This Morning Outside

Which does a
towhee look like?

This book lets you identify all the birds in eastern North America. Even odd-looking juveniles, like the Eastern Towhee at left.

Diane learned to watch birds out of a Peterson field guide (a few editions back). She still thinks it's the easiest book for learning what to look at when you're trying to identify a bird.

It also has superb pictures, in which those all-important field marks always show. If you're new to birding, get this book, and don't skip the great introduction. It really shows you how to identify birds.

It comes in two versions:
Eastern North America
Western North America

If you're in the middle of the continent, east-to-west, which one should you get? The line runs down through the middle of the Dakotas, and a little west of the middle of Nebraska and Kansas. Oklahoma's and Texas's, panhandles are in the western version. In Texas, the Gulf Coast is half and half.

Inexpensive binoculars

Everyone interested in watching wild birds deserves her or his very own binoculars.

A good binocular for getting started does not have to be expensive, but it should have good optical quality.

The Eagle Optics Shrike 8x42 costs under $100.