The Birds of Texas

Rating:
Summary: Best bird book in the state!!!W
Review: Dear Readers,

For all you bird lovers, this is the book. IT is the most detailed and well made book that has ever been made. You will never have a problem trying to discern one bird from another. The pictures that Tveten takes are some of the most detailed and close pictures ever. God knows how hard it is to get good close-ups. While it is a little hard to carry in the field, the hard copy makes one of the best coffee table books ever. You might also want to check out Shearer Publishings state atlases, the best and most detailed maps in the country. I strongly support these fine books from Fredericksburg, Texas.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful photographs!
Review: The photography in this book is superlative and the main reason to purchase it is to admire the lush color photos of Texas's birds. However, I also enjoy the book because it allows me, as a novice birder, to learn to correctly identify various species. This book is much superior to an Audubon guide or a National Geographic Filed Guild to birds because each photo is huge and shows the birds to their best advantage. The photos of the various migrating birds aresimply outstanding!

I recommend this book for anyone who has an appreciation of birds in the Lone Star state and wants to vicariously see them through this medium. It will definitely prompt every armchair birder to take to the field and spy these wondrous creatures in their natural habitat. There are several birds I saw in this book which captured my fancy immediately. By seeing these photos, it prompted me to go out and beat the trails and shorelines to see each of these birds up close and "in person." A great book!

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful photographs; not so handy in the field
Review: The remarkable thing about this book is the beautiful close-up colour pictures of almost every species. Not all the pictures are flawless--anyone who's ever photographed birds knows how hard it is to get a good, detailed, well-lit close-up shot--but they are very high quality and make this both a gorgeous coffee table book and a valuable identification aid.

The coverage is not as complete as, say, Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds of Texas, which I also own. The Peterson has, for example, many more of the confusing fall warblers; the Tveten explicitly says that detailed coverage of the warblers is outside its scope. But the differences in coverage are generally of the rarer birds; anything a casual bird-watcher is likely to see will be in the Tveten; and the Peterson has few good colour plates.

This is a larger book than is really convenient out in the field, though. Plus the descriptive sections, while well-written and interesting, aren't organized in a way that makes it easy to quickly find important field marks or check the range. If you want to get just one book I'd recommend this one; get another for completeness or for use in the field.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful photographs; not so handy in the field
Review: The remarkable thing about this book is the beautiful close-up colour pictures of almost every species. Not all the pictures are flawless--anyone who's ever photographed birds knows how hard it is to get a good, detailed, well-lit close-up shot--but they are very high quality and make this both a gorgeous coffee table book and a valuable identification aid.

The coverage is not as complete as, say, Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds of Texas, which I also own. The Peterson has, for example, many more of the confusing fall warblers; the Tveten explicitly says that detailed coverage of the warblers is outside its scope. But the differences in coverage are generally of the rarer birds; anything a casual bird-watcher is likely to see will be in the Tveten; and the Peterson has few good colour plates.

This is a larger book than is really convenient out in the field, though. Plus the descriptive sections, while well-written and interesting, aren't organized in a way that makes it easy to quickly find important field marks or check the range. If you want to get just one book I'd recommend this one; get another for completeness or for use in the field.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Resource
Review: This book has beautiful photographs of Texas birds. It describes their songs, how they eat, mate, nest, care for offspring, and all in an interesting manner. The way the author describes birds, you know he has a great love for these winged creatures. Cedar Wax-wings are "courteous", Loggerhead Shrikes have "the inclinations of a hawk", Grackles are "bullies", Carolina Chickadees are "acrobatic", Horned Larks have a "rakish, devilish air", etc.. Believe it or not, these descriptions actually help me remember what the birds look like and what they are called. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding book for bird enthusiasts
Review: This colorful book thoroughly covers the wide range of birds in Texas. The close-up photography is stunning and provides for easy identification of birds encountered in the wild. Every aspect of each bird is described in depth in lively and interesting prose. The excellent organization of this book allows the reader to find the bird they are looking for quickly and efficiently. I highly recommend "The Birds of Texas". I only wish I had bought the hardcover edition instead of the softcover.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and Well Written
Review: This really is a wonderful investment for Texas bird watchers. It has wonderful photographs which have helped me identify two birds along with my copy of "The Audubon Society Field guide to North American Birds", the Painted Bunting and the Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. Using them together works much better than trying to use only one to identify new birds (the more pictures the better). Also, the layout of this book is much more enjoyable to thumb through and read, no flipping from front to back for details. Basically, it makes a wonderful compliment to a good field guide.

However, noticably lacking from the book is any mention (or photo) of the Great White Heron which is definitely found in Texas (as per the range map found in the Audubon Field Guide). We had one in our yard, standing in our pond (eating our Comet Goldfish no less), and I was able to identify it through the Audubon field guide, but found no mention of it in "The Birds of Texas". In fact, the author state that "the Great Egret is the largest of the white herons in Texas and is distinguished by its yellow bill and blackish legs and feet" (p32). However, the Great White Heron has yellow legs and feet as did the bird we saw. Perhaps the author feels that this bird doesn't visit our state? Perhaps he feels that a mention of the Great Blue Heron will suffice? This is definitely a problem, but only a small one in my opinion, and the only one we have found thus far.

I do recommend this book to all Texas bird enthusiasts. It is well worth the money.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and Well Written
Review: This really is a wonderful investment for Texas bird watchers. It has wonderful photographs which have helped me identify two birds along with my copy of "The Audubon Society Field guide to North American Birds", the Painted Bunting and the Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. Using them together works much better than trying to use only one to identify new birds (the more pictures the better). Also, the layout of this book is much more enjoyable to thumb through and read, no flipping from front to back for details. Basically, it makes a wonderful compliment to a good field guide.

However, noticably lacking from the book is any mention (or photo) of the Great White Heron which is definitely found in Texas (as per the range map found in the Audubon Field Guide). We had one in our yard, standing in our pond (eating our Comet Goldfish no less), and I was able to identify it through the Audubon field guide, but found no mention of it in "The Birds of Texas". In fact, the author state that "the Great Egret is the largest of the white herons in Texas and is distinguished by its yellow bill and blackish legs and feet" (p32). However, the Great White Heron has yellow legs and feet as did the bird we saw. Perhaps the author feels that this bird doesn't visit our state? Perhaps he feels that a mention of the Great Blue Heron will suffice? This is definitely a problem, but only a small one in my opinion, and the only one we have found thus far.

I do recommend this book to all Texas bird enthusiasts. It is well worth the money.