The Zen Birdfeeder

Book Review: Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America

I recently received for review a copy of Harper Collins' latest field guide "Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America".  The guide, published in May, was written by Ted Floyd, Editor of Birding Magazine.

My review will be from a dual perspective: first, that of a birder whose primary focus is on the more common birds, those that casual birders are more likely to encounter. Secondly, from the perspective of a Wild Birds Unlimited store owner in terms of the needs of our customers.

The guide is the first to include a disk with digital recordings of 138 of the 750 species included in the guide.  The recordings come on a DVD (not a CD) in an mp3 format that can be copied to a computer or portable mp3 player for use in the field.

Other features include:

• More than 2500 color photographs
• Up to date range maps
• Emphasis on bird behavior and a "whole bird" philosophy of field identification
• Interesting essays on each bird group with vital information on behavior and ID tips

What I liked

• Multiple images of each species to help differentiate male/female, molts, immatures, spring/fall, etc.
  Would be useful in identifying variations in plumage due to age, season, geography, though coverage of the variations could be more complete.
• While the birdsong files cover only about 1 in 5 birds, they do include multiple vocalizations for each species including song, flight, and call.  The recordings are longer than those on the Thayer-brand software products, while similar in length to those on Backyard Birdjam.
• Bird weights are shown
• Range map color-key easy to find inside the front cover
• Indicates when there are significant visible weight differences between male and female
• Summarizes natural variations within the species including molts, sex-related, age-related, and seasonal differences
• Quick index by common name as well as full index
• Bird checklist with ABA coding
• Glossary with example of usage

What I didn't care for

• Lacks a single list of key identifying characteristics of each bird and opts for descriptions alongside each individual photo.  This makes it more time-consuming to use and less than ideal for beginning or casual birders.
• While focusing on natural variations and differences within the species, doesn't do nearly as complete a job differentiating between species.  Example - lacks key identification hints to tell a Sharp-shinned from a Cooper's Hawk.
• Images accompanying the birdsong files are too small to be useful on iPod Nano (though similar in size to Backyard Birdjam images).  And I'll have to work within iTunes to get the birdsongs organized to more easily locate them on my iPod since the mp3 file names are not user friendly.

How I will use this guide and how I would recommend it to customers

• I personally would not use this as an in-the-field guide due to its size as well as its features.
• I would not recommend this to a beginner as their first guide (field or otherwise).
• It is not the first guide I would pick up to aid in identifying a bird.
• It would, however, function well as a 2nd or 3rd reference guide to research/confirm initial impressions, especially for age, seasonal or other variations within the species.
• The included birdsong DVD adds to its value on the bookshelf.

Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America
Published by Collins 2008
ISBN  978-0-06-112040-4
$24.95

"A Sand County Almanac" Revisited - March

I first read Aldo Leopold's "A Sand County Almanac" many years ago.  This environmental classic, published in 1949 (after Leopold's death), takes us on a tour of the seasons, month by month.

I pulled it off the bookshelf a few months ago and decided to read it differently than I had initially: I would read each month as that month was progressing in real-time.

His March entry is called "The Geese Return".  I was waiting to post the passage until I saw my first large flock of migrating geese.  I had seen a smaller group overhead at home, but on Friday while driving through Charlton, a town south of us, I saw hundreds of Canada Geese in 5 to 6 large V's headed in an easterly direction.  Hundreds more were in a cornfield that was losing its blanket of snow.

I hope you enjoy this short excerpt from "A Sand County Almanac" as much as I did:

MARCH
The Geese Return
One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of a March thaw, is the spring.
A cardinal, whistling spring to a thaw but later finding himself mistaken, can retrieve his error by resuming his winter silence.  A chipmunk, emerging for a sunbath but finding a blizzard, has only to go back to bed.  But a migrating goose, staking two hundred miles of black night on the chance of finding a hole in the lake, has no easy chance for retreat.  His arrival carries the conviction of a prophet who has burned his bridges.

Photo from the WBU Image Library