Picking the right guidebook.

If you’re going to bird, you’re going to need a guidebook.

I wish I could tell you the best guidebook to start with, but in my experience finding the best guidebook is like settling into the right book – when you know it's right, you just know. Some of it has to do with how you like to organize yourself and your birding experience. Some guidebooks organize birds by color, while others group them by type/family (speaking of which, my favorite name for a bird family is the Tyrant Flycatchers. Such despots they are!). Some are heavy on maps and bird ranges, while others will spare space for fun facts and anecdotes.
 

And it’s not only what’s in the pages that matter, but their size. Do you know a book you can put in your pocket? Or one you haul around in your backpack? A guide that is designed with your region in mind, or one you can take on any travels and get the job done?

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My ultimate recommendation is thus: Get yourself to a used bookstore, and flip through as many bird guides as you can. Close your eyes and feel the weight of the book in your hands, rub the paper between your fingers, and imagine yourself outside in dappled shade. Then you’ll know if it’s the book for you.