To both Steves and Other VA Birders,
We have had lots of Am. Robins at Ft. Smith Park in Arlington all summer,
and yes, I've seen lots at Long Branch as well. In fact, we seem to have
lots of Robins here all year now--many more than we used to have.
As for field guides, I have found that one guide is not enough! When I
need to check something in a field guide, sometimes I'll find it in National
Geographic, other times I'll find it in Sibley, and still other times I'll find
it in both or neither. Also, the smaller Sibleys do not contain everything
that is in the larger volume, but I like many of their pictures better than
those in National Geographic. On the other hand, I have found that National
Geographic usually seems to have the best and most complete descriptions. As a
result, I like to have at least those 2 field guides with me in the car, tho I
confess that I seldom carry one in the field with me unless I am leading a trip
and need it to show pictures to new birders. When I do carry a field guide, I
usually take the Sibley because it weighs less. Unfortunately, the Peterson
guides are getting a little out of date now.
We had an occasion to check all our field guides on our NVBC Chincoteague
Weekend in May, when we spotted a bird offshore that I identified as a Sooty
Shearwater. To confirm this ID, we checked both Sibley and National Geo, and
possibly some other guides as well. If I remember correctly, the Eastern
Sibley did not even include Sooty Shearwater. The National Geo not only
included
it, but noted in its write-up that this was the shearwater most likely to be
seen from shore. Then, fortunately, the bird was considerate enough to come by
one more time, so that I think most of us saw it, and we agreed that our bird
really was a Sooty Shearwater--a Life Bird for many in our group!
Good birding,
Val Kitchens
Arlington, VA
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