The Warbler Guide

Good points: This book covers all the new world warblers found in the US. The Topographical description on pages 12-15 is excellent. The specie and photo chosen perfectly illustrate all the various features of the bird. The pointers all accurately terminate exactly on the feature being labeled. And, the way the wing feathers have been outlined with colored lines gives unmistaken clarity to the 3 zones of the wing. Pages 15 through 55 list the important characteristics to which a birder should pay attention. Though most of these are probably well known to advanced birders with experience, this book brings them front-and-center with good descriptions and usually great photo examples. There is a section that does a great job of de-mystifying sonograms. It is a great segway into the section on vocalizations which is quite thorough. Most vocalizations are supplemented with sonograms. The Quick Finder concept is done quite well. For easy comparison (and usually on just 1 or 2 pages) a specific characteristic is portrayed (i.e. face patterns, undertail views, etc.) The photos in these quick guides are grouped together in an intelligently ordered array with similar looking birds being adjacent to each other. Though I'm puzzled as to why these quick photo guides were placed in between the sections on flight calls and song finder charts. I think they would be better situated (and more easily found) as a stand-alone section either at the beginning or the end of the book. The species accounts are very thorough and are similarly structured for consistency for each specie. They are arranged in alphabetical order, not taxonomic. Though a scientist might find this disturbing, it is quite logical for a guide book of this nature. Each specie account includes basic descriptions in all plumages, comparisons to similar species, aging/sexing tips and vocalizations (with sonograms). Pertinent points are generally made quite well and are amply supported with good photos. Superfluous info is absent. There are other miscellaneous sections near the end of the book that could prove useful to some including accounts of a few similar (but non-warbler birds), summary lists on measurements, habitat, behavior, perching profiles and a review/quiz. Room for improvement: I was sensitive to the choice of some of the photos that were used to illustrate specific characteristics. In a few cases, the photos chosen did not overtly depict the characteristic being described. Examples: p. 34 N. Waterthrush and Swainson's photos are confusing with regard to bill shape. In the photo, the Waterthrush bill actually appears pointier than the Swainson's - which is contrary to their captions. p. 41 Tennessee and Orange-crowned photos do not portray the captions as well as they could. Author could've used other photos (available elsewhere in the book) to better illustrate his point about head/back contrast. P. 46 Author's point about primary wing projection is not obvious from the Pine/Blackpoll photos that were used. A few items may just be simple publication or printing challenges. For example, the 2 colors chosen for the Quick range icon and the Preferred Habitat icon are black upon dark green. These 2 colors do not have enough contrast. I believe many readers would have difficulty discerning the two. p. 50 The red marker used to bracket the tail extension of the Blackpoll is not positioned correctly for the point the author is trying to make. Personal preferences: The instructional section on sonograms is probably quite accurate and it is certainly interesting to a nerdy engineer like myself. However, I personally will never use the sonograms to ID a warbler. It is so much easier to use any the several widely available recordings. My ears can hear a recording much easier than my eyes can discern a sonogram. The quick guide photo array on Warblers in Fight will be of limited use to me. Warblers are seldom, if ever, viewed in flight long enough or in ways that would allow this chart to be useful. Recommendation: Congratulations to the authors. Well done! A great addition to any birder's library and a "must-have" for warbler aficionados. It's large size makes it "iffy" for carrying in the field but, it would be OK in a backpack and ideal in the car. A great value for the price. Len Kopka

Very effective guide to identifying warblers. They have clever tools for identifying birds that I wish I could find in other bird books. I found their visual finder guides (images comparing all of the warblers from specific angles, but many specific angles, not just perched and in flight), and the shape and color icons used for each bird are incredibly helpful. I have bought other books on identifying specific types of birds, specifically sparrows and gulls, and none were as clear or helpful. I volunteer with a group that helps rescue birds injured after hitting windows, and brings the birds that do not survive to a natural history museum. I've tried to use my volunteering to improve my bird identification skills, but the circumstances mean that some of the typical clues like behavior, song and habitat are not helpful. This book has details on those aspects as well, but the emphasis on visual identification is really useful for me. Sadly, we see a lot of warblers, and now I can figure out what I'm seeing instead of "another little yellow bird." Thanks for the great book. If you could do another on little brown birds, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

