Reviews
Paul Sterry and Brian Small have created books with large, superior photos placed on pages designed to be lively and interesting. The text accompanying each species is three or four times as long as what you find in most ID books. It's pertinent and sharply written. -- Jim Williams, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic Guide and Birds of Western North America: A Photographic Guide should be a welcome addition to the libraries of serious birders as well as those who enjoy birdwatching only from their own backyard feeders. . . . I recommend both books., "Sterry and Small have created the best photograph based field guides I have seen for North American birds."-- Michael J. Andersen, Quarterly Review of Biology, "The large, excellent photos, combined with the overall design, make this probably the most attractive general field guide I've seen. . . . This is the first field guide that I would recommend to bird photography aficionados solely on the merit of the pictures, irrespective of its value as a field guide. Finally, the exceptional, large photographs make these an attractive primary field guide option for new and burgeoning birders."-- Grant McCreary, Birder's Library, I never used to be very keen on photographic field guides for birds until I perused these two volumes. . . . An excellent volume set for the North American birder, complete with lavish photos larger than those seen in other field guides, useful, up-to-date range maps and an easy-to-use format., "This pair of photographic guides provides superb quality photographic images which are well up to the best of modern standards. If your American photo-guides are a few years old, now is the time to update them. The text is surprisingly detailed and concisely covers all plumages, as well as 'Status and Habitat,' 'Voice,' and 'Observation tips,' and the distribution maps are detailed and clear. These are now the best photographic guides for North America and exceptional value-for-money too." --Steve Gantlett, Birding World, The title really does do this book justice: the amazing photographs are certainly the focus of this colorful field guide. This field guide is also reasonably priced and won't burn your budget. . . . I would recommend this guide for a beginner bird-watcher who is eager to see some beautiful photographs and quality range maps displayed in a user-friendly format. -- Cory J. Gregory, Iowa Bird Life, The photos in these books are large, crisp and clear. . . . They are durable field guides that easily slip into a backpack or even a large pocket in an overcoat, but their pictures are good enough to be a coffee table book. . . . Of all the various field guides I have ever seen, these . . . are by far the best. ---James Swan, ESPNOutdoors.com, "Flat-out gorgeous. We see the birds standing, swimming and in flight. There's the usual field buide-style information--maps of their range, what they sound like, etc.--but this book seems to make things uniquely clear." --Sandy Bauers, Philadelphia Inquirer, The large, excellent photos, combined with the overall design, make this probably the most attractive general field guide I've seen. . . . This is the first field guide that I would recommend to bird photography aficionados solely on the merit of the pictures, irrespective of its value as a field guide. Finally, the exceptional, large photographs make these an attractive primary field guide option for new and burgeoning birders. -- Grant McCreary, Birder's Library, "Deserve a perch in your birding library. Birds of Western North America and its companion guide Birds of Eastern North America are photographic field guides, with clear, well-defined full-color photos for ease of identification." --David Buchanan, Grand Junctions Sentinel, The title really does do this book justice: the amazing photographs are certainly the focus of this colorful field guide. This field guide is also reasonably priced and won't burn your budget. . . . I would recommend this guide for a beginner bird-watcher who is eager to see some beautiful photographs and quality range maps displayed in a user-friendly format. ---Cory J. Gregory, Iowa Bird Life, The Sterry/Small guides are an innovative, useful addition to the arsenal of tools available to help us improve our birding skills. These outstanding guides deserve a place in your pocket, bookshelf, nightstand and bathroom., "Brian Small and co-author Paul Sterry have taken the photo-based field guide to a new level. Their new books are beautifully designed and well written. Photos are tack-sharp, and tightly cropped, giving close-up views of each bird."-- Matt Mendenhall, Birder's World, Flat-out gorgeous. We see the birds standing, swimming and in flight. There's the usual field buide-style information--maps of their range, what they sound like, etc.--but this book seems to make things uniquely clear. -- Sandy Bauers, Philadelphia Inquirer, "With these volumes, we've at last found photographic guides that are as easy to identify birds from as I.D. books that feature paintings. . . . [These] photographic guides aren't pocket size, but they're small enough that we'll carry them in the car and, with binoculars, in a pack on a serious birding outing. We expect to spend some enjoyable winter evenings browsing through them, enjoying the superb photos, and readable text, looking up old friends and preparing to meet new ones."-- Bob and Linda Steiner, The Derrick, These indispensable guides will quickly become the preferred photographic guides for new and experienced birders alike. The clear layout will help novices easily identify the birds they see, while the superb photographs will help seasoned birders confirm identifications., These guides are certainly worthy as a secondary field guide and photographic reference. No question, they are certainly the best photographic guides currently available., These guides are certainly worthy as a secondary field guide and photographic reference. No question, they are certainly the best photographic guides currently available. ---Alan Knue, South Dakota Bird Notes, Stunning. This was the first word that came to mind upon cracking open these new guides. . . . The photography alone is worth owning both Eastern and Western editions. Even so, the accompanying text is fantastic too. ---Eddie Callaway, Birdfreak.com, Fills a real need for a comprehensive regional guide. Where most are sketchy at best, noting only the most common birds, Sterry and Small cover more than 500 species an variants--including birds that migrate down the Pacific and Rocky Mountain flyways and over the eastern Pacific Ocean, as well as Eastern birds known to visit. . . . Sterry and Small present their information in an organized, easy-to-use manner. Small's photos are uniformly excellent, clearly showing fine detail in patterns and colors; the helpful layout makes it easy to compare similar-looking birds, meaning slight differences will be apparent even to novice birders. . . . It should be welcomed into the backpacks of western U.S. birders., "The Sterry/Small guides are an innovative, useful addition to the arsenal of tools available to help us improve our birding skills. These outstanding guides deserve a place in your pocket, bookshelf, nightstand and bathroom."-- Wayne Mones, Audubon Magazine web site, Excellent state-of-the art digital photos and comprehensive, up-to-date data on North American birds. . . . Comparable guides include Ted Floyd's Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America and Edward Brinkley's National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Field Guide to Birds of North America . All three titles are excellent. However, the Sterry-Small guide's larger photos aid identification and highlight variable plumage. Corner insets identify groups of birds for easier browsing. Birders will love the portability, excellent photography, habitat, and conservation information. ---Sally Bickley, Library Journal, Birds of Western North America and the Birds of Eastern North America are quite simply the most lavishly illustrated photographic guides to date of North American avifauna. Because of that fact, perhaps amateur and advanced birders will not object to procuring both books together when exploring such birding hot spots as the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and elsewhere. ---Gene Wilhelm, Pennsylvania Birds, "Paul Sterry and Brian Small have created books with large, superior photos placed on pages designed to be lively and interesting. The text accompanying each species is three or four times as long as what you find in most ID books. It's pertinent and sharply written." --Jim Williams, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Deserve a perch in your birding library. Birds of Western North America and its companion guide Birds of Eastern North America are photographic field guides, with clear, well-defined full-color photos for ease of identification. ---David Buchanan, Grand Junctions Sentinel, "These indispensable guides will quickly become the preferred photographic guides for new and experienced birders alike. The clear layout will help novices easily identify the birds they see, while the superb photographs will help seasoned birders confirm identifications."-- Adventure Sports Outdoors, A fine pair of guides for North America. . . . Small's photos are big, bright, and tack-sharp. . . . Sterry's generous accounts supplement the accompanying photographs well. . . worthwhile acquisitions for field guide consumers and completists alike., "Brian Small and co-author Paul Sterry have taken the photo-based field guide to a new level. Their new books are beautifully designed and well written. Photos are tack-sharp, and tightly cropped, giving close-up views of each bird." --Matt Mendenhall, Birder's World, This pair of photographic guides provides superb quality photographic images which are well up to the best of modern standards. If your American photo-guides are a few years old, now is the time to update them. The text is surprisingly detailed and concisely covers all plumages, as well as 'Status and Habitat,' 'Voice,' and 'Observation tips,' and the distribution maps are detailed and clear. These are now the best photographic guides for North America and exceptional value-for-money too. -- Steve Gantlett, Birding World, Fabulous photographic field guides. . . .Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic Guide, and its companion pieceBirds of Western North America, are a tremendous addition to any library of bird identification literature. . . . Even those accustomed to an artist's illustration rather than photography to highlight identification features will find themselves reaching for these volumes time after time to confirm a field sighting of a bird in its natural habitat., With the proliferation of options, choosing a good field guide is increasingly a question of personal preference. Most of my casual birder friends prefer photographic guides; most keen birders seem to prefer traditional guides with paintings. I would recommend this book for novice birders and for those wanting to supplement a more traditional guide., Certainly the best and most lavishly illustrated photographic guide to the birds of western North America that I have seen. -- Fatbirder, Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic Guide and Birds of Western North America: A Photographic Guide should be a welcome addition to the libraries of serious birders as well as those who enjoy birdwatching only from their own backyard feeders. . . . I recommend both books. -- Brad Sylvester, Manchester Bird Watching Examiner, "Outstanding. . . . The photos are of such superb detail you expect them to fly off the pages." --Bill Cochran, Roanoke Times, Certainly the best and most lavishly illustrated photographic guide to the birds of western North America that I have seen., Excellent state-of-the art digital photos and comprehensive, up-to-date data on North American birds. . . . Comparable guides include Ted Floyd's Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America and Edward Brinkley's National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Field Guide to Birds of North America . All three titles are excellent. However, the Sterry-Small guide's larger photos aid identification and highlight variable plumage. Corner insets identify groups of birds for easier browsing. Birders will love the portability, excellent photography, habitat, and conservation information. -- Sally Bickley, Library Journal, "Flat-out gorgeous. We see the birds standing, swimming and in flight. There's the usual field buide-style information--maps of their range, what they sound like, etc.