Which Bird Field Guide Do You Use?

Carolyn, the true birder in the family, relies on Sibley's Field Guide to Birds, Eastern North America. She has some others. And always buys one for any remote locale we visit. But that is the primary one she references. I like it because it shows plumage patterns from different angles of flight, and that often is what allows me to make an identification.

I like to use "Birds of Michigan", by Black, Kennedy, and Nordhagen. Because, well, I'm in Michigan. I like having a book that is actually winnowed down to the birds I could possibly see around here sometime, and not diluted by about 500 species that are only found down by the Gulf Coast or something.

I use the compact (Eastern and Western) versions of Sibley. I also have the full-sized guide, which I bought before the compact guides were published, but I also find it too large to carry around. Before those, I used the National Geographic guide. I generally find Sibley's illustrations to more closely match what I see.

I carry the full sized Sibley in a shoulder bag. The reason is simple - I need all the help I can get! Also it means that when I travel I do not need to switch gears and use another book. And hope springs eternal that on any day I might need a book that covers the unexpected birds.

Lately I've sometimes added the latest NG guide, particularly if I know some tough ID challenges are coming.

This time of year I add the warbler book (Garrett & Dunn) for the two pages showing the undertail view. Yes, since I have it along I also use the other pictures, but I only carry it for those two plates.

I started with National Geographic, 2nd edition (when it was new). Over the years, I stuck with it, because I liked (was used to) its organization. I currently use the 4th edition, and will pick up a 5th eventually. I have used Sibley East and West editions, and have the large Sibley which I leave in the car (too large). I also like Sibley's illustrations, but quickly became disillusioned when I encountered species that were NOT in his book. I have carried both National Geo AND Sibley on occasion, but it gets heavy. For long trips in unfamiliar territory, I try to carry both.

Dear Scientist
My guide usage followed the EXACT evolution of yours!
Give me a NG with even more behavioral info.

If I carry a guide with me, it's generally the little Sibley (eastern). The illustrations are superior, and I use illustrations more than text when I am outdoors. In migration I'll take along Dunn and Garrett's Warblers. On the rare occasions I am in the West, I take the NatGeo guide. Overall I like to travel light, with as little excess baggage as possible.

I use Rafaelle's Birds of the West Indies. I really wanted to use James Bond's birds of the West Indies cos well its written by James Bond but reality won out when I compared the two.

In Europe I use Collins softback (same as everyone else)

I started with the Golden Guide, like you because it was given to me. I used Peterson briefly, and All the Birds briefly. My primary guide now is National Geographic (gotta love those thumb tabs!) but I will frequently take Sibley east or west along with me too depending on where I am. Since I'm in Texas I really like NG for having all of the birds I might see. Also, if I'm looking at shorebirds I take the Stokes Beginners Guide to Shorebirds.
That said, I carry a library of books in the truck at all times. It includes family group books like warblers, seabirds, sparrows. I carry field guide companions, Falcon Guides, you name it. If I'm in the field and have an ID challenge I take field notes and check the books when I get back to the truck.

I use Collins because I know nothing about birds and it had the most stars on amazon. Anyway, it's a beautiful book and I'm glad to own it.

Started with Peterson's, tried the Audubon Master series but did not like it. Have had three editions of NG and if I'm going to take only one guide that would be the one although I do keep a pile of guides in my vehicle. Since I bird mostly in Washington State I also carry Birds of Washington State by Bell & Kennedy. Recently acquired Sibley's Western N.A. which I use quite a bit. My mobile library also includes the Stokes Bird Behavior I,II, & III and The Histories of N.A. Birds of Prey, Vol. I&II and Histories of N.A. Woodpeckers. I have recently begun using N.G Handheld Birds on a Palm PDA to record sightings in the field and then transfer the sightings to AviSys when I return home.

Here in the middle of the country one quickly learns that the field guides that are split into eastern and western versions are quite worthless; nobody wants to carry two field guides. So I stick to the guides that have coverage of the entire country.

I started out with the Golden Guide, and it is still a good starter. I make the students buy Kaufman's guide for my Field Ornithology class; that is also a good guide, and excellent for beginners. I abhor the Sibley guide, because any guide that omits behavioral field marks is essentially only half a book, and thus not a bargain. The NGS guide is quite good (best range maps of all the guides), and I like the new edition, but I haven't bought it yet.

But most of the time I am in the field, I don't carry a guide, even in the car. It makes me pay more attention to the bird...

Started out with an Audubon book which arranged the birds by color groups, with one photo per species, sometimes a second one of female. Switched to Stokes as I learned about taxonomic order. Switched again to National Geographic 3rd edition, and now use the 5th edition, almost daily for study at home. I do not carry it with me in the field, but have it in the car when the walk is over to figure out ID's. I buy others if traveling to a place not covered by N.G., such as Europe or Costa Rica.

I still use the Peterson field guide to birds of Britain & Europe I bought in 1956.

