The New Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Western Region

I’ve used this book for years and it’s one if the best for bird identification. Great photos and descriptions. Bought it for a fledgling birder and they really like it.

Love these Stokes Guides! Really the best bird guides on the market! Color pictures of not only male and female but sometimes juveniles and also different seasonal plumage changes. Can't believe the amount of work it must have taken the couple who wrote this book!

Useful

Good guide, I'm a photographer so I like photos better than plates, to get a bigger picture of typical surroundings. Very informative. However, as a W regional photographer the California Condor's omission is pretty serious. They have good CC photos and writeup on p 142 of their NA guide; why was the CC excluded from the regional, as common practice?Sibley NG NAS Peterson western regional guides all have CC entries. Docking one star from an otherwise good guide hoping the next edition will correct this issue. Amazon did good shipping in a real box instead of a flimsy envelope, where heavy books have been damaged.

As a newbie twitcher, I am still discovering the nuances of bird identification. References, electronic, or hardcopy, are generally centric on photographs or drawings (paintings). I have the impression that both approaches have a devoted advocacy. I have two Android apps for bird identification: electronic version of Sibley and iBird. In my opinion these compliment one another, and , more generally, the electronic and hardcopy approaches give a broader (if overlapping) perspectives. For example, the hardcopy (viz., book) cannot render the birds' songs. And, I am just beginning to discover, successful bird identification depends on the observer's ability to home in on the "target" by observing everything: visuals, aural and location. The exercise is zen-like in its scope. As such, it may be useful to consult a guide to the guides, that is to say, what to look for when the bird is in your sights *BEFORE* thumbing (or scrolling) through your guides. Besides the obvious such as coloration and patterning, note the beak size/length, coloration of legs etc. In this, it is helpful to be able to be acquainted with the anatomical terminology (e.g., primaries). I am positive that the challenge of the (multivariate) process of bird watching provides an additive appeal to the activity.

Got here in good time, good shape, and just what I ordered. The husband of the lady I ordered this gift for took it to bed with him and left her with none. So, I know he was pleased, but was she miffed? I'll have to ask around.

I own several excellent birding field guides including the most recent SIbley's and the National Geographics. But this has become my 'go to' guide for identification because of the extensive text descriptions. Each bird is described for every season, age, gender and flight display with helpful comparisons with and differences from similar birds.I've learned that a lot of birders prefer drawings in field guides as opposed to photographs as are used in this Stokes guide. But these photos are chosen with care to be as representative as possible and there are a lot of photos for each bird, too, Like the guides with drawings, examples are provided for gender/season/age when helpful for the species. I think anyone with more than a passing interest in birding would really enjoy and appreciate this guide!

This is the first Stokes guide I have used and I am in love with it. I see a bird or take a picture of a bird, I look in this bird guide and find a bird that looks exactly like my memory of what I saw or exactly like the picture I took. This is so much better than using field guides with drawings. The information in the book is excellent, well organized, complete and clear. I love that the page numbers where each type of bird is located in the book are listed on the inside front cover. Not only are there pictures, but there are pictures of male and female and in different seasons and if appropriate different years of development. I have only been paying attention to birds for a few years, so I have a lot to learn and this guide is by far the most helpful book I own.

Liked their last book it provided a lot on information on birds that visited our home, newest book has even more information that is more up to date!

Bought the Eastern Region book in the States. Brilliant reference book for bird watching in the USA. Couldn't miss the Western book at such a good price.

The book is for my daughter's birthday, so nice to see it arrive early.

Can't wait to use this on my travels. It's very comprehensive and has great illustrations.

Great photos, detailed descriptions and maps highlight a must have for birders who use hard copy materials in support of their hobby. The guide has a fine introductory page as to a key to the guide.