Sibley's Birding Basics by David Allen Sibley Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Sibley's Birding Basics
Book Review: Great for Beginner Birders
Summary: 5 Stars
To start with, this isn't a field guide. If thats what you're looking for, I would recommend the Sibley guide to Eastern or Western birds depending on your location. With that said, this book gives a great introduction to birding and contains very useful information for those starting out. This isn't a book I carry out in the field, but was great to read before doing any serious birding.
There is a large amount of information and terminology that can seem overwhelming when someone is just starting out with birding. This book helps you with basics on what you need to focus on as a beginner and what characteristics you need to pay attention to when making an identification.
As a sidenote, while the information given is great for someone starting out, I've found the most helpful information about birding to come from experienced birders. Join your local Audubon society or birding club, and try to go on a field trip or two with someone experienced with your local area. This book isn't a substitute for that first hand interaction, but makes you much more prepared for those experiences.
Book Review: Sibley's Birding Basics
Summary: 4 Stars
This title was bought as a companion to Sibley's Field Guide to Western Birds. It was suggested when I ordered the Field Guide. It offers many different aspects for learning to identify birds and is helpful when trying to determine differences between look-alike birds. Serves as a useful reference for improving how to observe birds and the importance of their surroundings.Book Review: Sibley's best work to date - best book for building ID skill
Summary: 5 Stars
I just finished reading SIBLEY'S Birding Basics. I was impressed enough with it that I thought I would write a short review.In the past, when friends/acquaintances have asked what books I would recommend in order to improve their birding skills - not a field guide - I would recommend either Birding for Beginners; Sheila Buff or The Complete Birder; Jack Connor. In addition, I would always recommend getting The Basics of Bird Identification (Bird Topography) - A Birders Journal Publication. This is because neither of the two previous texts dedicated sufficient, if any, time on understanding bird topography. Reading the latter text was a big breakthrough for me in bird identification. I believe it is absolutely essential if you want to start nailing the tough field identifications. It gives you an understanding and takes you to another level of bird identification that you are just not going to get outside of bird-in-hand, detailed examination experience.
I have both of Sibley's previously published texts - he has been quite voluminous lately - The SIBLEY GUIDE to Bird Life & Behavior and The SIBLEY Guide to Birds. While I have mixed emotions about the goals of each of these texts and Sibley's success in accomplishing them, I can argue that they are very worthwhile books and any avid birder should probably count them among their personal library.
This brings us to Sibley's latest text, the topic of this CoBirds post. I have been birding all my life; more seriously for about the past 10 years or so - thanks to Walt and Alan V.
So you might say, "why read a 'birding basics' book?" There are two answers:
1) I am an incurable book hound, and digest most all books I can get my hands on in my areas of interest, and
2) I believe there is always more to learn.
Now some books fall short on the promise of #2. I will start reading it, then just skim it, and then finally just put it on my shelf after it has sat on my nightstand without being touched for the requisite amount of time. This latest book from Sibley was not one of those. I believe this is his best work yet. And compared to those large tomes of his two previous publications, it comes in a small paperback book only 155 pages long.
I believe this book has something to offer for beginner to expert. I picked up at least one new piece of information in every section, and sometimes, many more. In addition, he devotes a great deal of time to bird topography. So this new book has everything that I used to recommend two books for, rolled into one. It is extremely readable; has a natural progression of topics; and many illustrations that help to drive home advanced topics.
If you are considering a book to enhance your birding identification skills, all of the books that I mentioned in the second paragraph above are very worthwhile, but I believe that Sibley's new book has just taken first place in my recommendation list.
Book Review: The best introduction I've seen
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the best instruction I've ever seen, printed or otherwise, on learning how to bird. It includes not only basic visual identification skills, but also the basics of how to bird by sound. Sibley teaches the feather groups and anatomy, plumage variations, molting patterns, and effects of lighting that make some indentifications so difficult. I would recommend it to any aspiring birder.Book Review: The book I wished I started with - Highly recommended
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the book that I wished I had when I started bird watching. This book explains the strategies you should use to identify birds. When you go out birding you will often (nearly always?) not see the bird clearly, or long enough to make a perfect call. This book addresses that problem. I have never seen it addressed so well. All of the three recent Sibley books are just first rate. I recommend starting with this one on identification, then getting his general guide one, then the one that talks about their behavior. I really liked the behavior one also. Its great to research out a bird that you are watching to find out more about how they act.
The illustrations in all of his books are first rate. I have a lot of bird books and found that Sibley's are the best of those I bought.
John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX