We review so many books and products relevant to birders and nature lovers that the only way to be sure you’ve seen them all is to check the most recent posts in our REVIEWS category. However, the summaries below are a rather comprehensive snapshot of our amassed opinions…

BIRDING RESOURCE BOOKS

The Shorebird Guide – Awesome guide to some truly exasperating birds. Amazing pics, novel approach.

Peterson Reference Guide to Gulls of the Americas – A remarkable reference guide to every gull that breeds, migrates through, or even casually visits the New World. Suddenly, I’m interested in gulls! (Also read Charlie’s more informed full review)

Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion – A colossal compendium of the birds of North America. Armed with this amazing resource and a field guide, your ability to identify birds will improve exponentially.

FIELD GUIDES (NORTH AMERICA)

The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds by Richard Crossley – “I like The Crossley ID Guide and I think it is absolutely awesome that someone has come up with a new way of presenting bird images in a guide format.”

The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America by Don and Lillian Stokes – “I highly recommend The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America and think that it will be a nice inclusion to anyone’s library.”

Birds of North America: Photographic Guides by Sterry and Small – “I may not be ready to leave my favorite illustrated field guide behind next time I visit unfamiliar territory but I’ll be packing the relevant Photographic Guide along with it!”

The Sibley Guide to Birds by David Sibley – Simply the best resource to North American birds anywhere. This is the one book every American birder must have!

Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern or Western North America – These North American field guides are simply superb.

National Audubon Society Field Guides to North American Birds: Eastern Region and Western Region – Good if you like field guides with photographs.

Woodland Birds of North America by Scott Leslie – Not a field guide or a comprehensive guide to bird behavior, but does offer good pictures of a wide range of woodland birds.

FIELD GUIDES (EUROPE/WEST PAL)

Collins Bird Guide (Britain and Europe) 1st Edition by Svensson et al – A great resource.  One of the best field guides in the world for any region.

FIELD GUIDES (CENTRAL AMERICA/CARIBBEAN)

A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America by Howell and Webb – “Would I recommend this field guide? Absolutely”

A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Adjacent Areas: Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador, Third Edition – A wonderful resource for Neotropical species.

A Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies – James Bond’s notable guide to Caribbean avifauna is remarkable for its history but somewhat outdated as a resource.

A Guide To The Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands – Served us well in Puerto Rico.

The Birds of Mexico and Central America – by Ber van Perlo. If you’re anywhere in Central America and have the foresight to carry this book you’ll be in excellent shape!

FIELD GUIDES (ASIA)

Birds of Borneo: Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak, and Kalimantan – by Susan Meyers. “…as a birder with a predilection for poring over field guides for lands near and far, I can attest that Birds of Borneo captivates the imagination.”

FIELD GUIDES (INVERTEBRATES)

Spineless – by Bronwen Scott. “A wonderful book for anyone with even the slightest curiosity about the lives of everyday organisms overlap with ours.”

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies – Works like a charm, offering a simple, systematic path to butterfly identification.

Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America – This field guide might not be of much use to experienced insect watchers, but it’s perfect for beginners and casual nature lovers.

FIELD GUIDES (FLORA)

Sibley Guide to Trees – “Is ‘The Sibley Guide to Trees’ as awesome as ‘The Sibley Guide to Birds’? I’d have to say yes.”

CONSERVATION

Of Parrots and People by Mira Tweti – ‘I highly recommend this book to those who want to learn more about the horrible destruction humanity has wrought all in order to have pretty birds in cages’

BIRDING NARRATIVE

Flyaway: How a Wild Bird Rehabber Sought Adventure and Found Her Wings by Suzie Gilbert – “If her memoir does nothing more than raise the level of awareness of and appreciation for the struggles of wildlife rehabbers among the general public then this book is a success”.

How To Be A (Bad) Birdwatcher by Simon Barnes – I can’t recommend this charming, witty encomium to avian observation enough.

Corvus: A Life With Birds – Those who are as fascinated as Corey by the intelligence and dignity of corvids will find this book worth reading.

Pilgrim on the Great Bird Continent by Lynda Lynn Haupt – Wonderfully written account of Charles Darwin’s transformation from callow scholar to assured, observant naturalist.

Birding for Everyone: Encouraging People of Color to Become Birdwatchers by John C. Robinson – ‘I think he will be, as he undoubtedly has already been, one of the most influential agents of positive change in the future demographic distribution of American nature lovers.’

Flights Against the Sunset by Kenn Kaufman - This series of tales of Kaufman’s experiences while birding, some real, some make-believe, as told to his mother while she was hospitalized is touching and funny. It would make a perfect Mother’s Day gift.

The Verb ‘To Bird’ by Peter Cashwell – A light-hearted look at some seriously fun birding.

All Things Reconsidered by Roger Tory Peterson – This collection of essays is as potent a dose of concentrated birding brilliance as I’ve encountered.

Birding Babylon by Jonathan Trouern-Trend – An amazing account of an American soldier’s encounters with Iraqi avifauna.

Letters From Eden by Julie Zickefoose – A wonderful collection of artwork and essays from a gifted individual who connects with nature with every one of her senses.

Seeking the Sacred Raven: Politics and Extinction on a Hawaiian Island by Mark Jerome Walters – The tragic tale of how one species’ ignorance leads to another’s potential demise.

Why Don’t Woodpeckers Get Headaches? by Mike O’Connor – Though backyard birders will certainly find the most value in the insights dispensed in this witty book, anyone with even a passing interest in birds will get a laugh out of it.