What an incredible book. It has taken years to produce what can only be the ultimate guide to Parulidae, the Wood Warblers we all love to see in their glorious spring plumage. At more than 500 pages for 81 species, the coverage is amazing. Generally, I am not a fan of photographic field guides: it is almost impossible to capture all the relevant details in a photograph. However, this book is the exception. Instead of a single photo for each species, the book contains photos of every important feature of the birds. Choosing a page at random, I found myself on the account for Black-throated Gray. Icons at the top of the page provide a silhouette, a "quick impression" sketch, a picture of the tail, a small range map, and a sketch of the preferred habitat. That is followed by three photos showing the bird in profile, the underparts, and the "tail in your face" view that is all too typical of warblers. The following page first shows four distinctive views of the main field marks for the bird, including an extreme close-up of the yellow lore spot that is the "killer field mark" for this species. The rest of that page contains 12 more photos. Next, we are presented with a page showing similar species that might confuse a birder. A section on Aging and Sexing reveals the many different plumage variations that you may encounter in the field, followed by range maps showing the species's permanent range as well as spring and fall migration routes. Finally, we have spectrograms for the many vocalizations. Frankly, I know that I should learn to read these, but I prefer to listen to actual sound recordings. This book is not really useful as a field guide. It is too large and specialized to carry into the field. It will join "Big Sibley" ( The Sibley Guide to Birds ) as one of the references I carry in the car to consult when I have a difficult ID to work out. A very valuable book that belongs in every serious birder's library.

This guide covers the warblers of the United States in great detail. Beautiful photos. There is a quick finder that is useful. Also, sections on visual finding, how to listen to warbler songs, key features to look for, species accounts, ways to establish the bird's age and sex where possible, quizzes, a glossary, and more. I did notice that warblers particular to Puerto Rico (specifically, Adelaide's Warbler and Elfin-woods Warbler) are not included in this book. From what I could find, there are other field guides in publication for birds of the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico that could be helpful there.

The images and their associated descriptions or points of interest/focus are fantastic. It has been VERY helpful for me in differentiating fall Blackpoll, Blackburnian and Bay-breasted warblers. The spectograms look really good too, but to be honest I haven't focused on them yet as not too many warblers are singing right now. I also really like the "visual finders" that give different angles and seasons, these are fantastic quick visual references. The first part of the book on it's own would be a very valuable resource in the way it does quick summaries and comparisons. Excellent! I'm getting another copy as I've left the first one at the cottage and want one for my other wanderings. I only wish there was a real "field" guide sized version with the quick reference sheets and the comparisons from the first part of the book.

I like it

Collectors of ornithological books can not miss this one. It is a new approach to bird ID, incorporating the great capabilities of digital photography.. Even if, like me, you will never set foot in North America, the brilliant display of the plumages of all species in the various versions - male, female and spring and autumn - is a first. There are incredible numbers of photos, admittedly some a bit small, showing the birds at all angles and with relevant closeups of focal ID features. The introductory section before the species accounts gives a very clear account of how moult occurs and affects the plumage appearance. There is also an excellent explanation of sonograms. Students of evolution will be stunned by the comparative display of all the North American Warblers. Creationists won't like this book. If these species were created rather than evolved, there was a lot of doodling involved!

El mejor libro de Warbler

This is a highly-specialised book for those interested in North American wood warblers. Anyone can identify adult males of course but the main purpose of this book is to help with identifying females, immatures and hybrids. It must be stressed that this is an in-depth guide including many photographs, much text and even sonograms. It can therefore only be considered suitable for use at home, in the car or back in the motel as it is quite large and heavy so cannot be describes as a field guide.