--but this book seems to make things uniquely clear."-- Sandy Bauers, Philadelphia Inquirer, "The large, excellent photos, combined with the overall design, make this probably the most attractive general field guide I've seen. . . . This is the first field guide that I would recommend to bird photography aficionados solely on the merit of the pictures, irrespective of its value as a field guide. Finally, the exceptional, large photographs make these an attractive primary field guide option for new and burgeoning birders." --Grant McCreary, Birder's Library, Informative and accessible text, up-to-date maps, and stunning color photographs. Images have been carefully selected to convey both the sheer beauty and the key identification features of each bird, and many of the photos are larger than those found in most other guides., Whether you are a birding fanatic or someone who enjoys looking in their backyard to see what shows up, there is a new bird guide that will fill your need. . . . With great photos of more than 500 species, this is a wonderful photographic guide making identification of birds that much easier. Both the Eastern and Western versions are great gift ideas. ---Ken Moran, New York Post, Excellent state-of-the art digital photos and comprehensive, up-to-date data on North American birds. . . . Comparable guides include Ted Floyd's Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America and Edward Brinkley's National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Field Guide to Birds of North America . All three titles are excellent. However, the Sterry-Small guide's larger photos aid identification and highlight variable plumage. Corner insets identify groups of birds for easier browsing. Birders will love the portability, excellent photography, habitat, and conservation information., "Stunning. This was the first word that came to mind upon cracking open these new guides. . . . The photography alone is worth owning both Eastern and Western editions. Even so, the accompanying text is fantastic too."-- Eddie Callaway, Birdfreak.com, "With the proliferation of options, choosing a good field guide is increasingly a question of personal preference. Most of my casual birder friends prefer photographic guides; most keen birders seem to prefer traditional guides with paintings. I would recommend this book for novice birders and for those wanting to supplement a more traditional guide."-- Mark Gawn, Canadian Field-Naturalist, "The Sterry/Small guides are an innovative, useful addition to the arsenal of tools available to help us improve our birding skills. These outstanding guides deserve a place in your pocket, bookshelf, nightstand and bathroom." --Wayne Mones, Audubon Magazine web site, I never used to be very keen on photographic field guides for birds until I perused these two volumes. . . . An excellent volume set for the North American birder, complete with lavish photos larger than those seen in other field guides, useful, up-to-date range maps and an easy-to-use format. ---David Bird, Montreal Gazette, "Whether you are a birding fanatic or someone who enjoys looking in their backyard to see what shows up, there is a new bird guide that will fill your need. . . . With great photos of more than 500 species, this is a wonderful photographic guide making identification of birds that much easier. Both the Eastern and Western versions are great gift ideas."-- Ken Moran, New York Post, With the proliferation of options, choosing a good field guide is increasingly a question of personal preference. Most of my casual birder friends prefer photographic guides; most keen birders seem to prefer traditional guides with paintings. I would recommend this book for novice birders and for those wanting to supplement a more traditional guide. ---Mark Gawn, Canadian Field-Naturalist, I was immediately captivated by the stunning photographs. . . . This one's a keeper. ---George Smith, Down East.com, Sterry and Small have created the best photograph based field guides I have seen for North American birds., The large, excellent photos, combined with the overall design, make this probably the most attractive general field guide I've seen. . . . This is the first field guide that I would recommend to bird photography aficionados solely on the merit of the pictures, irrespective of its value as a field guide. Finally, the exceptional, large photographs make these an attractive primary field guide option for new and burgeoning birders. ---Grant McCreary, Birder's Library, With the proliferation of options, choosing a good field guide is increasingly a question of personal preference. Most of my casual birder friends prefer photographic guides; most keen birders seem to prefer traditional guides with paintings. I would recommend this book for novice birders and for those wanting to supplement a more traditional guide. -- Mark Gawn, Canadian Field-Naturalist, Brian Small and co-author Paul Sterry have taken the photo-based field guide to a new level. Their new books are beautifully designed and well written. Photos are tack-sharp, and tightly cropped, giving close-up views of each bird. -- Matt Mendenhall, Birder's World, Fabulous photographic field guides. . . .Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic Guide, and its companion pieceBirds of Western North America, are a tremendous addition to any library of bird identification literature. . . . Even those accustomed to an artist's illustration rather than photography to highlight identification features will find themselves reaching for these volumes time after time to confirm a field sighting of a bird in its natural habitat. -- Birding Business, "With these volumes, we've at last found photographic guides that are as easy to identify birds from as I.D. books that feature paintings. . . . [These] photographic guides aren't pocket size, but they're small enough that we'll carry them in the car and, with binoculars, in a pack on a serious birding outing. We expect to spend some enjoyable winter evenings browsing through them, enjoying the superb photos, and readable text, looking up old friends and preparing to meet new ones." --Bob and Linda Steiner, The Derrick, "Fabulous photographic field guides. . . . Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic Guide , and its companion piece Birds of Western North America , are a tremendous addition to any library of bird identification literature. . . . Even those accustomed to an artist's illustration rather than photography to highlight identification features will find themselves reaching for these volumes time after time to confirm a field sighting of a bird in its natural habitat." -- Birding Business, "The large, well-composed and well-edited photographs, combined with good text and range maps, may very well place these as the top photographic guides for North America." --Nathan Hentze, Discovery, Stunning. This was the first word that came to mind upon cracking open these new guides. . . . The photography alone is worth owning both Eastern and Western editions. Even so, the accompanying text is fantastic too., "Stunning. This was the first word that came to mind upon cracking open these new guides. . . . The photography alone is worth owning both Eastern and Western editions. Even so, the accompanying text is fantastic too." --Eddie Callaway, Birdfreak.com, " Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic Guide and Birds of Western North America: A Photographic Guide should be a welcome addition to the libraries of serious birders as well as those who enjoy birdwatching only from their own backyard feeders. . . . I recommend both books."-- Brad Sylvester, Manchester Bird Watching Examiner, "I never used to be very keen on photographic field guides for birds until I perused these two volumes. . . . An excellent volume set for the North American birder, complete with lavish photos larger than those seen in other field guides, useful, up-to-date range maps and an easy-to-use format."-- David Bird, Montreal Gazette, With these volumes, we've at last found photographic guides that are as easy to identify birds from as I.D. books that feature paintings. . . . [These] photographic guides aren't pocket size, but they're small enough that we'll carry them in the car and, with binoculars, in a pack on a serious birding outing. We expect to spend some enjoyable winter evenings browsing through them, enjoying the superb photos, and readable text, looking up old friends and preparing to meet new ones. ---Bob and Linda Steiner, The Derrick, "Excellent state-of-the art digital photos and comprehensive, up-to-date data on North American birds. . . . Comparable guides include Ted Floyd's Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America and Edward Brinkley's National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Field Guide to Birds of North America . All three titles are excellent. However, the Sterry-Small guide's larger photos aid identification and highlight variable plumage. Corner insets identify groups of birds for easier browsing. Birders will love the portability, excellent photography, habitat, and conservation information."-- Sally Bickley, Library Journal, Flat-out gorgeous. We see the birds standing, swimming and in flight. There's the usual field buide-style information--maps of their range, what they sound like, etc.--but this book seems to make things uniquely clear., A fine pair of guides for North America. . . . Small's photos are big, bright, and tack-sharp. . . . Sterry's generous accounts supplement the accompanying photographs well. . . worthwhile acquisitions for field guide consumers and completists alike. -- Mike Bergin, 10,000 Birds, "This pair of photographic guides provides superb quality photographic images which are well up to the best of modern standards. If your American photo-guides are a few years old, now is the time to update them. The text is surprisingly detailed and concisely covers all plumages, as well as 'Status and Habitat,' 'Voice,' and 'Observation tips,' and the distribution maps are detailed and clear. These are now the best photographic guides for North America and exceptional value-for-money too."-- Steve Gantlett, Birding World, The title really does do this book justice: the amazing photographs are certainly the focus of this colorful field guide. This field guide is also reasonably priced and won't burn your budget. . . . I would recommend this guide for a beginner bird-watcher who is eager to see some beautiful photographs and quality range maps displayed in a user-friendly format., Outstanding. . . . The photos are of such superb detail you expect them to fly off the pages. -- Bill Cochran, Roanoke Times, "I was immediately captivated by the stunning photographs. . . . This one's a keeper." --George Smith, Down East.com, "The guides are, in a word, gorgeous--the photos are crisp (the latest digital technology captures rich detail) and the page layout is superb."-- Fannie Peczenik, Pittsburgh Bird Watching Examiner, "A fine pair of guides for North America. . . . Small's photos are big, bright, and tack-sharp. . . . Sterry's generous accounts supplement the accompanying photographs well. . . worthwhile acquisitions for field guide consumers and completists alike."