Club George: Diary of a Central Park Bird-watcher by Bob Levy – Earnest, engaging, and maybe a bit overlong, this is a sweet snapshot of NYC human-avian interaction.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill by Mark Bittner – This fresh autobiographical study in amateur ornithology may be one of the first birding romance novels.

The Grail Bird by Tim Gallagher – The definitive narrative of one of the most exciting and controversial ornithological discoveries in recent U.S. history.

The Life of the Skies by Jonathan Rosen – Asks a fair share of thought-provoking questions but follows up time and time again with fresh insights and answers.

LISTING/BIG YEARS

The Jewel Hunter by Chris Gooddie – “If by now I haven’t convinced you that I honestly, truly, and genuinely recommend this book then I may as well never review another one. Buy it and be entertained, enthralled, and consumed by wander-lust”.

To See Every Bird on Earth by Dan Koeppel – A fantastic memoir that explores the dark side of Big Listing.

BIRDING BOOKS FOR THE YOUNGER BIRDER

B is for Bufflehead by Steve Huchcraft – “If you’re looking for a bird book appropriate for young readers, B is for Bufflehead is the one.”

The Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of Eastern North America by Bill Thomson III – Has the wholly laudable aim of getting the young generation outside looking at birds, and if it were up to me every school in eastern North America would have this in their library.

PHOTOS & ART

Sibley’s Backyard Birds poster by David Sibley – “How anyone could resist this poster, which shows likely backyard birds that occur from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast, is beyond me.  I highly recommend picking one up, whether for yourself or as a gift.  It is beautiful and useful, a combination that is as rare as it is worthwhile.”

All the World’s Birds by George le Clerc, Comte de Buffon – Huge, heavy, and very expensive, but also fascinating and beautiful: recommended to anyone with an interest in the history of ornithology.

Birds: The Art of Ornithology by Jonathan Elphick – Even the smaller edition is jam-packed with information about the history of ornithological art from medieval woodcuts to nearly the present day.

Secret Lives of Common Birds by Marie Read – Captures the magic of the mundane, rendering run-of-the-mill birds in vivacious color and thrilling action.

Galapagos: Islands born of Fire by Tui De Roy – “this book…is the next best thing to being on the islands born of fire. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested at all in the natural world.”

Egg & Nest by Rosamond Purcell, Linnea S. Hall,  and René Corado – “Beautifully designed, intelligently presented work. Reverent of life yet unsentimental, there may not be a live bird in the book but I believe that birders and basically anyone else interested in the eternal mysteries of existence will find it fascinating.

POETRY BOOKS

A Spicing of Birds: Poems of Emily Dickinson edited by Jo Miles Schuman and Joanna Bailey Hodgman – “Great poems, wonderful subject matter, gorgeous art…something has to go wrong, right?  Fortunately, no.  The book is superb through and through and I highly recommend it.”

Bright Wings edited by Billy Collins – “Anyone out there who likes poems or birds should own this book, which will be published on 13 November.  The holidays are coming and it would make a handsome gift for everyone from feeder-watchers to hard core birders and from dilettantes in the world of poetry to those who eagerly await the next issue of Poetry.”

WHERE TO WATCH/ATLASES

The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State – This book should be purchased by anyone with any interest at all in birding New York State.

AUDIO GUIDES/RESOURCES

The Songs of Wild Birds by Lang Elliott – An engaging book/CD package presented by one of the best in the birdsong business.

BIOGRAPHIES

Birdwatcher: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson by Elizabeth J. Rosenthal – The Great Man has a great biography in Birdwatcher.

Audubon: Early Drawings by Scott V. Edwards and Richard Rhodes – Any Audubon aficionado or birding completist would proud to have this truly beautiful book in his collection.

MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Gulf Crossing – “I recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about the marvels of migration or anyone who just likes to see good video of birds.”

Ghost Bird – “I would highly recommend making the trek to the Anthology Film Archives and checking out Ghost Bird.  It is an attractive film, well-shot with hand-held cameras and a crew of only two.”

The Life of Birds – Sir David Attenborough delivers the greatest global overview of avian life and behavior you’re likely to ever see.

Opposable Chums: Guts and Glory at the World Series of Birding (Jason Kessler) – This documentary about the 2002 WSOB is entertaining, informative, and, who knows, if you show it to a non-birding friend they might be convinced to give birding a chance!

Video Guide of the Birds of Venezuela (Ferraro Nature Films) – A must for anybody planning a bird watching trip to Venezuela.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (Pelican Media) – This highly acclaimed documentary presents the complicated man behind the wild parrots.

Watching Warblers (Blue Earth Films) – All 39 species of wood-warblers that nest in Eastern North America are captured as bold as life, in vivid color and full-throated song. This is as close as you can get to a personal introduction to each exquisite warbler.

TECHNOLOGY/GEAR REVIEWS

Swarovski 10X42 EL Swarovision Binoculars – “The limited lifetime warranty that comes with the binoculars really does make them an investment and I am sure that if you purchase these binoculars you will be very, very, very, happy with how things look through them.”

Zeiss Victory PhotoScope 85 FL – “There is no doubt at all that the Zeiss PhotoScope (or a product like it) could be ‘the future’ of digiscoping, but right now – in my opinion – you’d need both deep pockets and an extremely good reason to buy it.”

Binocular Harness – “I must say I have been amazed! The harness is easy to use once one is used to it and actually keeps my binoculars more handy than before.”

birdJam – A very cool identification and instructional tool for any birder attempting to expand his or her repertoire of North American bird calls.

Winged Explorer – “If you have a Windows Mobile device or iPhone, you’re going to want to pick up one of these applications soon, especially since the prices just went way down.”