Bird field guides – an essential bit of equipment
You will find that as your birdwatching hobby takes off you will accumulate a collection of bird field guides. You will start off with a field guide to the birds of Britain, for example, which will be great until a newer field guide to Britain comes out. After adding that to your collection you will then add a field guide to the birds of Europe or perhaps Spain. This is how it goes and there is nothing wrong with it, apart from that special person who you share your life with who will be frowning and saying something along the lines of “not another bird book.”
You will also find that some countries have numerous field guides available while you may need to do some research to find something useful for another country. I recommend that you always use a recently published field guide for several reasons:
Reviews of bird field guides
Birds of Britain and Europe – 6th edition by Rob Hume
This is a beautiful publication that will suit most birders living in, or visiting, Britain or Europe. It does have a few flaws and it may not be the best book for those who are looking to see less common species.
Read the rest of my review of “Birds of Britain and Europe – 6th edition by Rob Hume.”
Stuarts’ Field Guide to National Parks & Game Reserves of East Africa
This book is a great aid to planning a birdwatching trip to East Africa. It is definitely not a field guide to the region, and you will probably want to skip the sections that talk about boring things such as lions, leopards, and elephants. Read the full review here.
Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America
The name Roger Tory Peterson is synonymous with birdwatching in North America. He was a pioneer in the publication of practical field guides to birds and other animals. Although he passed away in 1996 his works continue to be revised and published. Read the rest of the review here.
Migration Hotspots – The world’s best bird migration sites
What do Point Pelee in Canada, Heligoland in Germany, Beidaihe in China, and Moreton Bay in Australia all have in common? They are all migration hotspots. They have another thing in common too. Read more here.
Stuarts’ Field Guide to National Parks & Game Reserves – Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi
Chris and Mathilde Stuart are prolific authors of guides to African wildlife and wild places. Their latest book is guide to the National Parks and Game Reserves of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi. This publication follows the same format as their “Field Guide to National Parks & Game Reserves of East Africa” which was published in 2018. Read more of this review here.