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Summary: Old Book
Review: Potential buyers ought to know that this is really a book copyrighted back in 1973. It is not a new book as one might expect..... which has it as a 1998 book. I just received (11/2000) my copy.... Nowhere can I find that it is a 4th edition, although inside the front cover it does say that Roger died in 1996. So it probably is a reprint in 1998 of the old book and there appears not to have been any updating. It has wonderful color plates of birds, good field mark descriptions, brief range listings, but no maps showing species ranges.
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Summary: Great for those new to bird watching
Review: The detailed illustrations and text make identifying birds easy.
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Summary: Best regional bird field guide on the market
Review: The Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds is the best such guide you will find. The nice thing about birds and birding is that there are few enough species out there that you can get virtually all of them in one regional guide. This book is outstanding. It relies on illustrations rather than photographs to show markings and other details used to ID birds in the field. I find that photos are often sub-standard, not showing characters essential for identifying birds due to the position of the bird, markings of the individual chosen for inclusion in the book, etc. In this book each entry includes a bird's common and scientific names, a brief physical description of the body and coloration, a drawing(s) of the bird, a brief description of habitats where they are likely to be seen, a blip about their geographic distribution, notes on their song, and reference to similar species (if any). The entry also refers the reader to a map number that shows the summer and winter ranges for each bird. This is "the bird book" to have for birds that live east of the Rockies for the novice and experienced birder alike. If you've never had much luck figuring out which birds you are looking at try this book. 5 stars all the way! Note: if you travel much throughout the USA, you ought to pick up the Peterson Guide to Western Birds as well -- it is the sister book to this one. With both of those books in hand you will be in good birding shape. Alan Holyoak, Dept of Biology, Manchester College, IN
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Summary: A Stunning Legacy
Review: The Peterson system is the best. It gives the distinguishing field marks and each drawing and painting is beautiful. If this were not a nature book, it could well pass for an art book (a worthy rival to Audubon, himself). The late Dr. Peterson's legacy is that this book and his series will be used for generations to come.
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Summary: Simply the best bird book for the backyard bird lover in MI
Review: This book is great. It gives you detailed pictures, silhoutte shapes and habitat areas. As a complete moron when it comes to bird identity, this book is very helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best bird book for the backyard bird lover in MI
Review: This book is great. It gives you detailed pictures, silhoutte shapes and habitat areas. As a complete moron when it comes to bird identity, this book is very helpful.
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Summary: A classic book for the beginning birder
Review: This classic guide was the first of its type, and thus probably got more people into birding than any other book. Peterson uses ink drawings to show the important "field marks" for identifying species. The downside to these drawings is that they tend to idealize the birds, showing them in perfect postures and making the field marks more prominent than they really are. Many competitors, such as the Audubon Guide and the Stokes Guide, use photographs instead. Photographs give a more accurate portrayal of the subtleties of color and pattern in plumage, but there are always those poor shots in a photographic guide that are blurry or show the bird at a bad angle. Whether you decide that a guide based on drawings or photographs is best for you, I would strongly suggest that you pick up an audio recording of birdsongs, such as "Birding by Ear," or the "Field Guide to Eastern/Central Bird Songs," both put out by Peterson's. As any experienced birder will tell you, the ear is just as important as the eye, especially in summer, when birds are often hidden by foliage.
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Summary: A classic book for the beginning birder
Review: This classic guide was the first of its type, and thus probably got more people into birding than any other book. Peterson uses ink drawings to show the important "field marks" for identifying species. The downside to these drawings is that they tend to idealize the birds, showing them in perfect postures and making the field marks more prominent than they really are. Many competitors, such as the Audubon Guide and the Stokes Guide, use photographs instead. Photographs give a more accurate portrayal of the subtleties of color and pattern in plumage, but there are always those poor shots in a photographic guide that are blurry or show the bird at a bad angle. Whether you decide that a guide based on drawings or photographs is best for you, I would strongly suggest that you pick up an audio recording of birdsongs, such as "Birding by Ear," or the "Field Guide to Eastern/Central Bird Songs," both put out by Peterson's. As any experienced birder will tell you, the ear is just as important as the eye, especially in summer, when birds are often hidden by foliage.
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Summary: Great bird coloring book for all ages.
Review: This coloring book has little colored pictures of all the birds in the front and back covers. It also has descriptions of the birds as you color them. Great for little kids- they can color the whole bird one color- up to high schoolers like myslef. I loved using my colored pencils to shade the birds so they look real! Really deserves 5 stars!
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Summary: awesome field guide with REAL colorful illustrations!
Review: This field guide is fantastic! The identifications made me identicate birds real easily without any difficulties! I think that illustrations are more easier to help identify then photos. This field guide was written by Roger Tory Peterson and also, every birds were illustrated by him! Although this field guide was published a while ago, it's still useful and fun to read! So get it!
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