This should be good for a few replies. I hope this is sufficiently
on-topic for VA-BIRD. I want to buy an up-to-date field guide, mostly
to adapt to the newer species definitions from the A.O.U. My favorite
in recent years has been the National Geographic guide.
I have heard a lot of good press about Sibley's guides. But I looked
through one at the bookstore, and the paintings (in the copy I saw) were
absurdly colorful. I was looking through the wood warblers and it
looked like they had gotten the right colors and then overprinted the
page about 3 times.
Has anyone else noticed this? Are there different editions of Sibley?
Is this excessive color considered a feature of Sibley guides? (Maybe
it's supposed to be helpful in poor lighting conditions.)
I was also disappointed in the "Similar Species" sections - I saw little
or nothing on that topic in the Sibley guide I was looking at. Again,
should I be looking at a different edition of Sibley? Or does anyone
have a recommendation for a guide with good discussions of similar species?
Thank you!!
- Steve Johnson
Fairfax, VA
stevejohnson2 (at) verizon.net
