Birding 101

Bird Reference

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America – My favorite field guide since each section has a visual side by side comparison of the birds in that section according to scale. It’s helpful for newbies to see them right next to each other for comparison. It’s also wonderful because it shows gender and age differences within a specific species. It also shows the Mexican variation if there is one which is helpful when you are as close to the Mexican border as we are.

The Sibley Guide to Birds, Second Edition – Even a larger reference guide for drawing and bird identification. Sibley’s guide that includes both western and eastern editions into one.

Cornell’s Bird Guide – This is a great resource for searching for birds. Each bird has several photographs (male, female, and juvenile), sound recordings, description, size dimensions and stats, habitat, food, behavior, nesting, current conservation status, similar bird species, videos, and a link to eBird so you can check it’s recorded regions.

Hawaii’s Birds – Hands down the best and almost the only guide to just Hawaiian birds. Created by the members of the Hawaii Audubon Society, this book contains great information and photos. It also breaks down birds by habitat and island.

Bird Watching 101

Cornell’s How to ID a Bird – Learn how to ID a bird using the four major starting points.

Sibley’s Birding Basics – A quick 148 page read, this book is dense with great beginning birding knowledge. Since it’s Sibley book, there are wonderfully illustrated diagrams. The content is really helpful for newbie birders like myself and I’m finding it to be an valuable resource. It’s basically a detailed birding class in a tiny book.

Bird Photography

Backyard Bird Photography – Tips for taking photos of songbirds in your backyard.

Photo-Birding in San Diego – A Facebook group that grew out of a similar group on Flickr, this group posts wonderful bird photography constantly. Good local information.

San Diego Audubon Societies

San Diego Audubon – The downtown San Diego Audubon chapter.

Buena Vista Audubon – Coastal North County San Diego Audubon chapter.

Palomar Audubon – Inland North County San Diego Audubon chapter.

Find Your Local Chapter