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Pete Dunne on Bird Watching: The How-To, Where-To, Where-To, and When-To of Birding
The noted bird expert provides an authoritative introduction to the world of birding, outlining the tools and techniques of birdwatching, ten simple keys to bird identification, the art of birding by sound and by scope, how to locate difficult to find birds, and more. Original.
- GenresBirdsNatureNonfiction
334 pages, Paperback
First published March 21, 2003
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64 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 20, 2019
This book was such a wealth of information for me, that I never wanted to return it. Fun fact - I checked this book out and renewed it on the day it was due back, twice (the maximum amount of renewals), and returned it 2 hours before the library closed on the final due date. I had this book in my possession for 9 weeks - the maximum amount of time one can possibly check out a book without incurring late fees.. I wasn't even trying to do that. I just enjoyed this book that much.
This book covers everything a birder needs to know (and a lot you probably don't). From getting the best results from your backyard feeders, to an EXTENSIVE overview of information about binoculars and spotting scopes, to actually going out and birding in the field. I used the knowledge I acquired about binoculars to purchase my first LEGIT, birding worthy pair of optics - a sweet pair of Leupold BX-2 Alpine if you were wondering. An 8x42 roof prism model. Waterproof and fogproof of course.
The book follows a nice arc, starting at the very beginning by answering the simplest of questions. Pete Dunne walks readers through the basics of equipment, deciphering field guides for optimal use, skills needed to identify birds and overall strategy. He lays out the fundamentals that are essential to all birders. The most important thing is HOW to look at birds at the most basic level. Size, shape, behavior, habitat, beak shape, tail, etc. From there it is all practice and gaining experience.
He offers tips for different habitats, meaning different types of birds. Your strategy going into seeking out different pelagic birds will vary greatly from trying to spot that elusive wood warbler in your backyard.
This book has greatly helped my personal birding, of which I am still very much a novice. This time last year I would spot a bird, see what color it was, look through terrible binoculars and then spend 20 minutes leafing through whatever field guide I had and try to identify it... A year later, that sentence makes me cringe. Almost everything I was doing was wrong, or at least very inefficient. With the help of this book, Birding for the Curious, studying David Allen Sibley and Roger Tory-Peterson's amazing field guides, and great online communities of localized bird lovers, my skills have developed ten fold. I see birds differently now. I look at parts on a bird that only true birders do. I identify and record field notes with new skill and knowledge.
One of the most memorable parts of this book happen to be one of the first I read. It definitely stuck with me. Pete Dunne was explaining the difference between "bird watchers" and "birders". Simply put, a "bird watcher" is someone who enjoys watching birds around them and a "birder" is someone who seeks them out. Over the last couple of months I believe I have finally ascended to a bonafide birder and I am loving every minute of it... even if my wife is over me talking about birds all the time.
This book covers everything a birder needs to know (and a lot you probably don't). From getting the best results from your backyard feeders, to an EXTENSIVE overview of information about binoculars and spotting scopes, to actually going out and birding in the field. I used the knowledge I acquired about binoculars to purchase my first LEGIT, birding worthy pair of optics - a sweet pair of Leupold BX-2 Alpine if you were wondering. An 8x42 roof prism model. Waterproof and fogproof of course.
The book follows a nice arc, starting at the very beginning by answering the simplest of questions. Pete Dunne walks readers through the basics of equipment, deciphering field guides for optimal use, skills needed to identify birds and overall strategy. He lays out the fundamentals that are essential to all birders. The most important thing is HOW to look at birds at the most basic level. Size, shape, behavior, habitat, beak shape, tail, etc. From there it is all practice and gaining experience.
He offers tips for different habitats, meaning different types of birds. Your strategy going into seeking out different pelagic birds will vary greatly from trying to spot that elusive wood warbler in your backyard.
