National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds--East

I just received this book and it covers way more birds from the eastern US than my previous bird guide. The photos that make up the first half of the book are very good, and the second half of the book gives a lot of detail on habitat, voice, description, nesting, range, and other details pertinent to each bird. The front of the book has a key to finding the bird you're looking for in the book. The only problem I have with this book is common to all the bird books I own: the bird is pictured from only one angle. I know that to do otherwise would at least double the size of the book, but I'd actually be willing to pay for that! I often see birds from above (looking out windows) or behind, and having only a side view eliminates certain identifiers. I'm a new "birder" so I need all the help I can get! That said, it's a great book at a reasonable price and I look forward to poring through it!

This is an official Audubon guide and it definitely lives up to its pedigree. The photos is sharp and gorgeous. The information it contains about each bird is concise. Its index is getting a ton of use. It's a sturdy little thing; I'll never need to worry about accidentally being too rough with it. It's great. I will note that the dust jacket is torn and creased, but I've never bought a book from Amazon that wasn't like that. It's a bummer considering this site was originally an online bookstore.

Makes a great gift!

This book (and all the other Audubon Field Guides for mammals, reptiles, trees, etc.) is designed vey well- the compact size fits in a large pocket while the thick but flexible plastic cover protects it. That design makes the book well suited for field use. Bird species are grouped by type and color, so it is easy to locate and identify a particular bird. Thick pages are durable with a glossy, somewhat water resistant finish. Picture quality is excellent, and the text gives a comprehensive description of range, habitat, and general behavior of each species. This book is great for amateur bird watchers like me because of the ease of use, and is equally good for those already knowledgeable of the bird world.

This is the bird guide that I grew up with. It's a classic that has a special place in my heart, so it's hard to give it less than 5 stars, but it isn't perfect. Compared to guides like Sibley, Peterson, Stokes, Kaufman, Nat Geo, etc., the classic Audubon field guide feels harder to use and less field-worthy. The photographs are separated from the text such that the first half of the book is just pictures and the second half is just text, which is an odd choice in modern publishing. The photos are on heavy, glossy paper, but the text pages are "dictionary" thin and almost translucent, so they are not very durable, which is a problem in the field. Compare that to something like the Nat Geo or Sibley guides that use far thicker (almost glossy) paper which is both more durable and more moisture resistant. If you get a raindrop on the glossier paper, you can quickly wipe it off with little to no lasting effect. With the Audubon guide, the paper would immediately absorb the water and wrinkle to some extent. Having said all that, the content is good. The photos are decent, and the text is informative and helpful. I love this guide out of pure nostalgia, but I have to admit there are just better field guides out there. For a new birder, I would skip this and get a National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America or a Sibley Field Guide, or maybe even a Stokes guide. Then I would get an Audubon Birds of North America (NOT a field guide) for home use.

The book arrived in good time and in good order. I've been using it ever since.

My second one in about ten years. some people complain about the format of the book, not a problem for me. I have a few other books with drawings of birds but they are not nearly as clear an distinct as these great photos are. My go to bird book.

Another great entry to the Audubon series of books ... These was another of my favorites as a kid. Learning differences in species, as well as how the old timers seldom used the correct terminology when telling me what type a bird was...