Great Lakes Birds: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species (Wildlife and Nature Identification)

Good info and folds flat

For a quick ID guide, I really like this. I got one as a thank you for donating to Wisconsin Public Radio. I can sit at my window and quickly identify new birds that visit my feeders. I liked it so much, I bought one for my neighbor. It's a three-fold brochure-type booklet and the pages are laminated. It can easily slide into purse or pocket and be taken on nature walks or camping. A great stocking-stuffer or little gift for the new or casual bird-watcher!

It is a very abbreviated list of Great Lakes birds. Probably fine for someone new to birding.

This is an easy to carry and , durable guide for birding in the Great Lakes. This is not intended to a comprehensive guide but avert nice quick reference,

Pictures hard to connect with real birds. Better off buying a book

The book will be very useful on my upcoming trip.

These Pocket Naturalist field cards are a great help in identification of birds; however, they have a significant drawback: there is usually only one illustration provided for each species and its the male. In many species, the male and female are fairly different, so if you happen to be looking at a female Goldfinch, you will likely not be able to identify it as such because the Guide only shows the male (he's bright yellow, she's dullish yellow-green and much more nondescript).I like the Pocket Naturalist for its small size and very little weight. Perfect for tucking in my knapsack while hiking or boating. HOWEVER, instead of purchasing the Pocket Naturalist guide, I would recommend that you check out the Peterson's FlashGuides series. Peterson's provides male and female illustrations and makes identification much easier with greater liklihood of success. There are several different versions of the FlashGuides for birds based on region, just like these Pocket Naturalist guides. Peterson's costs a little more, weighs a little more and folds out larger than the Pocket Naturalist (a drawback as its kind of hard to handle in the wind), but it is the better of the two products.

Just be aware, if you are a beginner birder, the card only shows bright spring adult plumage. Anytime you're out past July, these birds won't be nearly that bright. Go by silhouette and size, distinctive features (crests, etc.) Handy, but not absolute reference for a more experienced birder.