For years, before I really started 'birding', I used the little red plastic-covered Audubon, but didn't learn much from it. I really learned the most and got going up the learning curve with Birds of Oregon (Lone Pine / Burrows & Gilligan) which narrowed the number of species to something better for a beginner, and also gives a lot of excellent field information. The down side is that it usually has only one image of a species, and some of the drawings aren't great. I still carry it quite a bit. My go-to guide for tougher identification by field marks is the big Sibley, which is the opposite of the Lone Pine guide. Great images, but otherwise very weak. I don't find the smaller (Western / Eastern) Sibleys very useful, because they cut down on the one strength of the big version. If I'm trying to keep the weight down, I turn to the National Geographic 5th. I've also got a slew of specialized books. Wheeler's western raptors, Stokes' warbler book, Dennis Paulson's shorebird book, Crossley's shorebird book, etc. I use those mostly at home. I also sometimes use Stokes or Audubon if I want a photo instead of a drawing.

I don't actually use a guide in the field that often now. I always bring one in case I need to verify a field mark or other forgotten detail. When I was starting out, I referred to it a lot, and having one that really spoke to the behavioral, voice, or appearance features that most people actually USE to detect a species is the most useful. ie, you id gulls by appearance, but many forest birds by voice. The Lone Pine guide tends to hit that one on the head. It's like going out with a knowledgeable birder, and now I wish there were one with a broader scope.

Started with the Golden Guide then went to Audubon (have I read this somewhere?) I keep the Golden guide in the car and usually use Kaufmann and Sibley when I get home. Still use Audubon to start an ID by color.
I strongly believe all information for a bird shoul be on the page (not Audubon, not Peterson).
Here in Indiana, there are about 200 species. A good map really helps narrow the field. 99+ % of the time, if it ain't on the map, you ain't lookin' at it.

Mostly I just carry with me a small plasticized folder titled Mississippi Birds by James Kavanagh, illustrated by Raymond Leung. Then I have the two pocket sized Peterson guides. When I was a child, before TV was heard of, I spent many an evening on my grandfather's lap carefully turning the pages of a very large book of paintings titled Birds of America, so I'm kind of spoiled, I guess.

Like you, I started with a Golden Guide, because my mom gave it to me. That was when I was just IDing the birds at my backyard feeder (age 23, or so). When I actually started to go into the field to bird, I quickly "graduated" to Peterson's Eastern (I was living in Indiana at the time). I used that guide for a couple of years, but when I discovered the National Geographic guide, I switched to that. (I was fortunate in that, when I was first starting out as a birder, I got some advice from a long-time birder that photographic field guides generally suck; this is why I've never used the Audubon guides for birding. I do have a few for other things, though, like mushrooms).

National Geographic was my book of choice for many years (probably from ages 25 to about 35). Then, I was living in the UK, so obviously none of the North American books were of any use :D (I adore the Collins guide for Europe). When I moved back to the US (to the west coast, this time), I discovered Sibley, and fell instantly - and so far, permanently - in love. I have the big guide, and I do not carry it in the field. My dirty little secret? In 2004, I stopped carrying binoculars to bird, and now I carry my digital SLR, with my 100x400 zoom lens. It gives me the magnification I need to see things (even if it is through just one eye). So, instead of stopping to ID birds in the field, I just try and get the best photos I can, and ID them on the computer back at home. Occasionally I get messed up by this (when I discover that I really should have been paying attention to a call), but mostly it's been working for me. If I do carry a guide into the field, it will be the National Geographic. (I should probably buy myself a Sibley Western; that would probably make me happiest).

For a while, I had a copy of that one that organizes the birds by habitat ("All the Birds in North America?" I don't remember the name). Didn't like it. I haven't really looked at the Kauffman guide, but probably I'll pick it up sooner or later (maybe when I buy my Sibley western).

Oh, and dur! I forgot to answer your second question . . .

I love Sibley because the artwork is gorgeous, and I tend to find it the most accurate (which is why I love the Collins book, as well, after "field testing" a number of guide to British/European birds). Also, I always always always want range maps on the same page with the color plates and the descriptions of the birds. Having to flip back and forth is lame.

I have the large Sibley's for reference at home, but I use the smaller Eastern volume when I go out in the field, it's much more daypack friendly.

I started with the Golden guide when I was about 13, and though I no longer use it, it still gives me a shudder of delight when I flip through its (well-worn) pages.

I never liked the Peterson guide for various reasons, not the least of which is that the illustrations are inferior to most others. I know this amounts to heresy in the birding world, but there you have it.

I do like the Sibley guides, though I seldom take any guide with me now when I go anywhere local (which means the eastern US). It isn't perfect, but the introductory material is better than any existing NA bird guide and I do like the illustrations. Can't stand Kaufman's.

