Hah! Best book on gulls ever written
930734
I've got it and you don't! Too bad. It's outta print. I called the publisher and they are not reissuing. Go find it used. It is worth every penny ($85 I paid) if you need or desire to ID gulls.
1311213
What can I say? This book is like the "bible" for bird watchers in Costa Rica and is one of the best books for those serious about birds in Costa Rica. The average tourist should not bother to buy it, though. It cannot not replace a good naturalist or bird watching guide, but gives those who seek it an excellent background knowledge.
257892
The title Armchair Birder doesn't begin to describe the book.  It is so much more; the subtitle comes closer .I love this book. It is full of backyard experiences, careful observations, humor, research, discoveries, and history. The writing is completely engaging. It is great for anyone with an interest in birds, from the mildly curious to the avid and knowledgeable.
4517018
Best book out there for waterfowl! This is for domestic but especially wild game. Cant find a better book around.
3464395
A fantastic book, for those of us that care to take the plunge into gull identification. Illustrations are clear and the information is as clear as to be expected for this avian group, a great source to fall back on when the difference of opinion permeates the conversation.
3454037
This book is quite good. If you have a thing for birds of prey, you  need this book. The information will help you learn many facts that  you never knew before(I bet)and the photos of these beautiful and feathery creatures of the sky will take your breath away. My very favorite of these birds is the perigrine falcon, but that's just me as you know. You read this book, enjoy it, and decide which bird of prey is your favorite of all time. I think you get the message.
4039953
Because of the question/answer format, this book is quite interesting and easy to use.  I needed to know everything about everything, but even my experienced birder friends found some answers here to long-standing nagging mysteries.  I highly recommend that the budding birder read this first, even before purchasing binocs.
4405199
If I could give this book 6 stars, I would! This is absolutely brilliant! A wonderful book for both children and adult beginner ornithologists.

There are 12 common backyard birds found in this volume. For each bird, there is circle with its head shot that you press to hear its song. The sound is very clear and accurate.

The pages are thick, like a board book. Each bird has a 2 page spread - one side has a full color, realistic picture of the entire bird, and a "Did you know?"
The opposite page has the common name of the bird, the Latin name, a short, well written paragraph of basic interesting information, then a list of information following this format:
'Found In' - 'Feeds On' - 'Nest' - 'Eggs' - 'Adults' - 'Length'

The background of each spread is gorgeously illustrated, yet subtle. The background reflects commonly related things to that specific bird, adding visual knowledge to help with later identification.

It is a work of art as well as a good bird book.
I hope they make another volume!
2606699
I have been feeding birds for the last four years, but decided that this was the year that I kicked it up. I wanted to learn more about what types of feeders are best, which foods attracted the birds I most enjoy, etc.

After looking at several books at the store, I found this one. Let me tell you I couldn't wait to read it when I got home. In just the first few pages I had all kinds of ideas. For instance, a simple way to attract woodpeckers is to take a piece of wood, nail it to a post and smear it with chunky peanut butter. I can't wait to try it out. I also am pretty excited about the recipes included in the book, since a person can spend hundreds of dollars per month on food.

I must say that it was thanks to a local bird store that I learned how to attract house sparrows and keep the grackles away - use safflower seeds. I am very pleased with the results.

I intend to use this book to the fullest, especially the tips on how to make my yard more bird friendly. With bird varieties declining across the world, it's a great idea - and very rewarding - to feed the birds. I get so much enjoyment watching them, too. Buy this book if you're looking to take your birding activities to the next level.
3102086
I love this book.  I find myself re-reading and looking at the paintings and photos of the animals I shall never see except in my dreams.  I only wish the stellar's sea cow had been included.  if you are a bird-lover, you will love this book.  I'm not a bird-person, but still enjoyed reading about and looking at these long gone flying jewels.  it's not too simplistic, or too hard to read.  I have a couple of degrees in biology, and I'm still fascinated by it.  such a heart-breaking subject.  my nephews will never see these beautiful creatures.  even though this is a sad topic, you won't regret this purchase.
3529054
Wow! What a great book.  Author Kate Davis has written--AND helped illustrate--an indispensable book for experts in the field as well as for neophytes who are just plain awed by falcons.  Davis's enthusiastic prose is so infectious (she refers to the falcon as the "Pinnacle of Perfection"), and the photographs are so amazing, that this book is a must for anyone interested in the natural world.  I can't say enough about how well designed and organized the book is; the information is easily accessible and enjoyable at the same time.  Highly recommended for everyone--I'm giving this to my middle-school-aged nephews for Christmas while keeping a copy for myself.
2344835
This is a must-have for any serious birder. Our professional birding guides knew the plate number and position of each bird on the plate, so this book is the standard used by all. This includes researchers in the biological stations. Many serious Costa Rican birders and others removed the plates so they would not have to lug around the entire book. The next time I go, I will do the same. You may want to purchase a new one for reference and remove the pages in another, perhaps a used tattered copy, so you can carry the plates with you. I suggest placing them in some kind of waterproof bag, especially if you plan to be on the Carribean slope in the rain or cloud forest.

