Birds of Arizona and New Mexico

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A great book about the birds you can see in New Mexico and Arizona. Lots of great pictures and information.

A Timber Press Field Guide always makes me very happy. I enjoy them because not only are they visually stunning, but they are informative, concise and so enjoyable. They are accesible in that tey are a pleasure to read, very well organised and easy to refer to, as well as delving deep into each area they cover.

Topmost, is that the photography is always so very beautiful. How these pictures are captured absolutely boggles my mind but I am so very glad that they are as we get to enjoy them!

Birds of Arizona and New Mexico by Melissa Fratello & Steven Prager is a wonderful title in this series. Beginning with equipment and some identification criteria. You are not bogged down by jargonese, the text is conversational,. sharing an enthusiasm for the subject without an info dump or overpowering narrative. From urban areas to national parks and wetlands, this vevry helpful guide contains useful information for any new ornithologist and indeed, some seasoned ones! (Great sections on trail etiquette, safety and respect for indigenous and private lands)

All in all, a stunning book but packed full of everything you need to know to go out and see if you can spot species you don't notice every day

Thank you very much to Netgalley, Timber Press, Melissa Fratello & Steven Prager for this very enjoyable ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

This field guide is an invaluable resource for both novice birders and seasoned travelers planning to explore the rich avian diversity of Arizona and New Mexico. As someone with a budding interest in birding, I found this guide to be exceptionally helpful in navigating the intricacies of each region’s unique habitats, rules, and etiquette.

One aspect I particularly appreciate is its thoroughness in providing essential information on gear, seasonal considerations, and birding etiquette, very helpful for beginners. From understanding the range and habitat of various species to learning about the laws governing proximity to nocturnal birds, this guide offers a wealth of tips and tricks to enhance the birding experience.

Moreover, the inclusion of trail etiquette and highlighted hot spots adds practicality to the guide, ensuring a rewarding and respectful birding adventure. Whether you’re embarking on your first birding expedition or planning a family trip to Arizona and New Mexico, this book is an indispensable companion that promises to enrich your birding journey.

Well laid out and thorough guide to birds and birding in Arizona and New Mexico. Extensive discussion of birding basics and local habitat. Explores the peculiar risks and unique pleasures of Southwestern birding. Lengthy discussions of birds in each listing. Uses photos, not drawings, and some species are under represented by photos. Some regional specialties, like elf owl, are excluded. Curiously, Yellow-Breasted Chat is placed with orioles. Nevertheless, the good more than outweighs the nits.

My ARC still has many stock photos watermarked as such. Also, the male wood duck is a Mandarin.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for a fair review.

This is a great reference book to take camping or hiking that includes about 500 species of birds that live or migrate through the Southwest. I am more partial to the raptors and Corvid species like the ravens that inhabit New Mexico than the sparrows and other smaller birds. They do a wonderful job of eating insects and reminds us how fragile the desert ecosystem system is.

Thanks to the Timber Press and Netgalley for this eARC.

As a book reviewer, I’ve had the pleasure of exploring a wide range of literary landscapes. When it comes to field guides, I’m always on the lookout for those that strike a balance between information and aesthetics. 🦜Birds of Arizona and New Mexico by Melissa Fratello and Steven Prager is precisely such a gem.

🌵 Exploring the Southwest Avian World

This comprehensive field guide is tailor-made for birders, hikers, and foragers who want to deepen their connection with the natural world. Whether you’re a seasoned ornithologist or a curious beginner, this book offers a delightful journey through the vibrant birdlife of Arizona and New Mexico.

📸 Visual Splendor

The first thing that captures your attention is the stunning photography. Over 800 spectacular photographs grace the pages, showcasing birds in their natural habitats. From the majestic raptors to the delicate songbirds, each image is a testament to the authors’ keen eye and dedication.

🗣️ Voices and Behaviors

Melissa Fratello and Steven Prager go beyond mere identification. They provide precise descriptions of voices and behaviors, allowing readers to recognize birds not only by sight but also by their distinctive calls and actions. It’s like having a personal conversation with each feathered friend.

🌎 Southwest Insights

What sets this guide apart is its commitment to inclusivity. The authors address unique issues, such as birding on tribal land and along the Southern Border. They speak to a new generation of birders, emphasizing accessibility and respect for indigenous knowledge.

🌟 Trail Etiquette and More

Beyond species accounts, the book covers practical aspects. Trail etiquette, safety precautions, and a deep respect for indigenous and private lands are woven seamlessly into the narrative. It’s not just about spotting birds; it’s about doing so with mindfulness and reverence.

🔍 Top Birding Sites

The guide highlights the top birding sites across the American Southwest. Whether you’re exploring urban areas, national parks, or wetlands, you’ll find useful information to enhance your birdwatching adventures.

