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What field guide(s) do ya'll recommend? I'm between the Sibley and the Peterson right now, but I'm not sure which one to go with. Any other recommendations?

In my opinion, Sibley's is better for learning how to identify, while peterson's has a bit more information, but identification is not as well. Honestly I would say that Sibley's 2nd edition is better.

ChimpLopez wrote: ↑December 8th, 2019, 9:21 am What field guide(s) do ya'll recommend? I'm between the Sibley and the Peterson right now, but I'm not sure which one to go with. Any other recommendations?

There are a lot of field guides out there that depend on your strengths and weaknesses. Have you tried the list of field guides on the wiki? One of the pitfalls of using a more information-based field guide with less identification is having to go between your binder and field guide for information about a single bird, as I have found out the hard way.

Here are some links for the wiki:
https://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/Field_Guides
https://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/Ornit ... eld_Guides

Scrambledeggs wrote: ↑December 8th, 2019, 9:30 am In my opinion, Sibley's is better for learning how to identify, while peterson's has a bit more information, but identification is not as well. Honestly I would say that Sibley's 2nd edition is better.

I've seen Peterson's and it seems very lacking in infomation. Just in general use a binder. Field guides are kinda useless past learning the IDs IMO, and IDs are something you should learn before the test, not during it.

Name wrote: ↑December 8th, 2019, 9:12 pm

Scrambledeggs wrote: ↑December 8th, 2019, 9:30 am In my opinion, Sibley's is better for learning how to identify, while peterson's has a bit more information, but identification is not as well. Honestly I would say that Sibley's 2nd edition is better.

I've seen Peterson's and it seems very lacking in infomation. Just in general use a binder. Field guides are kinda useless past learning the IDs IMO, and IDs are something you should learn before the test, not during it.

Yeah, I'd agree with this. I'm not honeslty sure when you'd really need to use a field guide unless you were really unsure about an ID. They are very bulky, info is sparse and hard to find (even with bookmarks, tabs, etc.), and it really just isn't worth your time to use much.

It's December, which means it's Christmas Bird Count season! Every year for the past 120 years, birdwatchers organize to count all the birds they can within a 7.5 mile radius count circle. That data is then compiled into an expanding dataset that tells about long-term trends of bird distribution and range shifts at both the regional and continental scales. Depending on the count, it can be a great opportunity to bird with and learn from more experienced birdwatchers. For more info, and a map of the over 2000 count circles and dates, check out the CBC website here: https://www.audubon.org/conservation/jo ... bird-count. I did my first CBC about a decade ago (2010-2011, when ornithology was last around) and there I met someone who would become a mentor of mine for several years afterwards.

pepperonipi wrote: ↑December 8th, 2019, 9:17 pm

Name wrote: ↑December 8th, 2019, 9:12 pm

Scrambledeggs wrote: ↑December 8th, 2019, 9:30 am In my opinion, Sibley's is better for learning how to identify, while peterson's has a bit more information, but identification is not as well. Honestly I would say that Sibley's 2nd edition is better.

I've seen Peterson's and it seems very lacking in infomation. Just in general use a binder. Field guides are kinda useless past learning the IDs IMO, and IDs are something you should learn before the test, not during it.

Yeah, I'd agree with this. I'm not honeslty sure when you'd really need to use a field guide unless you were really unsure about an ID. They are very bulky, info is sparse and hard to find (even with bookmarks, tabs, etc.), and it really just isn't worth your time to use much.

Adding on to this, in binders you can decided what goes into them, and what information you want to see. With field guids you'd have to take time and blackout the information you dont want, I find it easier to just make a binder.

How do you guys feel about loading up on diagrams? It would really help if tests have the same diagram, but it seems really hard to organize and to keep track of. Any tips?

codewinorbust wrote: ↑December 11th, 2019, 7:18 pm How do you guys feel about loading up on diagrams? It would really help if tests have the same diagram, but it seems really hard to organize and to keep track of. Any tips?

Yeah we have an anatomy section in our binder filled with just diagrams. We split our section into two parts; skeletal features and morphological features with respective diagrams in each sections. This keeps things more organized and easy to access when rushing in a test

Has anyone bought the subscription to birdsna? Is it useful/worth it?