Pete Dunne on Bird Watching, Second Edition: A Beginner’s Guide to Finding, Identifying and Enjoying Birds

Birding seems incredibly simple in concept: find a bird and identify it. But it can be very complex in practice. There are a surprising number of things to consider, and even multiple ways to bird. Someone taking up birding could really use some help getting started. If that’s you, then you need to read Pete Dunne on Bird Watching.

Pete Dunne is the best guide a beginner could have. He has years of experience, mostly in various roles at the Cape May Bird Observatory, that he has put to use in furthering our knowledge of birds and helping others to enjoy them. So he knows what he’s talking about. Even better, he’s an extremely gifted writer. His writing is natural, witty, and clever; it’s a joy to read, even when discussing the technical specifications of binoculars. Dunne also includes anecdotes to illustrate his points, which makes the book feel less like a textbook (not to mention more interesting).

For many people, birds in the backyard are the gateway to the wider world of birding. So Dunne starts his guide there, with the how, what, where, and when to feed birds and providing water and nest boxes. Entire books have been written on each of these subjects, but this chapter covers the basics well.

From there, the next logical topic is the tools one needs as a birder. Specifically, binoculars and a field guide. Read this chapter well. Getting the “right” binoculars is great, but the most important thing, if you’re going to enjoy birding, is not getting a pair incompatible with birding. The best way to do that is to read this chapter. Again, I can’t stress this enough, read all of it. Don’t worry, even when discussing such things as diopters, lens coatings, and depth of field, reading this will not feel like a chore. Likewise, the introduction to field guides is excellent. Dunne walks through what makes a good field guide, with an eye toward helping you choose the right one for you, and then how to use it.

Besides Dunne’s writing, the thing I most appreciated about this book when I was an incipient birder is that it included a wide range of topics. I had no idea that many of them were important for birders – clothing, for instance. Some topics are slightly more advanced, such as birding by ear, hawk watching, and spotting scopes. You may not need to know these things immediately, but it’s nice to get an introduction early on so that you know the next steps on the birder’s path. Additionally, many sidebars accompany the text, elaborating further on certain topics.

Not everyone, however, likes to have too much information thrust upon them at once. If this is you, consider instead Birding for the Curious, which sticks to only the absolutely essential information new birders need to know when starting out.

This new, second edition is much nicer than the one I started with years ago. It’s in full color, the better to show off its many photographs. Of course, it is also fully updated to reflect advances in optics, books, and internet resources. The handling of the latter, however, leaves a little to be desired. Internet addresses are often omitted, such as when providing subscription information for birding-related magazines.

Recommendation

Pete Dunne on Bird Watching was incalculably helpful to me as a new birder. This updated edition should prove just as valuable to a new generation of birders.

If you find this book enjoyable and informative, check out Dunne’s other books. Three, in particular, significantly expound on topics covered here: The Art of Bird Identification, The Art of Bird Finding, and The Art of Pishing.