Birder's Guide to Texas (Birder's Guides Series)

Rating:
Summary: Not for beginners, but excellent insights.
Review: I bought this book thinking it was going to be a field identification guide, and at first I was disappointed....but as I read on I realized this book is intended to *supplement* a true field guide. And as a supplement, it is absolutely wonderful, particularly in its coverage of state and national parks of Texas. The descriptions are fabulous, and the writing style fun to read, unlike your typical "dry" field guides. I am planning a trip to Big Bend National Park in the fall, and I learned more about the park in two paragraphs than I had from combing 2 books and dozens of web sites. I also like how Kutac will give you the precise streets or stretches of field where certain species were found. My only complaint is the lack of coverage in certain areas (I live in Denton county and it would have been neat to find out what's been spotted here), but I can appreciate that it's very difficult to cover all of Texas in one book. Most of the birding "hot spots," parks, and cities do get treatment, and the information and insights should be very helpful to beginners and experienced birders alike. Perhaps future editions will bring additional contributions to fill in some of the holes.