If you're not a birder they sell a nice laminated fold out bird reference for about $10 in every souvenir shop in the parks.
898780
This a visually appealing book with tons of information and well categorized. I am not a die hard birder but needed a book that was easy to navigate and give me plenty of information about the subject. This book was absolutely perfect for my needs. It is well written and more often than not gives you additional pictures of the young birds.

The accompanying CD is a great plus too. Like I said I am not a serious birder and for me there is nothing more frustrating than to hear a bird and not know what I am looking for. This CD gives me the ability to attach a song/sound to a particular bird. Great!

I would definately recommend this book to anyone looking to get into birding or someone who just needs a reference guide like myself. I was so impressed by the quality and information of the book that I purchased a second copy for a friend of mine that already had other birding books and he was also extremely impressed with this publication.
2422806
<div id="video-block-R1A90LK6WHML3X" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/C1tK3sgIsmS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81GBf5tVBiS.png" class="video-slate-img-url">&nbsp;This is a gorgeous book, full of valuable information.  It could be used and appreciated by the birding novice and the expert alike.  It's also quite handy, as they've thought to include a fairly solid carrying case, complete with a handle.  Edited by celebrated bird scientist Les Beletsky, the book aims to be a comprehensive guide to all the native birds of North America, and includes a gorgeous illustration and helpful notes on every single one.  The notes for each bird include a very useful descriptive passage, including details such as the fact that the Mute Swan is distinguished from other swans by its black-knobbed orange bill.  It also includes discussions of where they are found - and there's a color-coded distribution map as well.  Each section, additionally, includes a paragraph on habitat, behavior and vocalizations.

The really novel feature of this book, though, is that it includes very clear and distinctive audio recordings of the vocalizations of each bird, drawn from the library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Every bird is numbered, and you just type in the number onto the keypad of the sound unit attached to this book and it plays some of the distinctive sounds that particular bird makes.  One thing that surprised me was when I played the sound of the Bald Eagle I realized I've heard them often in a nearby nature park.  I knew I'd seen them on occasions, but didn't realize they were the bird making that sound, and that I was hearing them more often than I saw them!  (See the brief attached video for a glimpse at what this book looks like and how it sounds and how it works.)

The table of contents divides up the sections in two ways, by bird type and by region/habitat, which would make it easier to find a particular bird if you didn't know its exact name.  The book includes a basic introduction to each habitat as well.  There's also, of course, a comprehensive index.  The introduction gives some basic facts about birds that would be very helpful for beginners.

My wife was the one who really wanted this - she's working on becoming a serious birder, focused on the astonishing variety of birds that appear here where we live along the West coast of central Florida.  As soon as we got it, though, I found that my children, especially my youngest son, are fascinated by the book and open it with care and come back to it regularly.  I'd be walking through the hallway by the kids' bedroom and hear bird sounds, and knew that my youngest son had "borrowed" it for a while to browse.  The whole family has browsed through it, occasionally to look up birds that we see at the beach or in the neighborhood or at the local nature preserve.  This would make an ideal gift for the bird lover in your family.  I know my wife plans to bring it in to her elementary classroom and show it to her students.  It would also be a very nice book to keep on a coffee table in the living room for those who just want to browse.
2723656
Great bird book! All the details you want to know.
2599141
A must read for every bird lover, Johnsgard's concise and informative account of the year in the life of a Snow Goose was truly an enjoyable read.  In total, the text runs just over 100 pages, and there are a number of black & white photos, many of which are not, however, of Snow Geese.
4362416
After nearly 35 years of birding I am getting to the point where I want to finally become an expert.  So I have been seeking out some assistance.  I had read all the reviews of this book, but had not completely decided to take the plunge. I waited too long.  I was very surprised to see it's size ... it's as big as the large Sibley Guide and absolutely packed with details, photos, text, tricks, etc. This book will help you become the expert on Warblers you know you can be.