this and it was so good. I would recconmend it if needed. I only had to use it once but it is great to look at if you are bored one day.

Perfect fo backyard birding!

The pictures FINALLY identified birds others didn't show (plumage, etc.). My brother has it and now I need it for the parents- almost took mine!

The New Standard

I let someone borrow this guide and they refused to give it back! I used to carry three books but the Sibley provides everything I need. Every field guide for birding is a compromise between mass and thoroughness. This one, while bigger & heavier than Peterson's, is worth toting in the field. The illustrations are superb, and I disagree with the critic: new birders are more likely to need detail as long as it is logically presented (as it is here).

A Field Guide for Everyone

This book has instantly become my first reference for bird identification. The illustrations are excellent and they do a wonderful job of presenting the different morphologies in an easy to use fashion. In several instances, birds whose identification remained in question after consulting the National Geographic and Peterson¿s field guides were easily nailed-down using this guide. On the negative side, the maps can be difficult to read clearly, but he most significant complaint is that the size of this field guide makes it difficult to carry in the field. However, I find this guide so useful, that I will simply buy a larger fanny pack.

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