Birding in the American West: A Handbook

by Kevin J. Zimmer

Overview

From the Great Plains to the Arctic tundra, the American West, including Alaska, is home to a stunning variety of birds. This indispensable volume, both a field guide and a site-finding guide, provides an ideal introduction to the pleasures of birding west of the Mississippi. Featuring practical but little-known tips for identifying birds, it will be welcomed by beginning as well as seasoned birders.

Birding in the American West: A Handbook
*tells where to go, what birds to look for, and how to identify them.

*describes the exciting and varied bird habitats found in the West.

*is heavily illustrated with drawings and photographs to help birders in
the field.

*spells out useful techniques for distinguishing among similar-looking
species and addresses difficult cases in far greater detail than do
standard field guides.

*features species accounts with valuable information on bird location,
behavior, and field marks.

*presents detailed listings by state on where to find birds, with an
emphasis on the microhabitats of especially sought-after birds.

*teaches bird-finding and bird-identifying skills applicable anywhere.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801483288
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	04/15/2000
Series:	Comstock Books
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Kevin J. Zimmer is an international tour leader for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, guiding birding expeditions in North, Central, and South America, as well as in Kenya, Antarctica, and the South Pacific. He is the author of The Western Birdwatcher: An Introduction to Birding in the American West.

What People are Saying About This

Scott Shalaway

A tremendous asset of this book is its size.... Birding in the American West is a must for anyone planning a birding trip to the western U.S.

Evelyn Anderson

Birding in the American West is a valuable source of reference material.... Jerry McWilliams said: 'This is a well-written book by an author who is obviously an expert in field identification, The species samples... are accurate... The black and white photographs are excellent. The images are sharp and well composed. The line drawings are anatomically accurate and of high quality.'... There's a tremendous amount of information in Zimmer's book that will interest birders living in the American East, as well as those who live in or plan to go to the American West.

Choice. November

This book seeks to provide generalizable information that can be used anywhere. As such, it is a novel and useful new volume with numerous black-and-white illustrations and photographs of similar species and sought-after birds. This is an accessible book for beginning and advanced birders living in or planning a visit to the western US.

Steve N. G. Howell

This is an excellent book. Probably there is no birder out there who could not learn something from this book. Zimmer's wide field experience of watching birds and teaching come through in a wealth of tidbits covering a diverse array of subjects. Buy this book, use it, and learn from it!

John W. Fitzpatrick

This extraordinary book is indispensible for anybody lucky enough to be birding in western North America. It is equally useful to the seasoned expert and the beginning birder. Only a person with Kevin Zimmer's decades of experience and outstanding communication skills could have compiled it. I'll never go West again without carrying this book.

Guy Kirwan

A large number of problem species 'pairs' and groups are tackled in far more detail than is available in most field guides.... For those contemplating a visit to the states west of the Mississippi, this book will serve as a valuable first base and as a handy field companion.

Editorial Reviews

In general, the author has written in a clear and interesting style.... As a student of western bird species and an international tour leader, his knowledge of birds and birding is deep and solid. Any person who enjoys looking for birds will benefit from reading his tips and suggestions on technique. And banders may find his identification hints especially valuable.

North American Bird Bander - Robert C. Tweit and Joan C. Tweit

"This is an excellent book. Probably there is no birder out there who could not learn something from this book. Zimmer's wide field experience of watching birds and teaching come through in a wealth of tidbits covering a diverse array of subjects. Buy this book, use it, and learn from it!"

Steve N. G. Howell

"This extraordinary book is indispensible for anybody lucky enough to be birding in western North America. It is equally useful to the seasoned expert and the beginning birder. Only a person with Kevin Zimmer's decades of experience and outstanding communication skills could have compiled it. I'll never go West again without carrying this book."

John W. Fitzpatrick

"This book seeks to provide generalizable information that can be used anywhere. As such, it is a novel and useful new volume with numerous black-and-white illustrations and photographs of similar species and sought-after birds. This is an accessible book for beginning and advanced birders living in or planning a visit to the western US."

Choice. November

"Birding in the American West is a valuable source of reference material.... Jerry McWilliams said: 'This is a well-written book by an author who is obviously an expert in field identification, The species samples... are accurate... The black and white photographs are excellent. The images are sharp and well composed. The line drawings are anatomically accurate and of high quality.'... There's a tremendous amount of information in Zimmer's book that will interest birders living in the American East, as well as those who live in or plan to go to the American West."

Evelyn Anderson

"A large number of problem species 'pairs' and groups are tackled in far more detail than is available in most field guides.... For those contemplating a visit to the states west of the Mississippi, this book will serve as a valuable first base and as a handy field companion."

Guy Kirwan

"A tremendous asset of this book is its size.... Birding in the American West is a must for anyone planning a birding trip to the western U.S."

Scott Shalaway

"This book seeks to provide generalizable information that can be used anywhere. As such, it is a novel and useful new volume with numerous black-and-white illustrations and photographs of similar species and sought-after birds. This is an accessible book for beginning and advanced birders living in or planning a visit to the western US."—Choice. November, 2000

"Birding in the American West" is a valuable source of reference material. . . . Jerry McWilliams said: 'This is a well-written book by an author who is obviously an expert in field identification, The species samples. . . are accurate. . . The black and white photographs are excellent. The images are sharp and well composed. The line drawings are anatomically accurate and of high quality .' . . . There's a tremendous amount of information in Zimmer's book that will interest birders living in the American East, as well as those who live in or plan to go to the American West."—Evelyn Anderson, Showcase, September 7, 2000.

"In general, the author has written in a clear and interesting style. . . . As a student of western bird species and an international tour leader, his knowledge of birds and birding is deep and solid. Any person who enjoys looking for birds will benefit from reading his tips and suggestions on technique. And banders may find his identification hints especially valuable."—Robert C. Tweit and Joan C. Tweit. North American Bird Bander, Jan/Mar 2001

"Birding in the American West brings together a wealth of information in very readable format and it deserves a well-earned place on the bookshelf of a western birdwatcher."—Steve N.G. Howell, Western Birds 31:263-264, 2000

" A tremendous asset of this book is its size. . . . Birding in the American West is a must for anyone planning a birding trip to the western U.S."—Scott Shalaway, Cambridge (OH) Jeffersonian. September 17, 2000.

"A large number of problem species 'pairs' and groups are tackled in far more detail than is available in most field guides. . . . For those contemplating a visit to the states west of the Mississippi, this book will serve as a valuable first base and as a handy field companion."—Guy Kirwan, Birding World, 12/01

"Birding in the American West is a very well-written book by someone who obviously knows his birds and his birding very well."—Greg Butcher, Editor, Birder's World

"This is an excellent book. Probably there is no birder out there who could not learn something from this book. Zimmer's wide field experience of watching birds and teaching come through in a wealth of tidbits covering a diverse array of subjects. Buy this book, use it, and learn from it!"—Steve N. G. Howell, author of A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America and A Bird-Finding Guide to Mexico

"This extraordinary book is indispensible for anybody lucky enough to be birding in western North America. It is equally useful to the seasoned expert and the beginning birder. Only a person with Kevin Zimmer's decades of experience and outstanding communication skills could have compiled it. I'll never go West again without carrying this book."—John W. Fitzpatrick, Louis Agassiz Fuertes Director, Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University

From the Publisher

A guide to finding and identifying birds in the American West, designed to fill in the gaps left by field guides and bird-finding guides. Provides birders with general concepts and frameworks needed to develop good bird-finding and identification skills, describes different identification techniques, and details microhabitats and difficult-to-identify species in depth. Also gives advice on keeping field notes. Includes b&w photos and drawings of birds. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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