Peterson Field Guide
to Western Birds

A Review

A Field Guide to Western Birds : A Completely New Guide to Field Marks o All Species Found in North America West of the 100th Meridian and North of Mexico - Third Edition; Roger Tory Peterson; Paperback.

This is an excellent field guide, especially for the beginning birder. Roger Tory Peterson's lovely, highly instructive illustrations do a wonderful job of helping the birder discriminate between similar species. Peterson not only illustrates the birds: he teaches the reader how to observe them, what to look for.

For example, the book devotes eight pages to ducks in flight. The pictures show little color, butthey emphasize the patterns of light and dark that you see on a distant flying duck.

The text is well organized. Each group of species (such as wood warblers) is introduced with a paragraph that helps familiarize the reader with the classification system of birds. Each species account is attractively displayed. Boldface print makes it easy to find information on similar species, voice, and range. The introduction to each book contains an outstanding section on how to identify birds, illustrated by Peterson's elegant drawings.

Virginia Peterson developed the maps, which are clear and generously sized. They are placed at the back of the book, and the map number of each species is prominently displayed with the text. This is the only thing that jumps out at you to remind you that the book is over a decade old, as all new field guides have maps adjacent to the pictures.

Since this Western Birds volume was published in 1990, some species have undergone name changes (e.g. Rufous-sided Towhee, now split into Eastern Towhee and Spotted Towhee), rendering the book somewhat out of date. However, it is a simple matter to update the names by hand. Many birders enjoy doing it and find it helps them to learn the species.

The book is complete enough all but the rarest of vagrant species. It's small enough to fit in a pocket. If you can find one, hold on to it no matter what new field guides come out. This one will serve you well for a long time to come.

Although you would need to also get Peterson's Eastern field guide in order to cover the entire North American continent, we highly recommend this volume. It would be an good choice as a first field guide for a beginning birder.

--Diane Porter