I was at the Costco's in Avon yesterday and saw a new (to me at least)  field
guide, Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America.  The  author is
Ted Floyd (Ed of Birding Magazine). (ISBN price $24.95, Costco price  $14.99,
they also had Sibley for $11 something).

This is not the guide I will use in the field, but it has some excellent
features.  Most species have at least two photos and each  account includes the
ABA code number (indicating how common the species is)  and bullets on molting
strategy, summation of sex/age differences, and  individual variation.  There
is also a little paragraph with interesting  facts about the species.  Each
grouping of birds is prefaced with a full  page group account.

The 28 page introduction is very informative.  I was  especially impressed
with its seven bird topography maps (feather  tracts) that show a labeled line
diagram along side an  unlabeled photo.  This forces you to look back and forth
between the  two and actually apply the labels to the bird, leading to a
better  understanding than just staring at labeled pictures.  The ABA  checklist
appears at the back of the book, again including the ABA code number  for each
bird.

The book also includes a cd with 587 birdsongs from 140 of the more common
species in mp3 format.

Yeah, just what we all need, another bird book...   But this  really is a
good one!

Sheryl Young



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