National Geographic Birding Essentials

by Jon L. Dunn

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.

Genres: Birds, Nature, Nonfiction, Reference, Science, Wildlife, Animals

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2007

About the author

Jon L. Dunn has had positions with the American Ornithological Society and the American Birding Association. He is a birding tour guide and lives in Bishop, California.

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who love birding , this is an essential read for better birding.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the bird walks, there were many things I heard from other birders that I didn t understand. And I couldn t fathom how birders, no matter how experienced, could look up at a bird and quickly declare its species name.When I saw the beautifully illustrated book, National Geographic Birding Essentials, on the to-be-cataloged cart at the library, I flipped through it, and knew I needed to buy a copy. The writers have put together a comprehensive guide for the beginner-to-intermediate birder. They explain basics such as how to buy a pair of binoculars and use them effectively, and what information one can get (and can t get) from field guides (of course using as a sample the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America that they themselves edited). Distribution and range maps are explained as is the question we beginning birders often wonder: why are the species in field guides arranged the way they are? [return][return]Chapter 4 is devoted to the parts of a bird. Probably every part that could exist on any bird is discussed in detail crowns, beaks, wings, flank, vent bands, scapulars, primaries, chins, carpal bars, tertial steps, everything. Chapter 5 talks about how to identify birds and gives examples of specific things to look for eye rings, face masks, tail lengths and more. Chapter 6 discusses variation in birds. Females and males sometimes look similar, but in some species the differences are striking. Juveniles sometimes look very different from adults. Chapter 7 discusses the authors twelve hardest species to identify. Fieldcraft, the actual how-tos of birding, is described in Chapter 8. From obvious advice about listening for birds to the more peculiar practices of phishing and listing, it s all here. Birding hot spots, annual surveys, magazines and journals are discussed. Scopes, digiscoping, GPS units, listing software and other tools are mentioned. The last chapter is on taxonomy and nomenclature. A two-page glossary and a one-page bibliography, including websites, are included.[return][return]The only birding essential that is not discussed in detailare the specific differences between all the popular field guides, but it is understandable that the authors only discuss their own.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent book, particularly for the inexperienced birder. Suggestions for success are easily understood and easy to find. As I expected from a National Geographic publication, the color photos were absolutely beautiful. I found that I didn't need to read one page followed by the next. This book offered interesting and instructional information on every page and every chapter.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great for beginners and advanced birders alike. I’ve been birding for quite a few years, and I still learned a lot from this! It goes in depth for a lot of concepts to truly make you a better birder. Even though all the examples in the book may not be for your region (e.g., Western vs Eastern US), they still present them in a way that anyone can learn from them.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good basics for new birders.

[Mark Nenadov · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a helpful guide for those who wish to dig a little deeper. Personally, I liked the approach Sibley's Birding Basics took a bit better, but I suspect some may like this one better.

[Anieta · Rating 5 out of 5]

An immense help with bird identification--many charts, illustrations, clues and queues. I had flagged so many notes I ordered the book so I can add it to my reference shelf.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative. Dry, better as a reference than to read straight through.

[Dianna Am · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful! Loved all the detailed anatomy photos in different stages of flight. Would be an excellent read for beginners and veterans alike!

[Nikky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing a guide for an inherently "in the field" hobby is a difficult task, and the editors of this book got more things right than they did wrong. The organization is a bit haphazard: for instance, long discussions of the fine point of feather structures of birds are presented without much insight into why this is important.

It's a worthwhile read for the general tips on fieldcraft, identification between different groups of birds, ideas about avian structure, and what to look for out in the field. I'd see it as an accompaniment to a field guide and used much in the same manner: a reference when making identifications and knowing what to look for/label when discussing a sighing with other birders.

[LAB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan Alderfer and Jon Dunn, accomplished birders and writers, prepared Birding Essentials (National Geographic, 2007) for the novice birder. Their straight forward style is refreshing and I like their cut-to-the-chase attitude.

I found two chapters particularly informative: bird anatomy and identifying birds in the field. I have been birding for more than 25 years and I learned a lot from these two chapters alone. But there is much more to this well-illustrated and clearly-written book.

Beginners and experienced birders can enjoy and learn from Birding Essentials. The beginner should read this before buying a field guide or binoculars, and the practiced birder can use the information to refine and improve their observations.

[Johann · Rating 4 out of 5]

As others have mentioned, there is a lot of information here for the beginning birder, all of which can't be devoured in one sitting. However, this is a great reference book to come to as you hone your birding skills. What I really liked about the book are the quick reference pictures with the parts of a bird annotated on various birds in various positions. The book covered all that I hoped it would and more in a relatively short read. My only gripe was that there were a few grammatical oversights (a huge pet peeve of mine)--something I would have thought below a National Geographic publication.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource for beginner birders. The first few chapters cover identifying parts of birds. If you're birding somewhere and trying to describe characteristics of a bird to someone, it helps to use the correct terminology. This subject along with the 'How to Identify Birds' and 'Fieldcraft' chapters is ideal for beginners. The chapters that I found most interesting however were the ones covering variation, identification challenges, and taxonomy/nomenclature. Seasonal, geographical, and individual variations can be a challenge, and I found some very useful tips here for improving my birding.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for the beginning birder. It was, however, incredibly dense (and, therefore, a fairly slow read) with information, terms, examples and comparisons.

National Geographic is well-known for the high-quality of their guides to the natural world around us, and this volume by Alderfer & Dunn is no exception. It is definitely a book I will be referencing regularly as I continue on my journey to learn more about the avian critters I happen across while volunteering in the parks.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a great deal from this book. The pictures were stunning and the tips were very helpful. The middle of the book, where they focused on difficult birds to identify was too much for a beginner, but overall, I enjoyed reading this. I gained the most from the chapters on bird topography and how to maximize your birding experience.

[Mila Paul]

I don't know why I never read this before. It has its place on my reference shelf now.

[Anna Funk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hooray! I finally finished it! Definitely had some good info about birdwatching, and was definitely worth the clearance $1.99 I paid for it at Borders (sniff... RIP Borders...)

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're into birding, this book is a must!