Great Book for Life Bird Seekers
National Geographic Birder’s Journal, 2d Edition
I own this book and use it frequently. The National Geographic Birder’s Journal is designed for birdwatching enthusiasts who want to keep a permanent record of all the different species of birds that they’ve seen. Each page has a space for recording the time, place and circumstance where a particular bird was seen. On the opposite side of the page are detailed illustrations, often including juveniles and both sexes of adults, in order to help you make a positive identification. There is also a handy checklist section so you can quickly and easily determine if this particular species is one you’ve already recorded, or if it is a life bird for you. The book is geared for North American birds, but has an extensive section which includes accidentals and extinct species, just in case.
The Kaufman guide (link below) has somewhat better pictures including multiple view and angles of the different birds and is better for identification purposes in my opinion. It has a plain vanilla checklist, to note life birds, but does not have the space for notes to record the details of the sighting. However, whenever I go birdwatching, the Kaufman Guide is the book I take with me. We record new birds in the Nat. Geo. Journal after we get home.
Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America
Tags: birding, birds, birdwatching equipment, birdwatching life bird, book recommendations