Product Description

Birding is the fastest growing wildlife-related outdoor activity in the U.S., with at least a million new birders a year estimated to join an already robust group some 80 million strong. For these beginning and intermediate enthusiasts, National Geographic Birding Essentials is a must. Comprehensive and authoritative, yet engaging and user-friendly, it teaches readers how to begin and improve their birding... what to look and listen for... and how to make sense of what they see and hear. A unique visual component shows actual field guide pages and how to read them, while another compares the same bird in photography versus artwork and explains how to use both for species identification. National Geographic's quality photography is a major highlight of the book, supplemented by pencil drawings and full-color maps to give the novice and intermediate birder a full range of visual information.

Field Ornithologists Jonathan Alderfer and Jon Dunn have crafted a masterful guide, striking just the right balance of practical information and reader-friendly tone. Chapters discuss the pleasures of birding, equipment needed, how to read range maps, birds' physical features, how to identify birds, identification challenges, bird classification and suggested books and journals for building a fine birding library.

National Geographic has established a stellar reputation among birders with our blockbuster Field Guide to the Birds of North America. The tradition continues as we serve an entry-level market that continually needs the helpful, up-to-the-minute information found in National Geographic Birding Essentials.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56975 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-30
• Released on: 2007-10-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
Jonathan Alderfer is chief consultant for the National Geographic Birding Program and a widely published author and field guide illustrator. Most recently, he was co-author of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fifth Edition (Fall 2006).

Jon L. Dunn is an expert on the identification and distribution of North American birds. He has a long history with the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, having served as chief consultant on four previous editions and co-author on the fifth edition (Fall 2006).

Customer Reviews

Excellent starter book
The pictures and descriptions are outstanding. This book is a great start to learn about birds and how to identify them.

It's also a painless way to learn some basic bird biology.

Worthwhile book
Wonderful, informative, and easy to read! I haven't been bird watching for years & thought I would check it out again. This book was very helpful especially the section on binoculars.

The chapter on appropriate behaviors of bird watchers was great! These types of tips are needed before you join the Audubon Society and trek in the woods with experienced birders!

Great ref for anyone starting out or reviewing the basics.

A couple chapters were a bit too detailed (bird coloring for example) for my taste but I might go back to them once I get out into the field.

Worth the price and the photos (like all National Geographic publications) are spectacular!

Idiots guide to birdwatching
This is an instructive manual. Not a bird identification guide, it's a "how to", like "how to" decoupage your bread box. It starts out at square one, what to look for, and how to buy binoculars. You want to see the little critters, up close and personal. And goes on, step by step from there. How to use that lovely guide, where to find that startling bird, how to know it when you see it. And unlike the afore said "Idiot Guides", it's beautifully illustrated with photographs and diagramed photographs as you would expect from National Geographic. The information is intelligently presented in a logical manner. There's even a section on field sketching and encouragement for keeping not only lists, but descriptive writing about one's sightings. This is the "how to" for observing nature, can't recommend it highly enough.