The Shorebird Guide

by Michael O'Brien, Richard Crossley, Kevin T. Karlson

When many birders go out looking at waders, they see a distant mudflat with grey-brown birds of various shapes and sizes and have no idea where to begin the identification process. 'The Shorebird Guide' demonstrates how birders of all levels can identify Nearctic waders quickly and accurately.

Genres: Birds, Nature, Field Guides, Ornithology, Science, Reference, Wildlife

491 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 2006

About the author

Michael O'Brien was an American poet.

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent identification guide for North American shorebirds.

[Mark Nenadov · Rating 5 out of 5]

An i excelent, in-depth guide. It makes me wish we were still in the middle of shorebird migration season. The photography in this book is marvelous and there are many photos of each species with helpful comments.

[Keeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book focuses mainly on North American waders, however as a Brit I found this book very useful. It teaches you tricks on how to identify waders in the field, such as identifying a species or object you recognise and comparing the wader's size to that object and also paying attention to the colour you see as sunlight or lack of sunlight can cause the bird to appear different in colour to what guide books depict.

The main bulk of this book is photographs of waders. What I like about this book is that they pay specific detail to the photos they select. Each species has multiple photos so that you can get an idea for what the bird looks like not only close up but in the distance next to other species of similar plumages or sizes. These photos give a more realistic/similar picture of what you as a bird watcher will encounter in the field (e.g. birds far away in groups of mixed species).

[Maggie Paxson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely definitive guide to North American shorebirds, with some nice bonus entries on some vagrant species from other continents. I have learned SO much from this book--rather than illustrations there are full color photographs of each species in (close to if not all) different plumages and ages. Many of the photos highlight the topic species but include other, similar birds so side by side comparison is possible. I keep this handy when running through beach and mud flat pictures, and always bring it with me when I lead trips to the coast so I may show it to the learners I have with me. Really a slamming book and a great book for birders of all ability levels to have.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

These guys are not screwing around. This book will take you totally down the rabbit hole and tell you things like how to distinguish between a short-billed and a long-billed dowitcher based on how they lean when they are sleeping. Shorebirds are awesome but an absolute nightmare, at least for me, to differentiate in certain circumstances. This book seems like it will help. Very informative pictures.

[Cindy Dyson Eitelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't pretend I read all fo this, but I'm noting it down to remember how great it was. It's chock full of pictures of the birds in various plumages, groupings of different ages of birds, and even groupings with other species of birds. It's full of good descriptions, too. Absolutely amazing.

Sadly, it didn't help me identify any birds during my recent trip to the ocean. Shorebirds are hard--no question about it. But this would definitely help. Wish I could afford a copy....

[Dottie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. It is a great guide and is very practically laid out with lots of photos of birds of various ages as well as mixed flocks. It has helped my upgrade my shorebird ID skills considerably, and will be an often used resource for me on future birding trips.

[Nat Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

really in depth

[Jasonpeery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best birding book I have.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great reference to distinguish between shorebirds

[Ed Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great guide to shorebirds. Clear images, variety, crisp descriptions.

[Vjera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creative field guide format, with different types of photos, comparisons, quizzes. I appreciated the focus on size, shape, and behavior which is not typically well presented in field guides.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a bit overwhelming in scope, but it's hard to imagine a more useful or more comprehensive guide. (With a note: it focuses on North American shorebirds.)