Sierra Birds: A Hiker's Guide

by John Muir Laws

Over 35,000 copies sold! As a naturalist managing the field studies program at the California Academy of Sciences, John Muir Laws noticed that novice birders often distinguish birds by color and size rather than species. This inspired him to create Sierra A Hiker's Guide, a unique book that assumes no prior birding knowledge on the part of the reader. Color-coded keys eliminate the time-consuming frustration of thumbing randomly through a guide, and a cross-index is also included for more advanced birders. All this in a format that is simply organized, lightweight, and small enough to tuck inside a pocket. A first-rate naturalist, Laws is also an accomplished artist. His illustrations are lively, colorful, and accurate, and drawn to represent species in the manner in which one generally sees them in the field.

Genres: Reference, Birds, Field Guides

64 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

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John Muir Laws is a naturalist, artist, and educator who has dedicated his work to connecting people to nature through art and science. From an early age his parents instilled in him a deep love and respect for nature. Over the years, that love has grown to a commitment to stewardship and a passion to share the delight of exploring nature with others. As both a scientist and artist, Laws has developed interdisciplinary programs that train students to observe with rigor and to refine techniques to become intentionally curious.

Reviews

[Lea]

Use this book daily to ID birds in my yard and neighborhood. Good starting point. Some vague descriptions and some of the scientific names don’t match local bird list from TINS.

[Hussaya]

Very nice book. If you buy Sierra Nevada guidebook already, you won't need this one. Since it is a part of that book.

[Daniel Morgan]

This is a great little guide! It is actually very helpful because it explains from the beginning some of the practical ways to distinguish birds from one another.