Birds of Chicago

I've been watching birds for 30 years and found this is a useful book for beginning birders and experienced birders for Chicago area birds. This guide cannot be all inclusive of species in the Chicago area, due to the large amount of birds that travel through the area during migration. However, what it does include is more information on the familiar species than other guides. Information includes behavior, habitat, songs and calls, tips for quick ID, and abundance charts for each bird species. It would be a great addition to any Chicago birding library.

Unlike regional or national bird identification guides, this book contains very targeted information about how and where to observe birds in the Chicago area. It includes maps of numerous suggested areas for effective birdwatching around the city (downtown, as well as suburban areas to the north, south and west, and even into NW Indiana). It also has information regarding local birdwatching and ornithological groups.For example, it may say that one bird can be observed "over the Des Plaines river in springtime." Or that others are generally found only in the suburbs or rural areas fringing the city, though local colonies may establish themselves in the lakefront parks. A nice touch.Additionally, each bird description a time-graph that charts the relative frequency of sightings for a given species in the Chicago area over the course of a year. Together with the visual identification chart and the descriptive text, it helps the beginning birder judge whether s/he really just saw a female "English Sparrow," as opposed to a "Song Sparrow," or a "Field Sparrow," etc.Bird identification is by way of paintings, and not photos. The paintings are not as detailed or reliable as some other volumes (e.g. Sibley's Guide), but they are sufficient for the book's limited purpose which is as a local/regional supplement to these larger and more detailed tomes. Recommended.