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Recommendation for good bird ID books

  • 30-04-2015 08:38AM
    #1
    Igotadose
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 15,531 ✭✭✭✭


    Hi All. Looking for recommendations on good bird identification books for our native birds. US Expat, used to use the Peterson's guides & the various Audubon guides in the US.

    Thanks

    Matt in Dingle


Comments

  • #2
    Desmo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 586 ✭✭✭Desmo


    The three obvious ones are:

    Ireland specific:

    The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide Paperback – 31 Aug 2013
    by Jim Wilson (Author), Mark Carmody (Author)
    Uses (really good) photographs
    and
    Complete Field Guide to Irish Birds Paperback – 24 Sep 2010
    by Eric Dempsey (Author), Michael O'Clery (Illustrator)
    has more species and has distribution maps

    Europe in general (including Ireland):
    Collins Bird Guide Paperback – 4 Mar 2010
    by Lars Svensson (Author), Killian Mullarney (Author), Dan Zetterström (Author), Peter J. Grant (Author)

    All easily available; I have all three and all get used. The third one is one the best large coverage field guides around and is useful over all of Europe and its fringes.

    Des


  • #3
    kerry4sam
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,127 ✭✭✭✭kerry4sam


    Igotadose wrote: »
    Hi All. Looking for recommendations on good bird identification books for our native birds. US Expat, used to use the Peterson's guides & the various Audubon guides in the US.

    Thanks

    Matt in Dingle

    The one I carry in my car is just a simple RSPB Pocket Garden Birdwatch book. I like to pull it out when I'm parked waiting on folks - keeps me occupied trying to ID the lickle birdies around me :)


  • #4
    Igotadose
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 15,531 ✭✭✭✭Igotadose


    Thanks for all the replies. Found the Ireland book @ Amazon, it's great - uses pictures and is organized similarly to the US Audubon field guides. Pictures are better done than the Audubon guides and show the birds in various plumages and ages, too.

    And, exciting to me, I've ID'd stonechats and pied wagtails, see them regularly in the yard. I know, common birds, still if you've never seen them it's always a bit of a thrill to learn what they are.


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