The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds is undoubtedly the most innovative avian reference guide to come along in many years. In fact, the guide represents such a bold leap forward that reading it makes one wonder what the future of bird guides holds. This is why we asked readers to share their views on the NEXT big step in bird guide design, philosophy, or technology as part of our Fun, Fun, Fun Crossley ID Guide Giveaway. This is the final entry in a three-part series discussing those predictions:
Most of the influential North American bird reference guides (The Sibley Guide to Birds and A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America dominate different portions of the continent) are expansive keys to the full array of avian species of either all or a portion of the contiguous landmass. Other notable guides to continents, countries, and regions outside of North America (the illustrious Collins Guide comes to mind) take an equally broad view of birds. Specialized guides rarely seem to capture the imagination as effectively as the more holistic references. For example, I found Gulls of the Americas by Howell and Dunn (2007) a superb specialized guide, but wonder how many would be gullers use or are even aware of it today.
Ironically, the most popular specialized bird guide in the American market today is the The Shorebird Guide by O’Brien, Crossley, and Karlson. Perhaps this is why, when asked about the future of field guides in our Crossley ID Guide Giveaway, so many suggested the future is specialization:
I believe the future of bird guides will consist of specialist guides which will focused on sparrows, gulls, etc. There are a few guides that cover these groups; however they fall incredibly short of a field guide. Many make great reference books on the book shelf, but carrying a hard-cover mammoth in the field pack is far from ideal. Also many of these books use photos which, although they’re great to look at, don’t always help the birder clinch an ID. Designed by leading field guide authors in their respective styles, it would provide an incredible tool for birders.
I think what birders need, and where there’s room for growth is in specialty guides. Guides that focus on sparrows and warblers, that feature male/female, spring/fall plumages, etc. would be very helpful. There are books available for these, but I yet to see anything spectacular.
For the future of guides, I’d have to say finer detail for problem groups such as sparrows and gulls. Not many of the mainstream guides have all the plumage variations and view angles.
Future field guides have much room to grow in guides focuses on families of birds. One example is sparrows. I have yet to find a quality guide on sparrows and such a guide would be very helpful for us who are obsessed with the little brown birds.
I think there’s room to grow as far as specialty guides to sparrows and warblers…one that has all plumages and shows them at different angles. This would be very helpful. Thanks.
I think that specialty guides need to catch up on the general guides. Gulls with more plumage drawings and more angles would be very helpful. Also Sparrows. Thanks.
Gulls, sparrows, and wood warblers dominate the discussion here. Apart from the aforementioned Gulls of the Americas, I strongly recommend the videos produced by Judy Feith and Michael Male at Birdfilms.com for pre-trip prep. I love Watching Warblers and Watching Warblers WEST (click links for my reviews). Stay tuned for Corey’s review of the equally exceptional Watching Sparrows.
What specialized bird reference resources do you love? What specialized guides do you need?
Well, yeah, “carrying a hard-cover mammoth in the field pack is far from ideal” is true. But if the information in that mammoth was available in a hand-held electronic device… and likewise those specialized guides were available in electronic form… I think you might find that is the future.
For example I just came back from three weeks in Ecuador. Of course I took the appropriate mammoth (“Birds of Ecuador” by Ridgely and Greenfield) and yes, I didn’t carry it into the field. But a hand-held electronic version, sure, I would have carried that. I would even have paid the same amount for an electronic version as for the paper version.
I don’t expect Birds of Ecuador to be made electronic in the near future, though. That would be a helluva job. But in the long term? New field guides could be made in paper and electronic versions simultaneously. And I think they will.
I agree that digital guides will be the future. Specialized guides may be hurt by folks that want it all in one app. But then again, app programming seems to be so common place, birding apps made for specific locations may also increase.
I could have helped you (Paul)as a guide in Ecuador; I am not like a mammoth and can make your day more fun. Also I could have helped you carry that mammoth if you really want it… but I agree that the electronic guides are the future but with a lot more lively info like video, gps coordinates, sound, photos, and even jokes. All this info could be updated online electronically if all parties cooperated like in ebird. But the best guide of all is a human guide and in Ecuador you can find many Ecuadorian guides that are the best and most knowledgeable. I do not fall on the elite group but I have fun doing it! Human local guides are best!
I think Paul has some great points: so many times I have been out in the field staring at a somewhat more complex bird thinking, damn if only I had xxyy book with right now – page 232 would have been so useful right now. Having it all available electronically would have been awesome. At home, I do not want to look at it electronically, I want to page through my raptor guide and flip quickly from page to page and hold paper in my hands. But I do not want to carry all 40 Helm et al specialist field guides in the field with me (and my pack mule).
A “buy the book, get the e-book for $10 extra” system would be awesome: best of both worlds.
@Mike, to your question – my stand-out favorite specialist guide at the moment is Dick Foresman’s Raptors of Europe (cant wait for his new Raptors of the Palearctic book; and Bill Clarke’s Raptors of Africa).
If you will allow me to count it as a specialist book, I’d also add Nils van Duivedijk’s Advanced Bird ID Guide.
@Renato: I did have human guides for much of my time in Ecuador, and if (when) I go back I will do that again. But it’s also fun to go somewhere and scribble down descriptions of the birds you see, and then try to figure out what they actually were when you get back to where you left the book.
And I have to mention that 10000 Birds was one of the resources we used when planning our trip!