-- Mike Bergin, 10,000 Birds, "These guides are certainly worthy as a secondary field guide and photographic reference. No question, they are certainly the best photographic guides currently available." --Alan Knue, South Dakota Bird Notes, Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic GuideandBirds of Western North America: A Photographic Guideshould be a welcome addition to the libraries of serious birders as well as those who enjoy birdwatching only from their own backyard feeders. . . . I recommend both books. -- Brad Sylvester, Manchester Bird Watching Examiner, "With the proliferation of options, choosing a good field guide is increasingly a question of personal preference. Most of my casual birder friends prefer photographic guides; most keen birders seem to prefer traditional guides with paintings. I would recommend this book for novice birders and for those wanting to supplement a more traditional guide." --Mark Gawn, Canadian Field-Naturalist, "The photos in these books are large, crisp and clear. . . . They are durable field guides that easily slip into a backpack or even a large pocket in an overcoat, but their pictures are good enough to be a coffee table book. . . . Of all the various field guides I have ever seen, these . . . are by far the best." --James Swan, ESPNOutdoors.com, Brian Small and co-author Paul Sterry have taken the photo-based field guide to a new level. Their new books are beautifully designed and well written. Photos are tack-sharp, and tightly cropped, giving close-up views of each bird., The photos in these books are large, crisp and clear. . . . They are durable field guides that easily slip into a backpack or even a large pocket in an overcoat, but their pictures are good enough to be a coffee table book. . . . Of all the various field guides I have ever seen, these . . . are by far the best. -- James Swan, ESPNOutdoors.com, "With these volumes, we've at last found photographic guides that are as easy to identify birds from as I.D. books that feature paintings. . . . [These] photographic guides aren't pocket size, but they're small enough that well carry them in the car and, with binoculars, in a pack on a serious birding outing. We expect to spend some enjoyable winter evenings browsing through them, enjoying the superb photos, and readable text, looking up old friends and preparing to meet new ones."-- Bob and Linda Steiner, The Derrick, "The photos in these books are large, crisp and clear. . . . They are durable field guides that easily slip into a backpack or even a large pocket in an overcoat, but their pictures are good enough to be a coffee table book. . . . Of all the various field guides I have ever seen, these . . . are by far the best."-- James Swan, ESPNOutdoors.com, " Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic Guide and Birds of Western North America: A Photographic Guide should be a welcome addition to the libraries of serious birders as well as those who enjoy birdwatching only from their own backyard feeders. . . . I recommend both books." --Brad Sylvester, Manchester Bird Watching Examiner, The guides are, in a word, gorgeous--the photos are crisp (the latest digital technology captures rich detail) and the page layout is superb. ---Fannie Peczenik, Pittsburgh Bird Watching Examiner, "Deserve a perch in your birding library. Birds of Western North America and its companion guide Birds of Eastern North America are photographic field guides, with clear, well-defined full-color photos for ease of identification."-- David Buchanan, Grand Junctions Sentinel, The Sterry/Small guides are an innovative, useful addition to the arsenal of tools available to help us improve our birding skills. These outstanding guides deserve a place in your pocket, bookshelf, nightstand and bathroom. -- Wayne Mones, Audubon Magazine, Birds of Western North America and the Birds of Eastern North America are quite simply the most lavishly illustrated photographic guides to date of North American avifauna. Because of that fact, perhaps amateur and advanced birders will not object to procuring both books together when exploring such birding hot spots as the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and elsewhere., The large, excellent photos, combined with the overall design, make this probably the most attractive general field guide I've seen. . . . This is the first field guide that I would recommend to bird photography aficionados solely on the merit of the pictures, irrespective of its value as a field guide. Finally, the exceptional, large photographs make these an attractive primary field guide option for new and burgeoning birders., Paul Sterry and Brian Small have created books with large, superior photos placed on pages designed to be lively and interesting. The text accompanying each species is three or four times as long as what you find in most ID books. It's pertinent and sharply written., This pair of photographic guides provides superb quality photographic images which are well up to the best of modern standards. If your American photo-guides are a few years old, now is the time to update them. The text is surprisingly detailed and concisely covers all plumages, as well as 'Status and Habitat,' 'Voice,' and 'Observation tips,' and the distribution maps are detailed and clear. These are now the best photographic guides for North America and exceptional value-for-money too. ---Steve Gantlett, Birding World, "Paul Sterry and Brian Small have created books with large, superior photos placed on pages designed to be lively and interesting. The text accompanying each species is three or four times as long as what you find in most ID books. It's pertinent and sharply written."-- Jim Williams, Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Excellent state-of-the art digital photos and comprehensive, up-to-date data on North American birds. . . . Comparable guides include Ted Floyd's Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America and Edward Brinkley's National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Field Guide to Birds of North America . All three titles are excellent. However, the Sterry-Small guide's larger photos aid identification and highlight variable plumage. Corner insets identify groups of birds for easier browsing. Birders will love the portability, excellent photography, habitat, and conservation information." --Sally Bickley, Library Journal, Whether you are a birding fanatic or someone who enjoys looking in their backyard to see what shows up, there is a new bird guide that will fill your need. . . . With great photos of more than 500 species, this is a wonderful photographic guide making identification of birds that much easier. Both the Eastern and Western versions are great gift ideas., Deserve a perch in your birding library.Birds of Western North Americaand its companion guideBirds of Eastern North Americaare photographic field guides, with clear, well-defined full-color photos for ease of identification., "Certainly the best and most lavishly illustrated photographic guide to the birds of western North America that I have seen." -- Fatbirder, The large, well-composed and well-edited photographs, combined with good text and range maps, may very well place these as the top photographic guides for North America. -- Nathan Hentze, Discovery, "[T]hese [two] books do have truly wonderful photographs and written descriptions that are useful in identifying and differentiating species. The guides could be especially useful to the casual birder. If you consider the cost of the paperback edition, they are an attractive, affordable addition to one's library." --Clayton M. White, Western North American Naturalist, Fabulous photographic field guides. . . . Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic Guide , and its companion piece Birds of Western North America , are a tremendous addition to any library of bird identification literature. . . . Even those accustomed to an artist's illustration rather than photography to highlight identification features will find themselves reaching for these volumes time after time to confirm a field sighting of a bird in its natural habitat. -- Birding Business, "The title really does do this book justice: the amazing photographs are certainly the focus of this colorful field guide. This field guide is also reasonably priced and won't burn your budget. . . . I would recommend this guide for a beginner bird-watcher who is eager to see some beautiful photographs and quality range maps displayed in a user-friendly format." --Cory J. Gregory, Iowa Bird Life, "A fine pair of guides for North America. . . . Small's photos are big, bright, and tack-sharp. . . . Sterry's generous accounts supplement the accompanying photographs well. . . worthwhile acquisitions for field guide consumers and completists alike." --Mike Bergin, 10,000 Birds, "The guides are, in a word, gorgeous--the photos are crisp (the latest digital technology captures rich detail) and the page layout is superb." --Fannie Peczenik, Pittsburgh Bird Watching Examiner, "Informative and accessible text, up-to-date maps, and stunning color photographs. Images have been carefully selected to convey both the sheer beauty and the key identification features of each bird, and many of the photos are larger than those found in most other guides."-- OSNA Birds, "These indispensable guides will quickly become the preferred photographic guides for new and experienced birders alike. The clear layout will help novices easily identify the birds they see, while the superb photographs will help seasoned birders confirm identifications." -- Adventure Sports Outdoors, Sterry and Small have created the best photograph based field guides I have seen for North American birds. ---Michael J. Andersen, Quarterly Review of Biology, "Sterry and Small have created the best photograph based field guides I have seen for North American birds." --Michael J. Andersen, Quarterly Review of Biology, Deserve a perch in your birding library.Birds of Western North Americaand its companion guideBirds of Eastern North Americaare photographic field guides, with clear, well-defined full-color photos for ease of identification. -- David Buchanan, Grand Junctions Sentinel, Sterry and Small have created the best photograph based field guides I have seen for North American birds. -- Michael J. Andersen, Quarterly Review of Biology, "Fills a real need for a comprehensive regional guide. Where most are sketchy at best, noting only the most common birds, Sterry and Small cover more than 500 species an variants--including birds that migrate down the Pacific and Rocky Mountain flyways and over the eastern Pacific Ocean, as well as Eastern birds known to visit. . . . Sterry and Small present their information in an organized, easy-to-use manner. Small's photos are uniformly excellent, clearly showing fine detail in patterns and colors; the helpful layout makes it easy to compare similar-looking birds, meaning slight differences will be apparent even to novice birders. . . . It should be welcomed into the backpacks of western U.S. birders."-- Publishers Weekly, Flat-out gorgeous. We see the birds standing, swimming and in flight. There's the usual field buide-style information--maps of their range, what they sound like, etc.--but this book seems to make things uniquely clear. ---Sandy Bauers, Philadelphia Inquirer, "Fabulous photographic field guides. . . . Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic Guide , and its companion piece Birds of Western North America , are a tremendous addition to any library of bird identification literature. . . . Even those accustomed to an artist's illustration rather than photography to highlight identification features will find themselves reaching for these volumes time after time to confirm a field sighting of a bird in its natural habitat."-- Birding Business, "These guides are certainly worthy as a secondary field guide and photographic reference. No question, they are certainly the best photographic guides currently available."-- Alan Knue, South Dakota Bird Notes, "Informative and accessible text, up-to-date maps, and stunning color photographs. Images have been carefully selected to convey both the sheer beauty and the key identification features of each bird, and many of the photos are larger than those found in most other guides." -- OSNA Birds, Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic Guide and Birds of Western North America: A Photographic Guide should be a welcome addition to the libraries of serious birders as well as those who enjoy birdwatching only from their own backyard feeders. . . . I recommend both books. ---Brad Sylvester, Manchester Bird Watching Examiner, [T]hese [two] books do have truly wonderful photographs and written descriptions that are useful in identifying and differentiating species. The guides could be especially useful to the casual birder. If you consider the cost of the paperback edition, they are an attractive, affordable addition to one's library. -- Clayton M. White, Western North American Naturalist, With these volumes, we've at last found photographic guides that are as