Hi folks,
would like to know what people think is the best current Bird book[s] for bird identification?
l dont mind if l have to buy more than one.
Thank you ,
Barney.
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Maybe have a look at these?
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/forum/field-guide-recommendations
www.birdsinbackyards.net/forum/Pizzey-and-Knight-Birds-Australia-Digital-Edition-iOS-app-released
Barney, I suggest that your 1st consideration is a 'field' or 'home/office' guide.
If you are after a field guide go for an app - I got Morcombe's app in ?12/11 and have been happy; I have not yet bought the new Pizzey app (I always seem to have other things to do) but will; there have been interesting discussions on http://birding-aus.org/?s=pizzey+app on the 2 apps.
If you are after a home/office guide then go for a book - my 2nd grandson, the 8+ year old, has recently been looking at our native birds; he will be getting a copy of Pizzey & Knight 9th edition today; why? - it is the newest available; larger format than others therefore bigger sketches & more words (I think); I have copies of the other books - Morecombe, Slater,Simpson & Day, Flegg (real pics)
You might also want to keep an eye on http://eremaea.com/BirdlineRecentSightings.aspx?Birdline=7 for sightings in your area. There have been recent interesting sightings in the Lockyer Valley, not far from you.
Peter
I'd recommend the Pizzey & Knight and Morcombe guides.
Thank you pacman and zosterops ,
l dont own anything that can use an app , so really looking for a good field guide and a more detailed [photo] reference book for home use.
l will look at your recommendations online.
Thanks again,
Barney.
The Pizzey and Knight field guide is really good and pretty popular, but it is annoyingly heavy for use in the field. I increasingly find myself leaving it at home or in the car and comparing my pictures later- not the best strategy... It also doesn't always seem to spearate subspecies of birds very well.
Slater; Simpson and Day are nice, but Pizzey and Knight seems more comprehensive. But, it also is more detailed about some things like nesting, which may not matter to you. Also, P&K describe bird calls in an unusual way which takes abit to get used to. You have to sort of translate them until you get the hang of it.
Morcombe has publised a guide, but it's illustrations aren't as good as those in P&K. They don't seem as detailed, and can have inaccurate colours (although, P&K isn't immune to this).
This:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reader's_Digest_Complete_Book_of_Australian_Birds
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Australian-Birds-Readers-Digest/dp/0949819999
is in my opinion a really good book for photo referencing. It's expensive, but if you look around, you would probably find a cheaper older version. It was originally published in the 1980's but the have updated it a bit since then. I have an older version, so I can't tell you if it's worth getting a new one, sorry.
Hope the helps!
Agreed, but be carefull of the 'old' names used.
Peter
Are the old names really an issue? Australian bird taxonomy seems to generally be a bit messy in general. Plus names like Bush Thick Knee, Jabiru, Grass Parrot (for the Red-Rumped Parrot) etc are still frequently used. Also, it usually records the other variants of the name. Still, I guess most of the taxonomical issues are based on scientific connections, and for communication it is best the name ae standardised.
Particularly, Jabiru is a much nicer name than 'Black Necked Stork'. Shame the Brazillians got there first!
Peter
But event then, the majority of the older names are still in circulation and well recognised. Would it really be the end of the world if people continued using them?