[.uk] Sparrows and Finches of the Great Lakes Region and ... (ISBN 1552977072)

A great book for beginning birders:
For the beginning birder, the identification of Sparrows (in particular) and Finches can be a trying experience due to their similarity in appearance. This guide attempts to simplify the process for those in the eastern region of North America. Naturally, for the beginner, reems of scientific information is out of the question; what is need is key information and clear, detailed photographs in order to gain familiarity. And that's what this guide provides. There's no two ways about it, this is an excellent resource for the beginning birder.

Straight-forward photo guide for beginning on the sparrows:
Basics: 2003, hardcover, 128 pages, 220+ color photos of 62 species, range maps If you're looking for a less complex book to help you begin learning the sparrows and finches of the eastern US, this book will be helpful and welcome. There are over 220 color photos of the 42 species expected to be found in the east along with another 20 vagrant species from the west. The photos are the center piece of this book. All are sharp, quality photos. Except for the vagrants, all birds have 2-5 photographs. The multiple photos show gender and age differences where relevant or, front and back for less variable species. The text for each bird does not get bogged down with too much detail, which is good when first learning these birds. For the experienced birder, this book will not be appreciated nearly as much as is the information found in the Beadle or Rising books. Each bird has a short paragraph on its general natural history along with a simple list of identification notes on which to focus when looking at a bird. Names of similar species are given to help forcomparison. For the vagrant species, just one smaller photo is shown for each bird. These are discussed with a brief paragraph of 5-8 short lines. A nice addition in the back of the book is the inclusion of nine tables and photo charts to help compare similar species. As an example, there's a table for "Redpoll Comparison" and a photo chart for "Streaked Underparts Comparison" species. There's nothing here that's not found in the better US field guides; however, it does present the information a little more simply and with a greater reliance on good photos for the birders who are less comfortable with sparrows. I've listed several related books below... 1) A Guide to the Sparrows of the United States and Canada by Rising 2) Sparrows of the US and Canada: A Photo Guide by Beadle/Rising 3) Sparrows and Buntings: A Guide to North America and the World by Byers/Curson/Olsson 4) Finches & Sparrows : An Identification Guide by Clement/Harris/Davis