Well I am not sure about the rest of the people on this forum but nothing can compare to the feeling of spotting a new species, taking some photographs, then returning home to get a correct identification using all of your books and resources.
Basically I am starting this forum topic so people can share resources, and further help each other enjoy the hobby of bird watching.
To get the ball rolling I am going to suggest what I consider my bird watching bible. It is the readers digest complete book of Australian Birds. Like all bird books I use it as a cross reference with two or three other books, however the photography is beautiful and all of the information is very infomative.
Don't limit the resources to just bird books etc. Bushwalking guides for different areas as well as information on different national parks are also invaluable.
I find the Birds of Brisbane book that you get from the museum very handy for common birds.
Berldo is it all photos? I have read that drawings are actually easier to use as the lighting in photos can change and make the birds look different.
Of course being an artist... you have one with drawings as well don't you ?
Sunshine Coast Queensland
HI,I have 7 books at last count i use simpson & day 7th the most but i do like the photos in the readers digest,and birdie the photos are spot on as you would expect from a readers digest publication, it's just that it's 35x25cm 5-6cm thick and weighs about 3kg a bit hard to lug around but it's a great book,probably the best.
sparrow
I also have a huge Birds of Australia by Michael Morcombe, and that has both illustrations and photographs in it. funny , I don't refer to it much though. Guess I should. Probably have a guilty conscience as I acquired it from Michael by accident when he left it with me for a while to read. (oops) then I left Perth and it got moved with us. Well, at least in the end I acquired the passion for birds that he has to go with it!! it has taken 10 years or more though.
cheers
Birdie
Sunshine Coast Queensland
I too have the Reader's Digest book - great for a large amount of information and for photo confirmation, but useless as a field guide! :)
I happen to have inherited a copy of the Slater field guide and don't mind it for identification, although my copy does look a little dated. I probably prefer the Michael Morcombe Field Guide to Australian Birds, which my parents have, for the clarity of the illustrations and the clean layout, but it isn't quite pocket sized. (Though I believe a compact edition exists).
.
And if you're really keen, something I saw mentioned on another birding forum is HANZAB ( Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds ) - the ultimate scientific reference for all Aus and NZ birds, but cheap at half the price... maybe.
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
Great pool or resources starting to form already!
The readers digest book that I mentioned on my first post is the best photographic reference book I have seen thus far, however I think it is very important to cross reference with illustrated books etc.
I have the Slater Field guide to australian birds (second edition) which I take with me in the car or in my camera bag. I like this edition in particular because it has a really good section on birds of prey, identifying them as you would see them hovering above.
I also have the Simpson and Day Field guide to the birds of Australia (7th edition) which I find has great information on the male/female/Juvenille and distrubution differences.
I would post IBSN numbers for people to google but am unsure if that would go against any forum policies in regards to advertising etc?????
As birdie wrote on another post most book shops don't have much to offer in the way of field guides,i found most of mine on ebay and a couple in second hand book shops,the ones on ebay new for up to half off the price the book shop quoted to get them in!
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Sunshine Coast Queensland