BIRDING RESOURCE BOOKS

Shorebirds: An Illustrated Behavioural Ecology - This is a beautifully illustrated and hugely informative book that will appeal to anyone with an interest in learning more about shorebirds. Written with a rare passion by experts in their field, it is highly recommended. (Charlie’s full review)

Peterson Reference Guide to Gulls of the Americas - A remarkable reference guide to every gull that breeds, migrates through, or even casually visits the New World. Suddenly, I’m interested in gulls! (Mike’s full review and Charlie’s full review)

The Shorebird Guide - Awesome guide to some truly exasperating birds. Amazing pics, novel approach. (Mike’s full review)

FIELD GUIDES (NORTH AMERICA)

The Sibley Guide to Birds - Simply the best resource to North American birds anywhere. This is the one book every birder must have! (Mike’s full review)

Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern or Western North America - These are the North American field guides the Core Team depends on. They are superb.

National Audubon Society Field Guides to North American Birds: Eastern Region and Western Region - Good if you like field guides with photographs.

Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion - A colossal compendium of the birds of North America. Armed with this amazing resource and a field guide, your ability to identify birds will improve exponentially. (Mike’s full review)

FIELD GUIDES (CENTRAL AMERICA/CARIBBEAN)

A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Adjacent Areas: Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador, Third Edition - A wonderful resource for Neotropical species.

A Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies - James Bond’s notable guide to Caribbean avifauna is remarkable for its history but somewhat outdated as a resource. (Mike’s full review)

A Guide To The Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands - Served us well in Puerto Rico.

FIELD GUIDES (AFRICA)

Pipits of Southern Africa - This now out-of-print book is an object lesson in what can be produced by an expert birder with a passion for his subject and a desktop publishing program. If you see a copy on sale, buy it! (Charlie’s full review)

Southern African Birdfinder - Beautifully-produced and superbly designed, this is THE essential ‘bird finder’ book for southern Africa. (Charlie’s full review)

FIELD GUIDES (INVERTEBRATES)

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies - Works like a charm, offering a simple, systematic path to butterfly identification. (Mike’s full review)

Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America - This field guide might not be of much use to experienced insect watchers, but it’s perfect for beginners and casual nature lovers. (Mike’s full review)

Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland - Formatted like a field-guide any birder would recognise, packed with information, and illustrated by the best paintings of moths currently available, this book is essential and highly recommended. (Charlie’s full review)

BIRDING NARRATIVE

How To Be A (Bad) Birdwatcher by Simon Barnes - I can’t recommend this charming, witty encomium to avian observation enough. (Mike’s full review)

Pilgrim on the Great Bird Continent by Lyanda Lynn Haupt - Wonderfully written account of Charles Darwin’s transformation from callow scholar to assured, observant naturalist. (Mike’s full review)

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill by Mark Bittner - This fresh autobiographical study in amateur ornithology may be one of the first birding romance novels. (Mike’s full review)

The Grail Bird by Tim Gallagher - The definitive narrative of one of the most exciting and controversial ornithological discoveries in recent U.S. history. (Mike’s full review)

To See Every Bird on Earth by Dan Koeppel - A fantastic memoir that explores the dark side of Big Listing. (Mike’s full review)

The Verb ‘To Bird’ by Peter Cashwell - A light-hearted look at some seriously fun birding. (Mike’s full review)

Club George: Diary of a Central Park Bird-watcher by Bob Levy - Earnest, engaging, and maybe a bit overlong, this is a sweet snapshot of NYC human-avian interaction. (Mike’s full review)

All Things Reconsidered by Roger Tory Peterson - This collection of essays is as potent a dose of concentrated birding brilliance as I’ve encountered. (Mike’s full review)

Birding Babylon by Jonathan Trouern-Trend - An amazing account of an American soldier’s encounters with Iraqi avifauna. (Mike’s full review)

Letters From Eden by Julie Zickefoose - A wonderful collection of artwork and essays from a gifted individual who connects with nature with every one of her senses. (Mike’s full review)

Seeking the Sacred Raven: Politics and Extinction on a Hawaiian Island by Mark Jerome Walters - The tragic tale of how one species’ ignorance leads to another’s potential demise. (Mike’s full review)

Spix’s Macaw: The Race to Save the World’s Rarest Bird by Tony Juniper - This superbly written and authoritatively-voiced book is not an easy or comfortable read, but should be required reading. (Charlie’s full review)

Why Don’t Woodpeckers Get Headaches? by Mike O’Connor - Though backyard birders will certainly find the most value in the insights dispensed in this witty book, anyone with even a passing interest in birds will get a laugh out of it. (Mike’s full review)

BIRDING RESOURCE

Where To Watch Birds: World Cities by Paul Milne - A well-written and well-produced guide to birding sites in 61 of the world’s major cities, aimed at business travellers rather than birders on holiday. (Charlie’s full review)

PHOTO BOOKS

Secret Lives of Common Birds by Marie Read - Captures the magic of the mundane, rendering run-of-the-mill birds in vivacious color and thrilling action. (Mike’s full review)

AUDIO GUIDES/RESOURCES

The Songs of Wild Birds by Lang Elliott - An engaging book/CD package presented by one of the best in the birdsong business. (Mike’s full review)

The Sound Approach to Birding by M Constantine, et al - This extremely well-written book and the accompanying CDs aims to ‘maximise the use of sound in enhancing your field skills whatever your level of expertise’ and succeeds wonderfully. (Charlie’s full review)

VIDEO REVIEWS

The Life of Birds - Sir David Attenborough delivers the greatest global overview of avian life and behavior you’re likely to ever see. (Mike’s full review)

Video Guide of the Birds of Venezuela (Ferraro Nature Films) - A must for anybody planning a bird watching trip to Venezuela. (Mike’s full review)

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (Pelican Media) - This highly acclaimed documentary presents the complicated man behind the wild parrots. (Mike’s full review)

Watching Warblers (Blue Earth Films) - All 39 species of wood-warblers that nest in Eastern North America are captured as bold as life, in vivid color and full-throated song. This is as close as you can get to a personal introduction to each exquisite warbler. (Mike’s full review)

TECHNOLOGY/GEAR REVIEWS

birdJam - A very cool identification and instructional tool for any birder attempting to expand his or her repertoire of North American bird calls. (Mike’s full review)

Leica Ultravid 8×42BR binoculars - I always genuinely look forward to getting into the field and using them… (Charlie’s full review)