Rating: 
Summary: Valuable, but not for the field
Review: This guide is full of thorough, welcome, useful information about birds and conservation, but its use of photographs for identification is questionable. Many of the photos are excellent, but several others do not show the birds very well. This guide would be a good first choice for a beginning birder IF it had used drawings. I recommend owning the Peterson Eastern guide for a "real" field guide, and having the Stokes guide as a supplementary book. As good as the Stokes guide otherwise is, it is also a proof of Roger Peterson's theory that a good drawing is much more instructive than a photograph.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent for use in the field
Review: This guide is very easy to use and the photographs as opposed to drawings help to make a quick indentification. Used it recently on a trip to Point Reyes and found it extremely helpful.
Rating:
Summary: great all around birding guide
Review: This is a great book for backyard birdwatchers and naturalists. The color coding is a great idea for fast i.d.. The photos that accompany each description are adequate but the authors should continue to upgrade for future editions.
Rating: 
Summary: Adequate
Review: This is an adequate resource for a novice birdwatcher and it is well-organized. However, after testing this book in 3 Western wildlife refuges, I've decided that I would like more information on the behaviors and habits of each bird. I am by no means a "bird geek," but am simply seeking to know more about the natural world as I hike or row through it. The book provides little more than just name, rank, and serial number. Also, although the photography is mostly sharp and useful, some of the seagoing bird photographs are blurred and grainy, resembling a Bigfoot photo. I have been looking for the ultimate guide to Western birds but I'm going to keep looking.
Rating:
Summary: A Must-Have Field Guide
Review: This is an extremely helpful book for backyard birdwatchers. It may also be a great book for experienced birdwatchers, but since I'm a relative novice, I can't speak to that. It was one of the first books I purchased on the topic, and I would still rank it the best of the books I've seen. The color coding is a great idea for quick i.d.. The photos that accompany each description are clean and crisp, with very few exceptions, and I prefer the actual photos to sketches, like you find in some guides. The Learning Pages are helpful for newcomers to birdwatching. I would highly recommend this book for any birder in the eastern region of the U.S.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best field guides.
Review: This is definately a field guide that every birder should own. It's easy to use and offers great information on the different species of birds. The photographs are also good.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for beginner or more advanced bird watchers.
Review: What a thrill this book is. It has great color photos of males, females, adults, immature birds and seasonal shots. Very easy to use with the color coded sections and a wealth of information regarding feeding, nesting, behavior and more. I was extremely pleased with this book and look forward to purchasing more from Donald & Lillian Stokes.
Rating:
Summary: Great for all birders, from beginning to experienced.
Review: You can't go wrong when you take this book on a hike. Crisp, clean pictures and enough detail in the habit descriptions that even if you can't get a good look at the bird, you may identify it by its habits. Highly recommended!
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