Peterson First Guide to Birds of North America - Bird Watching Book for Beginners - Perfect for Hiking, Camping & Backyard Bird Identification

Are you thinking of birding? Don't know where to begin? If you're reading this, you have found exactly what you need to begin: "Peterson First Guide to Birds of North America (Peterson First Guides)".Why is that so? I followed Peterson's advice: I familiarized myself with the guide. I also set out Peterson's two guides side by side as I went though them (the other being the full guide: "Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America"). Compare page numbers: 128 in First Guide to 532 in the complete guide. And sizes: 7 1/4 x 4 for First Guide to 9 1/4 x 6 for the full guide.The next question would be: If the full guide is longer and bigger, why not use it? Answer: More and bigger means a lot more!! A beginner needs the basics to begin birding. My gosh, but the amount of information about birds is almost overwhelming. Peterson's point is to start at the beginning then progress. First Guide begins with the most easily recognizable birds, plus providing the basics in identifying those birds. A few birds in listed in your journal will boost your self-confidence and knowledge that you can, indeed, become a birder.Here is a list of some of the basics Peterson advises the neophyte to look for:1. Any basic identification guide begins with marked points. To understand those terms, the birder needs to know the parts of a bird!2. Use the eight visual categories in which to place the bird in question3. Size4. Wing patterns5. Does it wade?6. How does it fly?7. Shape of the wings?8. Body shape?9. Tail shape?10. Bill shape?11. Does it climb trees?12. Tail patterns?13. Wing bars?14. Eye rings or stripes?15. Flight pattern?No, I didn't either (didn't know there are this MANY different things to look for concerning each and every bird!) Again, this is a reason why one must have a guide, so essential in the beginning as a reference point!Using the list I was able to verify the bird that flies through my neighborhood every January, landing in my huge cypress tree just inside the bayou which runs along the back end of my property. Cormorants. Did I say one? Nay, 15-20 of these huge black birds that make this awful croaking sound while holding out their wings to dry. The first winter I was in this house they awoke me early one Sunday morning croaking and holding out those awesome wings. I thought I was in a horror movie.My brother immediately identified them for me as cormorants. Having never seen such a bird, I demanded to know how he knew. He fishes--all year! Cormorants live and hunt on and by bodies of water. They are common in this area (Northwest Louisiana) during winter as they migrate through. He didn't know how he knew, but I learned what I wrote just last night when I looked up Cormorants. I can also identify which cormorant--the Double-Crested Cormorant because he is all black. The bayou on which I live is inland.However, with Peterson's First Guide I can add some information. They hold out their wings to dry. There are six species of cormorants in North America. If one is sighted on an inland lake, it is surely a Double-Crested, but on major bodies of water, check a guide to learn which of the six he represents.I used "he" in the last paragraph. A slightly amusing statment from Peterson refers to females. As a beginning birder, don't try to identify a female as her markings are designed for camouflage. Instead, check out the company she keeps! (A little Peterson bit of humor referring to male colorations as the identifying factors for a species.)Ready to go birding? Get your binoculars, a journal and pen to record your sightings, a camera, a bottle of water. Next put on good shoes, put your First Guide in your pocket, and take that first step on your first discovery trip in birding! That's a lot of firsts, but you'll think them worth it at the end.