Birds of Washington State

We find ourselves reaching for this book on a regular basis so we keep it on the coffee table where its easy to find. When you spot an interesting bird out your window you can quickly find it and read all about it. This would be really great to take with you on outdoor adventures too.

We have bird feeders in our garden. They attract a large variety of birds and this terrific book identifies them for us. It also contains interesting information on the varying habits etc. as well as beautiful pictures of the different varietys. It is very user friendly.

We purchased this book as a supplement to our homeschool library prior to relocating from Georgia to Washington. We have not been disappointed. My seven-year-old daughter has become a budding naturalist, thanks in part to these books. I can typically find this book on her nightstand - accompanied by a flashlight for late night reading! The book is slim but hefty, with lovely sketches of both male and female examples of each bird. Color-coded maps show where the bird species can be found (and when) and a very thourough introduction gives information on the best birding sites, materials to gather prior to "birding" and excellent resources for further study. My daughter would prefer photographs of the birds, but these are exceptionally beautiful drawings. This is in contrast to the smaller, less expensive "Golden Guides." HIGHLY recommended.

I moved to Washington a few months ago. Locating target birds has become a challenge in this new environment. The comprehensive continent-wide guides (sibley, peterson, golden, NG, etc...) are all wonderful, but are too vague when it comes to locating birds in a state with extremely diverse habitats (such as Washington!) This book has state range maps that are excellent, and I've found very accurate. Whereas the comprehensive guides give you mostly vital statistics about each bird, this guide has a different approach: There is usually a few interesting (and some obscure)facts about each bird. The artwork is nice, but if you're a visual learner, won't suffice for learning field marks so you'll have to supplement this book with another guide that has more artwork/photos. I've been birding for seven years now, and I find these new Lone Pine guides a breath of fresh air. They are easy to page through quickly, locally-oriented, and oddly enough have a really pleasant smell! They've also helped me become a better birder. I've used the Lone Pine Birds of Northern California guide as well while living in the SF Bay Area a couple years ago. I'd recommend this book for beginners and advanced birders. They really cover the bases that the other guides don't.