I seem to amass more bird books than I need, and in doing this I found two that I wish were done in versions for NA. One is Birds of Europe by Mullarney (illustrator), Svensson et al. The illustrations are superb (better than Sibley's) and there are neat little vignettes of typical behaviors. It's the best. And then there's Birds of East Africa, by Stevenson and Fanshawe. John Gale's illustrations, like Mullarney's are gorgeous. (The raptors' heads are a little big in proportion to the bodies, but I'm nitpicking.) Both are what a field guide should be. Maybe I'll just make it easy on myself and move to Africa or Europe.

As a kid in the early/mid '80s I used the Golden Guide and the Audubon photo guides. But even then I recognized the shortcomings in the Audubon guides, even though I did love some of the pics. I don't remember where/how I got them.
I got back into birding a few years ago, and checked some reviews to figure out which guide to get. The consensus seemed to be the Sibley guides, so that's what I got. Since then I've accumulated just about every NA field guide - from the Audubon Master Guides to the new NWF/Brinkley one. But the regional Sibleys are still the only ones that I've ever carried into the field.
I don't carry them out much anymore, now I have the large Sibley waiting in the car.

Of the stack of books in the photo, the bottom two. I also have one just for sparrows that is absolutely without peer. Sparrows of the United States and Canada by Beadle and Rising. We live in a migration zone for all the sparrows and it has helped me narrow down many species for inclusion in my life list.

Where to start? My first field guide was the Peterson, Mountfort and Hollom (I'm a Brit) 2nd edition of 1956. The first dated entry in it is 1958, which has got to be roughly when I started birding. I've still got it, but I don't use it, for two reasons; one, it is now so battered that it would disintegrate totally if I tried to and, two, our id knowledge has moved on significantly.
I have done a quick look through my bookshelves and reckon there are about 40 'field guides' and 11 assorted atlases. I put field guides in quotes because quite a number of them would be a bit unwieldy to take into the field and others are family, or order, rather than geographically, based, so it might be better to say that I have about 40 identification guides. Apart from the worldwide ones (seabirds, shorebirds, raptors, owls etcetera), most of them are Europe or North America (there are two African ones, one of which I won in a raffle!).
Because I mostly bird in places where over 50 years I have got a reasonable grasp of what I am watching, I very rarely actually carry a guide with me (I do have some sympathy with the view that says that you should not carry a guide as that will force you to look properly at an unfamiliar bird rather than just looking for a characteristic or two that the guide suggests might be diagnostic for the species you have lighted upon by thumbing through it). I do lead an occasional tour in Europe and do then carry with me the little Mitchell Beasley pocket guide to the Birds of Europe sao that I can show participants something while whatever the bird is is still fresh in their minds. This is genuinely pocket sized and has super illustrations but no maps, which doesn't matter to me because of all the atlases I have but might confuse the unwary. My first point of reference otherwise in Europe is the Collins guide (Mullarney, Zetterstrom et al), which is the best overall guide I have found in my 50 years or so of birding, and in North America Sibley. They are, though, only the first point of reference and I will then delve more deeply when I remain unsure or simply want more and better detail, particularly with difficult groups.
My messages are that it is hard to have too many identification guides (even if they don't all agree with each other), that it is sensible to stay up to date (on one tour I led, participants happened to have three different editions of the same field guide and the differences in the treatment of the same species between the editions was really quite marked), and that ultimately not all birds are actually safely identifiable.

well, ive started with the Birds of Britain and Europe by Peterson, Mountfort & Hollom, but disliked having text, maps and illustrations separated

then ive switched to Birds of Britain and Europe by Bruun, Delin & Svenson, but disliked rather unrealistic warblers

next one was Larousse Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe by Gooders, Arlott & Harris, pretty darn good one

then a short love affair with the famous Collins Bird Guide - The Most Complete Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe by Mullraney, Svensson, Zetterstrom & Grant, which is a great home backup but too cumbersome to carry it in the field (i usually keep it in my car)

these days i prefer small (shirt pocket) sized The New Birdwatcher's Pocket Guide to Britain and Europe by Peter Hayman, Rob Hume, i like the size and weight, the quality and number of illustrations, but dislike the fact that the authors have dared to omit the scientific names from the book!

btw, i live in belgrade, serbia; and have lived in southern africa for several years, changing just about all local guides, aiming towards a lightweight one, but thats a different story

and yes, i just love the smell of a new book :)

I might as well c&p your history - Golden Guide was always around the house as a tot, the folks kept the Eastern Audubon guide in the car... around 12 or so I discovered a copy of Peterson's guide to Texas at Half Price Books, so that frustrated me until about 14, when I found National Geo. Texas is doomed for Eastern/Western, so I use the full Sibley now - it stays in the car and if anything comes with me into the field at all, it's usually Geo. Unless I'm somewhere with a high probability of life birds, then Sibley comes with. For Europe, I toted Collins in the field and Svensson for the hotel. Geo just doesn't quite get all of the plumage variation or the very-very-very awesome layout that Sibley has.

All I need to do now is find a decent bug (lep, ode, other) guide for Texas... ok, one guide for each, preferably!