hi,
I am looking into publishing a small field guide for use in the field. I have been around the world birding and find it hard to find a good guide.
Either to big and heavy to carry or light on information-- Is this true?
Where do people go to most birdwatching and is there a whole in the market?
Can I have all thought, everything would be useful.
thanks a lot, fellow bird nuts
Mark
Hi,
there are field guides to most bird rich countries, the book sizes vary depending on the number of spp to be encountered in the various countries. Personally I bone up before I go somewhere and if the field guide is too bulky I remove the plates, sandwich them in cardboard as a cover and just take them.
S
For advice about Birding, Identification,field guides, binoculars, scopes, tripods, etc - put 'Birding Tips' into the search box
Hi Shout - welcome to the forum. My son made a good point recently though don't know how you would get round it - normally when you don't know what bird you have seen you have a list of things you noticed about it i.e. colour, size, looked like etc. and he was thinking wouldn't it be good if you could start your search from this base - does that make sense? From my own point of view I find most books quite heavy and would prefer to be able to maybe just take a section that was relevant to where I was. I do usually make a list of what I am likely to see at a specific spot and hopefully tick them off!!
Hi. :))
various field guide approaches have been tried over the years- by habitat- by size- by colour- but none work as well as the tried and tested method :)
Bird ID is a science and an art-
I'm afraid the best way is still to start by asking basic questions.
What family is it? What shape is it's bill, wings, etc. How does it move .
What species is it? What colour is it, does it have wing bars, spots etc.
What age is it? Is it moulting etc.
:))
the problem you need to address is that some spp. even common ones need several images as a minimum
- for instance
Blue tit - 2
Blackbird - 3
Chaffinch - 4
Shoveler - 5
,
Hi Shout welcome to the forum
What an interesting subject, were do we start on offering any advice to someone that is enthusiastic about developing an idea or dream!
Knowing very little about your knowledge and expertise, are you writing the book from scratch or are you using other people’s words, data, photo plates etc?
Key things to consider:
The other things to consider are the market place; technology for example is developing at such a pace.
eBooks are another area that a lot of publishers have invested into.
Handheld devices were you can store vast amounts of information, photo’s, sound’s and data are available now.
iPod have invested huge sums of money into developing DVD’s, CD’s and Apps all to do with Bird Guides that can be used in the field.
Not everyone owns an iPod, but most mobile phones that have Internet access can be used to do searches for identification etc.
Bird guides covering all areas of the globe and thier habitat have been published, I have never encountered any difficulties in finding a pocket sized guide, they have all been adequate in relation to identifying the species.
Since the introduction of the Internet finding such materiel has become so much easier!
The following links are to one of the sites, which I use. This may help you in determining what approach to take, and may also give you an insite to what is already available and at what cost!
http://www.birdguides.com/estore/browse.asp?cat=39
http://www.birdguides.com/iphone/default.asp
Seymouraves advice is also something you need to consider!
May I take this opportunity in wishing you success if you persue your goal!
Buzzard
Nature Is Amazing - Let Us Keep It That Way
No I have no problems at all, I have never really considered the weight been a problem as long as it can be carried in a field jacket or bag etc and it is relevent to the studies!
Thanks for the info on your back ground, my apologies if I was giving you advice on sucking eggs!!!
Hello Shout,
Personally, if it were possible to have the detailed information of Collins' Bird Guide (which is about A5 in size and an inch deep) the same size as Mitchell Beazley's Pocket guide (9.5cm x 19.5cm) I would be happy. Comparisons to similar or 'often mistaken for species' is really helpful, especially in the field. If this guide was just for the field for arguments sake (you might have a more detailed text at home to refer to later), it could be quick reference and would include the key aspects to species. Being in the design industry, as I was once, I am sure you will appreciate the need for good quality illustrations and/or photos.
I wish you every success with your endeavours.