New Book: Better Birding: Tips, Tools, and Concepts for the Field

Better Birding: Tips, Tools, and Concepts for the Field
by George L. Armistead and Brian L. Sullivan

Better Birding reveals the techniques expert birders use to identify a wide array of bird species in the field–quickly and easily. Featuring hundreds of stunning photos and composite plates throughout, this book simplifies identification by organizing the birds you see into groupings and offering strategies specifically tailored to each group. Skill building focuses not just on traditional elements such as plumage, but also on creating a context around each bird, including habitat, behavior, and taxonomy–parts so integral to every bird’s identity but often glossed over by typical field guides. Critical background information is provided for each group, enabling you to approach bird identification with a wide-angle view, using your eyes, brain, and binoculars more strategically, resulting in a more organized approach to learning birds.

Better Birding puts the thrill of expert bird identification within your reach.

Reveals the techniques used by expert birders for quick and easy identification

Simplifies identification with strategies tailored to different groupings of birds

Features hundreds of photos and composite plates that illustrate the different techniques

Fosters a wide-angle approach to field birding

Provides a foundation for building stronger birding skills

The book focuses on 24 groups of birds (loons, tropical terns, accipiters, marsh sparrows, etc), helping birders with some tricky identifications. But this isn’t just about identifying a few species. Throughout, the authors provide a framework for looking at birds that should be of use regardless of when or where you’re birding.

Better Birding: Tips, Tools, and Concepts for the Field
by George L. Armistead and Brian L. Sullivan
Paperback; 360 pages
Princeton University Press; December 8, 2015
ISBN: 9780691129662
$29.95