Peterson Reference Guide To Birding By Impression: A Different Approach to Knowing and Identifying Birds

Peterson Reference Guide

by Kevin T. Karlson, Dale Rosselet

A highly visual guide to identifying birds in the field based on the important, unchanging features of size, shape, structure, and behavior

Birding is an extremely rewarding and fun hobby, but some situations can be frustrating or unsuccessful because of a variety of challenging viewing conditions. This guide to identifying birds offers the holistic “birding by impression” method, which not only helps with these difficult conditions, but also develops an efficient mental identification process using left- and right-brain skills. It begins with a conscious assessment of a bird’s unchanging physical characteristics, including general size, body shape, structural features (bill, legs, neck, and wings), and behavior. Using this approach, birders can quickly assess all birds and distinguish new and uncommon species from familiar ones. They can then examine more detailed field marks to fine-tune the identification. Rather than a traditional field guide, this book presents an interactive how-to approach to a more complete identification process.
 

Genres: Birds, Nature, Science, Nonfiction

286 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2010

Reviews

[Douglass Gaking · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book outlines techniques for bird identification, suggesting more effective strategies than those that people tend to gravitate toward. For example, people naturally prioritize plumage, but size, shape, and location are much more important. BBI also breaks down difficult identification problems, like telling the difference between similar-looking duck and gull species that are often found in the same geographical areas. While this is not a field guide, it is a great reference to check before and after situations where you might have an ID problem, such as deciding whether an accipiter you see in the woods is a Sharp-shinned Hawk or Cooper's Hawk or a duck you see in the lake is a Greater Scaup or Lesser Scaup.

[Sher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very helpful book if you often find yourself confused by just what gull , or hummingbird, or sparrow, or swallow you have seen. Each family of similar species are grouped together with photographs and details that help the bird watcher unravel the differences between the black chinned and Anna's hummingbird ( for example). Also covers how to bird by shape - bird type. I use the book in the field (though in my car) or after I have done a bird walk and I want to reference similar species.

[Hapzydeco · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors are demonstrating a method not presenting definitive identification guides. Thus, while the photographs were stunning, the text was laborious. Found their approach unique but personally not very helpful.

[Lisa K · Rating 2 out of 5]

The authors outline a different approach to birding. They urge us to train ourselves to move away from primarily using color, field marks, size. While the first Peterson guide did have shapes, Karlson and Rosslet want to teach us to tease out more nuance -- do wings extend beyond tail? Note how robins hold their wings; etc. (I tried using some of this on a recent outing. It's a change in approach. Didn't help me ID a migrating thrush.) The last 2/3 book is ... lessons that compare birds within a family (not how to know a warbler from a vireo, e.g.). Didn't find the lessons helpful.

I'd borrow it again for an outdoorsy vacation -- maybe the contents of the second section would sink in with active use?

[Stephen Dunstan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the Peterson series, in particular the photographs that invite you to test your learning and the overall clean and attractive layout.

Like any field guide which is promoting jizz / impression identification it has its shortcomings, but overall it's a really good book and well worth having alongside a traditional field guide. As well as some very useful material on a number of easily confused species there is also some good advice on fieldcraft dotted around the text.

[Mark Nenadov · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty helpful book. Keep in mind that this is not so much a complete guide as an attempt to convey certain identification techniques. If you forget that, you will likely be disappointed by the coverage.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really interested in this approach to birding, and I think it is sort of what I was already intuitively doing on my own. It's certainly difficult sometimes to identify birds by elements that are not static, like plumage. Sometimes when I look at all the different types (male, female, breeding, non-breeding, juvenile) in my Sibley guide, it makes my head spin a little. For me the easiest ways to identify are through calls and movement, which are only accessible through a great deal of familiarity. This book is helpful in that it makes comparisons between what may be more familiar birds and others that are similar. It has a lot of fun exercises to help you develop your eye, for example, learning to identify raptors by silhouette--which is helpful when they're flying high in the sky and you can't see any identifiers other than their shape. It's also beautifully illustrated.