easy to identify birds from as I.D. books that feature paintings. . . . [These] photographic guides aren't pocket size, but they're small enough that we'll carry them in the car and, with binoculars, in a pack on a serious birding outing. We expect to spend some enjoyable winter evenings browsing through them, enjoying the superb photos, and readable text, looking up old friends and preparing to meet new ones. -- Bob and Linda Steiner, The Derrick, Paul Sterry and Brian Small have created books with large, superior photos placed on pages designed to be lively and interesting. The text accompanying each species is three or four times as long as what you find in most ID books. It's pertinent and sharply written. ---Jim Williams, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Deserve a perch in your birding library. Birds of Western North America and its companion guide Birds of Eastern North America are photographic field guides, with clear, well-defined full-color photos for ease of identification., "[T]hese [two] books do have truly wonderful photographs and written descriptions that are useful in identifying and differentiating species. The guides could be especially useful to the casual birder. If you consider the cost of the paperback edition, they are an attractive, affordable addition to one's library."-- Clayton M. White, Western North American Naturalist, The guides are, in a word, gorgeous--the photos are crisp (the latest digital technology captures rich detail) and the page layout is superb. -- Fannie Peczenik, Pittsburgh Bird Watching Examiner, "I was immediately captivated by the stunning photographs. . . . This one's a keeper."-- George Smith, Down East.com, Brian Small and co-author Paul Sterry have taken the photo-based field guide to a new level. Their new books are beautifully designed and well written. Photos are tack-sharp, and tightly cropped, giving close-up views of each bird. ---Matt Mendenhall, Birder's World, Excellent state-of-the art digital photos and comprehensive, up-to-date data on North American birds. . . . Comparable guides include Ted Floyd'sSmithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North Americaand Edward Brinkley'sNational Wildlife Federation (NWF) Field Guide to Birds of North America. All three titles are excellent. However, the Sterry-Small guide's larger photos aid identification and highlight variable plumage. Corner insets identify groups of birds for easier browsing. Birders will love the portability, excellent photography, habitat, and conservation information., The photos in these books are large, crisp and clear. . . . They are durable field guides that easily slip into a backpack or even a large pocket in an overcoat, but their pictures are good enough to be a coffee table book. . . . Of all the various field guides I have ever seen, these . . . are by far the best., With these volumes, we've at last found photographic guides that are as easy to identify birds from as I.D. books that feature paintings. . . . [These] photographic guides aren't pocket size, but they're small enough that we'll carry them in the car and, with binoculars, in a pack on a serious birding outing. We expect to spend some enjoyable winter evenings browsing through them, enjoying the superb photos, and readable text, looking up old friends and preparing to meet new ones., Deserve a perch in your birding library. Birds of Western North America and its companion guide Birds of Eastern North America are photographic field guides, with clear, well-defined full-color photos for ease of identification. -- David Buchanan, Grand Junctions Sentinel, "Certainly the best and most lavishly illustrated photographic guide to the birds of western North America that I have seen."-- Fatbirder, "The title really does do this book justice: the amazing photographs are certainly the focus of this colorful field guide. This field guide is also reasonably priced and won't burn your budget. . . . I would recommend this guide for a beginner bird-watcher who is eager to see some beautiful photographs and quality range maps displayed in a user-friendly format."-- Cory J. Gregory, Iowa Bird Life, "I never used to be very keen on photographic field guides for birds until I perused these two volumes. . . . An excellent volume set for the North American birder, complete with lavish photos larger than those seen in other field guides, useful, up-to-date range maps and an easy-to-use format." --David Bird, Montreal Gazette, " Birds of Western North America and the Birds of Eastern North America are quite simply the most lavishly illustrated photographic guides to date of North American avifauna. Because of that fact, perhaps amateur and advanced birders will not object to procuring both books together when exploring such birding hot spots as the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and elsewhere."-- Gene Wilhelm, Pennsylvania Birds, Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic GuideandBirds of Western North America: A Photographic Guideshould be a welcome addition to the libraries of serious birders as well as those who enjoy birdwatching only from their own backyard feeders. . . . I recommend both books., A fine pair of guides for North America. . . . Small's photos are big, bright, and tack-sharp. . . . Sterry's generous accounts supplement the accompanying photographs well. . . worthwhile acquisitions for field guide consumers and completists alike. ---Mike Bergin, 10,000 Birds, The Sterry/Small guides are an innovative, useful addition to the arsenal of tools available to help us improve our birding skills. These outstanding guides deserve a place in your pocket, bookshelf, nightstand and bathroom. ---Wayne Mones, Audubon Magazine, Informative and accessible text, up-to-date maps, and stunning color photographs. Images have been carefully selected to convey both the sheer beauty and the key identification features of each bird, and many of the photos are larger than those found in most other guides. -- OSNA Birds, The large, well-composed and well-edited photographs, combined with good text and range maps, may very well place these as the top photographic guides for North America. ---Nathan Hentze, Discovery, Fabulous photographic field guides. . . . Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic Guide , and its companion piece Birds of Western North America , are a tremendous addition to any library of bird identification literature. . . . Even those accustomed to an artist's illustration rather than photography to highlight identification features will find themselves reaching for these volumes time after time to confirm a field sighting of a bird in its natural habitat., "Fills a real need for a comprehensive regional guide. Where most are sketchy at best, noting only the most common birds, Sterry and Small cover more than 500 species an variants--including birds that migrate down the Pacific and Rocky Mountain flyways and over the eastern Pacific Ocean, as well as Eastern birds known to visit. . . . Sterry and Small present their information in an organized, easy-to-use manner. Small's photos are uniformly excellent, clearly showing fine detail in patterns and colors; the helpful layout makes it easy to compare similar-looking birds, meaning slight differences will be apparent even to novice birders. . . . It should be welcomed into the backpacks of western U.S. birders." -- Publishers Weekly, Whether you are a birding fanatic or someone who enjoys looking in their backyard to see what shows up, there is a new bird guide that will fill your need. . . . With great photos of more than 500 species, this is a wonderful photographic guide making identification of birds that much easier. Both the Eastern and Western versions are great gift ideas. -- Ken Moran, New York Post, Excellent state-of-the art digital photos and comprehensive, up-to-date data on North American birds. . . . Comparable guides include Ted Floyd'sSmithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North Americaand Edward Brinkley'sNational Wildlife Federation (NWF) Field Guide to Birds of North America. All three titles are excellent. However, the Sterry-Small guide's larger photos aid identification and highlight variable plumage. Corner insets identify groups of birds for easier browsing. Birders will love the portability, excellent photography, habitat, and conservation information. -- Sally Bickley, Library Journal, [T]hese [two] books do have truly wonderful photographs and written descriptions that are useful in identifying and differentiating species. The guides could be especially useful to the casual birder. If you consider the cost of the paperback edition, they are an attractive, affordable addition to one's library., [T]hese [two] books do have truly wonderful photographs and written descriptions that are useful in identifying and differentiating species. The guides could be especially useful to the casual birder. If you consider the cost of the paperback edition, they are an attractive, affordable addition to one's library. ---Clayton M. White, Western North American Naturalist, " Birds of Western North America and the Birds of Eastern North America are quite simply the most lavishly illustrated photographic guides to date of North American avifauna. Because of that fact, perhaps amateur and advanced birders will not object to procuring both books together when exploring such birding hot spots as the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and elsewhere." --Gene Wilhelm, Pennsylvania Birds, Stunning. This was the first word that came to mind upon cracking open these new guides. . . . The photography alone is worth owning both Eastern and Western editions. Even so, the accompanying text is fantastic too. -- Eddie Callaway, Birdfreak.com, I never used to be very keen on photographic field guides for birds until I perused these two volumes. . . . An excellent volume set for the North American birder, complete with lavish photos larger than those seen in other field guides, useful, up-to-date range maps and an easy-to-use format. -- David Bird, Montreal Gazette, The large, well-composed and well-edited photographs, combined with good text and range maps, may very well place these as the top photographic guides for North America., This pair of photographic guides provides superb quality photographic images which are well up to the best of modern standards. If your American photo-guides are a few years old, now is the time to update them. The text is surprisingly detailed and concisely covers all plumages, as well as 'Status and Habitat,' 'Voice,' and 'Observation tips,' and the distribution maps are detailed and clear. These are now the best photographic guides for North America and exceptional value-for-money too., These indispensable guides will quickly become the preferred photographic guides for new and experienced birders alike. The clear layout will help novices easily identify the birds they see, while the superb photographs will help seasoned birders confirm identifications. -- Adventure Sports Outdoors, Outstanding. . . . The photos are of such superb detail you expect them to fly off the pages. ---Bill Cochran, Roanoke Times, The guides are, in a word, gorgeous--the photos are crisp (the latest digital technology captures rich detail) and the page layout is superb., "Whether you are a birding fanatic or someone who enjoys looking in their backyard to see what shows up, there is a new bird guide that will fill your need. . . . With great photos of more than 500 species, this is a wonderful photographic guide making identification of birds that much easier. Both the Eastern and Western versions are great gift ideas." --Ken Moran, New York Post, I was immediately captivated by the stunning photographs. . . . This one's a keeper. -- George Smith, Down East.com, These guides are certainly worthy as a secondary field guide and photographic reference. No question, they are certainly the best photographic guides currently available. -- Alan Knue, South Dakota Bird Notes, "Outstanding. . . . The photos are of such superb detail you expect them to fly off the pages."-- Bill Cochran, Roanoke Times, "The large, well-composed and well-edited photographs, combined with good text and range maps, may very well place these as the top photographic guides for North America."-- Nathan Hentze, Discovery