This book has greatly helped my personal birding, of which I am still very much a novice. This time last year I would spot a bird, see what color it was, look through terrible binoculars and then spend 20 minutes leafing through whatever field guide I had and try to identify it... A year later, that sentence makes me cringe. Almost everything I was doing was wrong, or at least very inefficient. With the help of this book, Birding for the Curious, studying David Allen Sibley and Roger Tory-Peterson's amazing field guides, and great online communities of localized bird lovers, my skills have developed ten fold. I see birds differently now. I look at parts on a bird that only true birders do. I identify and record field notes with new skill and knowledge.
One of the most memorable parts of this book happen to be one of the first I read. It definitely stuck with me. Pete Dunne was explaining the difference between "bird watchers" and "birders". Simply put, a "bird watcher" is someone who enjoys watching birds around them and a "birder" is someone who seeks them out. Over the last couple of months I believe I have finally ascended to a bonafide birder and I am loving every minute of it... even if my wife is over me talking about birds all the time.
March 6, 2019
Pete Dunne on Bird Watching: The How-to, Where-to, and When-to of Birding is definitely a book for people who are new to bird watching. Pete Dunne starts at the beginning and explains each type of equipment and strategy to help you develop birding skills. You will learn about landscaping for and feeding birds, choosing and using binoculars, finding birds away from home, improving your skills and bird ethics.
If you have been an avid birder for years, I recommend his other books.
If you have been an avid birder for years, I recommend his other books.
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October 8, 2019Made me realize I need a new category of books for my retirement list. I already have a category called "Books I want to buy before retirement"--it contains "Wildflowers of Texas" and Birds of Texas (Keith A. Arnold.) I might also place "Identify Yourself" on there, and if I can find a decent guide to butterflies, moths and dragonflies I might add that.
Pete Dunne on Bird Watching--which is excellent, by the way--goes on a list called "Books I want to checkout and re-read frequently." I don't feel the need to own it, but I want a frequent refresher course of his advice, such as:
When you see a bird you cannot identify, study it. When you see a bird that you can identify, study it even more closely. The best way to recognize an uncommon species is to be intimate with those you see commonly.
[he goes on...]
Plump and long-billed and feeding like a sewing machine? Dowitcher. Not so plump and not so long-billed but longer-legged? Yellowlegs.
[...]
All those small sandpipers, those peep. All those different plumages. All those molting birds. It was a veritable avian chimera!
I'm myself at the chimera stage right now, but with careful study and many hours in the field, Mr. Dunne gradually learned to tell them apart. Most of the time, of course. One thing I'm learning from the experts is that it's okay, sometimes, to admit you don't know. That doesn't mean you give up, though--it just means you're open to the possibility that you might be wrong sometimes.
One big mistake I tend to make is to assume a flock of Canada Geese is simply a flock of Canada Geese. But contrary to the rhyme "birds of a feather flock together", that ain't necessarily so.
The first thing to do when coming on a flock of gulls (or shorebirds...or waterfowl...or blackbirds...) is to identify the familiar birds that constitute the bulk of the flock. Next, look at any individuals that do not fit the norm. For instance, you may see a bird that stands slightly taller or is noticeably stockier or whose color differs by a shade.
Those differences don't necessarily require concerted study. They naturally draw you eyes. So relax. Let your eye be drawn to them. The study comes later.
Another thing that can made a bird stand out is position--it might stay at the edge; other birds might avoid it. I recently observed a flock of doves sitting on power lines...but one of them, off to the right and not exactly fitting into the masses, had a square tail, a bigger head, a streamlined body. And when they flushed, it became clear he was not a dove at all. Merlin!
Pete Dunne on Bird Watching--which is excellent, by the way--goes on a list called "Books I want to checkout and re-read frequently." I don't feel the need to own it, but I want a frequent refresher course of his advice, such as:
When you see a bird you cannot identify, study it. When you see a bird that you can identify, study it even more closely. The best way to recognize an uncommon species is to be intimate with those you see commonly.
[he goes on...]
