National Geographic- publisher of the authoritative birding guide, Field Guide to the Birds of North America- expands its series of regional bird field guides, focusing on two northern birding hotspots: MICHIGAN and NEW JERSEY. New Jersey, a favourite among birders, is home to urban birds, suburban birds, and shore birds, while Michigan provides the opportunity to view glorious birds of the northland and Great Lakes areas. The variety and beauty of the bird populations in these regions make them popular destinations for birding trips, but the success and enjoyment of a trip often depends on the quality of the birding guide. National Geographic Field Guide to Birds provides affordable, portable, reliable region specific information, perfect for the novice or experienced birder. Each guide features 150 specimens, grouped by family with quick-reference alphabetical and colour-coded indexes that provide easy ways to identify a bird quickly. Each entry has a vivid photograph showing the bird in its native habitat. On the facing page, a list of bulleted points confirms at a glance the bird’s identity.
Very Good, but Not Great Guide It is a good guide; however, it is not a great “be all, end all” guide. I use four guides to find pertinent information because I have not found one that gives me what I need to identify particular birds. Sometimes artistic endeavors (“pretty” photos) get in the way of practical usage. The photos are lovely. The guide would get 5 stars if each bird had male and female photos.
Useful If you live in Michigan and like bird watching you have to get this book. I have been able to identify many birds and it is nice that I can just stick in in my pocket. The book contains real pictures so it’s easier to identify birds and it also has the birds indexed by their color, so if you see a bird and you don’t know what it is, you can simply look at a list of birds of that particular color.
Great Book. My mother-in-law moved to a new part of the state, so we got her this book so she could identify the birds at her bird feeders. Her husband said it was stupid, but within weeks he was grabbing the book to look up birds that were outside the window, too! The book is comprehensive, but it can sometimes be difficult to find a specific bird, especially because it does not feature photos of both male and females of the species.