Beginner's DelightSeptember 7, 2003 56 out of 56 found this review helpful
There is an abundance of fieldguides on the market for the birdwatcher, and choosing one that suits you can be a bit of a chore. Here's where Bill Oddie comes to the rescue. His beginners guide is the ideal platform to launch yourself into the fascinating world of bird watching. There's no technical jargon to contend with - just straight forward, down-to-earth text of the bird's description and behaviour to comprehend. The illustrations aren't the most detailed to be found but do highlight and capture the main characteristics of each of the birds. You can rest assured that there are other guides that I've looked at with less adequate illustrations than this one. What I'm trying to get over here is that you'll not feel embarrassed by taking out this guide while out in the field to assist you in identifying a particular bird (which you should never feel in any case). As the introduction to the book puts it, "birds in the wild don't always pose and give a great view".
This book was initially bought with my young son in mind, but I find that I always put it in my backpack along with my other regular guide as a backup or comparison guide. One point I find extremely helpful is that it gives you the size of the bird in both centimeters and inches - I personally can relate to inches more readily than I can to centimeters.
As a conclusion, you'll grow to love this great little book for the "friendly feel" it gives. Your understanding and knowledge of birds and their behaviour will be enhanced greatly by its informal approach - the more advanced guide can wait another day!
