The most engrossing and helpful non-field guide birding book that I have found is "Identify Yourself - The 50 Most Common Birding Identification Challenges" by Bill Thompson III, illustrated by Julie Zickefoose. I bought this about a year ago after I read a few pages in the book store and found it impossible to put back on the shelf. I carry it with me everywhere I bird (either in the car or in the field). It's a compilation of articles that appeared over the years in the Bird Watcher's Digest" (none of which I had read). I love this book. It is so entertainingly written that I think I'd enjoy it even if I weren't a birder. It's also beautifully illustrated and full of helpful identification tips, devoting several pages to each identification challenge as opposed to the few sentences you find in the guides. My only problem with the book is that it isn't longer, i.e. doesn't more species and ID challenges. Carole Gobert, Knoxville, TN =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the count in which the birds you report were seen. The actual date of observation should appear in the first paragraph. _____________________________________________________________ To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. ______________________________________________________________ TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp _____________________________________________________________