Plump and long-billed and feeding like a sewing machine? Dowitcher. Not so plump and not so long-billed but longer-legged? Yellowlegs.
[...]
All those small sandpipers, those peep. All those different plumages. All those molting birds. It was a veritable avian chimera!
I'm myself at the chimera stage right now, but with careful study and many hours in the field, Mr. Dunne gradually learned to tell them apart. Most of the time, of course. One thing I'm learning from the experts is that it's okay, sometimes, to admit you don't know. That doesn't mean you give up, though--it just means you're open to the possibility that you might be wrong sometimes.
One big mistake I tend to make is to assume a flock of Canada Geese is simply a flock of Canada Geese. But contrary to the rhyme "birds of a feather flock together", that ain't necessarily so.
The first thing to do when coming on a flock of gulls (or shorebirds...or waterfowl...or blackbirds...) is to identify the familiar birds that constitute the bulk of the flock. Next, look at any individuals that do not fit the norm. For instance, you may see a bird that stands slightly taller or is noticeably stockier or whose color differs by a shade.
Those differences don't necessarily require concerted study. They naturally draw you eyes. So relax. Let your eye be drawn to them. The study comes later.
Another thing that can made a bird stand out is position--it might stay at the edge; other birds might avoid it. I recently observed a flock of doves sitting on power lines...but one of them, off to the right and not exactly fitting into the masses, had a square tail, a bigger head, a streamlined body. And when they flushed, it became clear he was not a dove at all. Merlin!
October 3, 2019
An acknowledged birding expert provides advice on backyard birding, birding tools, fundamentals and useful techniques, trips, groups, ethics and responsibilities. Outdated in some ways -- especially in light of the vast improvement in electronic bird guides, with sounds, and electronic reporting -- but still there is much to guide a novice or even a not-so-novice birder. The chapters on choosing binoculars and telescopes are particularly helpful and his personal experiences are engaging.
Apparently there is a second edition -- 2015.
Apparently there is a second edition -- 2015.
October 17, 2023
Exact book I was looking for to answer some basic "get started" questions about birding, and then some. This isn't a book for the experienced birder, but it did provide enough information for someone like me to take my next steps. Highly recommended for anyone curious about the hobby.
April 19, 2022
Very informative, perfect for beginners. Written in a very conversational, easy to read format. Good information on binoculars and field guides. Lots of good practical tips and advice.
May 21, 2022
Nice read. Sometimes we live birding vicariously. This was a good choice for that.
October 18, 2011
A really great guide for beginner birders. I wouldn't say it's a replacement for Birding for Beginners, necessarily -- I'm glad I read both -- but this one covers things in a little more detail.
Also, Pete Dunne is from New Jersey, and is currently the president (or something) of the Cape May Bird Observatory, so most of his chapter-beginning anecdotes take place in New Jersey, which is neat. For me.
Also, Pete Dunne is from New Jersey, and is currently the president (or something) of the Cape May Bird Observatory, so most of his chapter-beginning anecdotes take place in New Jersey, which is neat. For me.
September 23, 2009
Lots of good, practical advice. My only complaint is that Dunne sometimes takes on airs when talking about less skilled birders or bird enthusiasts. But this one is a definite recommend for the serious birder.
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October 17, 2016Great introduction to how to become a birder. A lot of really good tips to save you time and money. For example how to bird, how to pick binoculars and were to bird. Really fully of down to earth information.
April 24, 2008
Absolutely great introduction to bird watching. Not only gives advice on the hows, but also talks about the whys, illustrated by charming anecdotes from the author's life as a birder.
November 8, 2008
A good simple overview of the birding world in terms of picking binoculars, birding magazines, field guides, etc.
Recommended for the beginning birder.
Recommended for the beginning birder.
January 10, 2012
Awesome! Pete is a great guy and I loved being able to meet him and have him sign my book too!!
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March 4, 2014Great book that goes beyond your typical birding book. Very insightful, practical and interesting.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews