Birds of New York Field Guide (Bird Identification Guides) Paperback – April 15, 2005

We got got this book to identify all the birds that come to our bird feeder. So far it is working well.

My soon to be 9yr old nephew from New York was coming for a visit and I wanted to introduce him to the world of birding and a new outdoors activity. He lives and breathes the outdoors. I’m new to birding myself in Arkansas and I had purchased the Arkansas version. It was easy to use from the git go. It Is divided by colors which points a newbie in the right direction. The observation advice is right on. Look at the bird, describe it and write it down. THEN, go to the book to start identification. I now have 3 other reference books at my disposal BUT I start with this one first. It is small so it travels well. One suggestion for those just starting to spread their wings in this realm in the sky. Buy yourself a small pocket size memo or steno pad and keep it ready so you can jot down your description and observations. On the third morning of his visit we all saw a slate grey sleek looking bird with a black “cap”. I had never seen this bird at the suet feeder before. A minute later the bird flew away. Nephew correctly identified the bird! He had seen the bird about 15 minutes before we did and used the steps I outlined! Happy birding!

This is a wonderful book. It has beautiful, full PAGE, color PHOTOGRAPHS of each bird in the book. How can someone argue with a photograph? Photographs are so much easier to use in identifying birds than drawings. Drawings are always subject to the interpretation of the artist who drew and painted them, and I have found that the artist's interpretation in other bird field guides often do NOT match what I observe in the field.This book also has the BEST layout of any bird field guide I have ever seen. The book is color coded and each color coded section represents the prominent colors of the bird. For example, a cardinal is in the "red" section of the book.A previous reviewer had noted that this book doesn't contain all species of birds that may visit New York. While this may be true, I have ALWAYS been able to find the birds that I have seen in the wild in this book. Furthermore, if additional birds were added, it is likely that the field guide would no longer be small and portable.The book also contains wonderful information for each bird, such as unusual habits, differences between the sexes, etc.There is also an excellent audio CD which accompanies this book. Although it is hard to find, this CD is spectacular! It follows the book exactly, and the 2nd edition of the book actually notes the CD and track number for each bird. The CD provides examples of each of the various sounds that the birds make, for example, the chickadee makes several different calls. There is also a narrator on the CD who gives a brief, but informative introduction, to the bird's calls/songs.If you live in New York and are a bird watcher, I highly recommend this book. I'll bet you'll find yourself using it more than any other field guide, I know I do!

Get the Audio CD also for maximum effect. Tekiela is the man! This book has me excited about birds and I bought some nice binoculars to appease my newfound desire to identify all birds I see. This field guide has introduced me to a more advanced level of bird watching/appreciation than I thought was possible. My son has memorized most of the birds with their photographs and now we test each other. Turn off your Jay Z and Celine Dion albums and allow your family to experience true bliss by leafing through this field guide of New York birds and listening to their nuanced and lovely voices. I know differences in woodpeckers now. And I can tell the difference between male and female birds very easily. It is an important distinction we may all do well to remember. What a beautiful world we have been blessed with, fallen though it be.

We are having lots and lots of wild birds come to our deck to feed from our feeder. But we had no idea what they were, and we'd always wanted to learn their names. Just recently we purchased this book and the CD that goes with it, and yes, we are learning very quickly! Now we know the names of all the birds that come to our deck, and we know how they sing too!The book is very easy to use, as it devides the birds by their colors. It tells you the size, male/female differences, what they eat, where they migrate, and their habits and all that. The amount of info is just right for us. If it had more, we would have been overwhelmed.The CD is also excellent. Stan talks a little too fast, but he's clear enough. He explains different ways of the birds singing, chirping, calling, etc. Now we can recognize who's making all that noise in the morning around our house! We're also beginning to notice the different behaviors and how they act/react to certain things. It's just so much fun to observe them.He has done a lot of work to put the book and CD together. I really appreciate his effort. The pictures are pretty clear, most of the birds come with male and female photos, some with juveniles, winter/summer colors, etc. My husband is carrying his Zune around all the time to listen to the recording. Listening to it makes you feel like living in a forest. The recording is very clear too, and with Stan's explanation, very easy to recognize the voices of the birds.We're soooo glad that we got this book/CD!

I have several bird guides, but this is my absolute favorite!Unlike other guides that require you to know a bird's type or habitat to identify it, the book is arranged by color. This makes it ideal for the beginning birder! It cross references birds that come in multiple colors under both sections, which is awesome!I love it so much I have two copies (one at home and one in my car) and just bought one to give as a gift.

I bought this book because I'm going to New York in December. It's a very good book with photos making it easier to identify and a description were you are likely to see it. The beauty of this book it will fit easily in a pocket so you can take it with you if you needed to.

Very useful pocket guide. Great photos. Well structured by bird major colour, listing male and female variations separately. Fantastic value.