Stokes Field Guide to Warblers

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant! You NEED this guide!
Review: Bird enthusiasts take notice: the Stokeses have done it again! With this newest guide in their excellent series of books dedicated to individual bird families, they have, as the saying goes, 'raised the bar' for field guides. There are three key features (in no particular order, as each is important) that make the Stokes Field Guide to Warblers a must-have for casual and fanatical birders alike.
1. YOU'LL LEARN THE BIRDS. The unique, tried-and-true, and extremely effective Stokes organization/teaching method will help birders sort the sometimes-confusing warblers into logical groups (by color). This is accomplished (as with all Stokes field guides) with the aid of color tabs; the color of each tab is the birds' dominant color(s). From there, key characteristics are utilized to help narrow a bird down to species. Especially useful are the opening section on learning the Yellow-rumped Warblers and the section dealing with dull-plumaged (i.e. fall) warblers. I also think the inset showing the undertail pattern of each warbler is an excellent feature, as warblers are frequently seen from beneath. In short, this is THE guide for learning the warblers--period.
2. PHOTOGRAPHY. Readers of the "Stokes Beginner's Guide" series will have become accustomed to the unparalleled beauty of the photography; the photos in this book are certainly up to that standard and beyond. Frankly, this is the most stunning photography I have ever seen in any bird book! When you first have this guide in your hands, prepare to have your jaw drop, and prepare to have warbler mania take hold of you.
3. INFORMATIVE CONTENT. A critical aspect of knowing what bird you're seeing is knowing which birds you are likely to see. In a series of boxes in the book's opening sections, the warblers are grouped in a variety of ways (e.g. migration timing, habitat, etc.) so that you can narrow down the list of possibilities BEFORE you even begin warbler-watching! With each species account there is also a pair of migration maps, one for spring and one for fall (with bars showing arrival dates), so that you can see when and where a given warbler is likely to appear. Life history information is also included--again, as with all Stokes field guides.
But enough from me; you must see this book for yourself. You will absolutely love it! Get your hands on a copy so that you'll be ready for spring . . .