Birds of Ohio

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Ohio guide!
Review: This 360 page book packs as much useful info in its pages as any comparable guide that I've come across. One of the wonderful elements - and something almost completely lacking in bird field guides - is the interesting natural history information under each species. Also, the book is chock full of helpful ID tips, and in cases where confusion with other species is common, ways of separating the species is discussed in detail. The maps and seasonal bar graphs allow for understanding of the bird's status and distribution at a glance. Illustrations are pretty good, too, but apparently space limitations don't allow for the complete array of plumages to be shown for every species. Rarely do I read through a field guide, but I've found myself doing just that with this one, as the species accounts are interesting and full of facts that were new to me. Also, the introduction and best birding sites guide are most helpful. I'd highly recommend this book for any interested in Ohio's birds!

Rating:
Summary: This is how state-based field guide should be done!
Review: This is a great book and is a must have for anyone birding in Ohio, or intending to visit Ohio to do some birding. The natural history text for each species is extremely informative and specific to Ohio. The book does a nice job of covering most of the species listed for the state (291 out of a possible 412). Especially useful are the range maps within Ohio, and the occurrence calendars. The only downfall to the book are the illustrations. The illustrations and artwork are great, but they're not as useful for identification purposes because, in many cases, they are either in awkward poses (ex: Song Sparrow) or only illustrate one plumage type for the species (ex: non-breeding plumage only for Horned Grebe)(Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have some of these illustrations hanging on my walls as art because they're that good, but wouldn't necessarily use them to illustrate identification points).

Also useful is that the birds are grouped taxomically, and there is a quick color-coded index so you can find the group you are looking for efficiently.

I think this should be on every Ohio birder's shelf. A great book overall!