Pete Dunne on Bird Watching: A Beginner's Guide to Finding, Identifying and Enjoying Birds

Starting with backyard birding and bird feeding, Dunne proceeds to give the basics. What to look for in binoculars and field guides, clubs and tours, birding by ear, and hints for moving beyond being a beginner. I particularly appreciated the chapter on ethics and responsibility, and including the ABA code of ethics in the appendix a good idea. Written in a light but informative manner, Dunne is not afraid to tell stories on himself, such as accidentally stepping on a Sharp-tailed Grouse, and identifying a harrier at Hawk Mountain and the lesson's learned. Each chapter includes a useful essay by a `guest', such as Birding by ear, by Dick Walton, or "A birders guide to bird tour survival". Although geared for the beginner, there is useful information and reference for all.

This was very helpful for me in finding out the right types of seed to put out for the birds in my area.

I have both this book and "Sibley's Birding Basics." I think that Dunne's book is better for the beginner. It is written in a MUCH more engaging style, is not nearly as technical (e.g. in details of bird taxonomy), and has a lot more practical advice.

This prolific writer on birding delivers again, taking many of his tried and true observations on birding and compiling them into an easy and interesting format. I would recommend this strongly to any birder but certainly beginning birders will profit the most from its insights. Especially good for anyone considering an optics purchase.

Pete Dunne does a wonderful job introducing the reader to the world of birding. He starts with the basics: field guides and binoculars, and explains how to choose among the various ones out there (there are so many that a beginner can easily become overwhelmed). As a beginner, I know that he saved me a lot of time and money on these two issues alone. Dunne then moves on to more advanced topics, such as basic birding techniques, where to go birding, and birding organizations. Inspirational anecdotes from his experience and other birders are peppered throughout, easing the reader into a specialized field while maintaining that natural curiousity about birds that all of us have.