🎉 Conclusion - a 5 star manual

Birds of Arizona and New Mexico is more than a guide; it’s an invitation to explore, appreciate, and protect our avian neighbors. So grab your binoculars, step into the sun-drenched landscapes, and let the melodic calls of sparrows, hawks, and warblers fill your senses. This book is a celebration of the wild and a reminder that every feathered creature has a story to tell.

A nice reference bird guide for the different birds in the American SW and Northern Mexico.. A good third of the beginning gives tips for bird watching, if needed. Would be a useful take along for a guide. Would recommend.

Fantastic book. The pictures of the birds are stunning and the information is very thorough and detailed. I appreciated the tips such as some birds are hard to identify unless they are singing and thus fluff up more to see identifiable traits. Glossary and anatomy was helpful. It is written in a way in which it is entertaining for not just adults but children as well (with adult help).

Fantastic guide with lots of relevant information at the beginning. I really enjoyed the extra tips and suggestions which were easily accessible and not overly wordy or pompous. Recognition of Indigenous land and respectful trail use make this an essential modern guide for anyone wishing to explore the natural world.
Beautiful photos although my ARC still had many watermarked stock images and I felt many species would have benefited from more images or in flight silhouettes for easier identification.
Descriptions are well rounded and included helpful details such as call sounds.
Would absolutely recommend for anyone living or visiting Arizona or New Mexico.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As a field guide author myself, I know exactly how difficult it is to put together a book like this one. The authors have done a masterful job of assembling the bird photography and information every birder needs to find their target species in Arizona and New Mexico. I'm actually heading to New Mexico for birding soon myself, so I am very glad to have this book on my iPad to test out in the field.

I also enjoyed all of the insights shared in the book's substantial front section about hot spots in each state and the best seasons for each. One caveat: I was very surprised at the statements about birding being "elitist, exclusive, snooty, patriarchal" and the directives to refrain from dissing other people's optics or birding preferences. I have never encountered such things in nearly 40 years of birding in all 50 states, but perhaps birding differs in some communities. I will take these warnings to heart, in any case.

I am grateful to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Much more than I expected I would. As I was due to visit New Mexico this summer, this book became available at an opportune time. I am not a Birder, but this book has allowed me to show an appreciation of local bird life during my travel to the American SouthWest. Or perhaps it just encourages me to be an annoying smarty pants. “I do a believe there might be a Montezuam Quail nearby, based on vocalisations, habitat and location…”

I expect this book will be of interest to both experienced and newer Birders; also to anyone with merely a passing interest in the subject. Perhaps a resident, of Arizona and New Mexico or a visitor. Someone who likes to hike the trails or quietly observe birds from a deck or balcony at home. Or, as the authors explain, pretty much anywhere birds may inhabit or visit.

The introductory chapters provide an overview of Birding with topics such as ‘Birdwatching in the Borderlands’, ‘Bird Identification’ ‘Finding Birds’ and ‘ Birding Hotspots’. Useful information to anyone with a growing interest in Birding, or an enthusiast unfamiliar with the SouthWestern US. A particularly useful aspects of the book is the local advice the authors provide, which seems to be based of a deep knowledge. Their tone and style is welcoming. Informative without being in at all superior or elitist. It is a warm and friendly style, occasionally irreverent or humerous.

Abundant practical information in provided. For example, a Habitat Map of Arizona and New Mexico, which can be a starting point as to where certain type of birds may be found. Further resolution is provided by a Range Map for each species described. It shows, using colour-coded geographic areas, where a bird may be found Year Round, or during Breeding, Migration and Winter seasons.

The authors provide useful information on clothing , equipment and etiquette while Birding. Nothing too prohibitive or expensive. Just good, sound, practical advice presented in a warm style and tone. Etiquette tips are included with advice on accessing certain lands or areas and respecting other people that may be encountered. The key message is respect, acceptance and tolerance towards everyone. Be they land owners, traditional owners, Birders or others who may inhabit or enjoy these areas.

The main part of the book, some 400 pages , provides a page for each selected bird. For practical reasons, the authors have chosen a subset of all the possible birds that could be encountered. These are primarily the more interesting birds, the more important birds and sometimes birds selected for their rarity. This section is divided into some thirty categories of bird types; a major subdivision where birds are related by evolution or taxonomy. A further subdivision is by Species, with a page dedicated to each bird.

These page are presented in a standard format of text, photos and a colour-coded Range Map. The one or two photos are selected to identify certain attributes. The bird in flight or at rest. Alternatively a male and a female example. Or a young and mature bird. Text typically includes the common name, scientific name, habitat and dimensions. A description as well as visual observations includes behaviour, vocalisations, abundance, lookalikes and conservation status.

I particularly enjoyed reading the descriptions of each species. They are charming. Also entertaining and inventive. Some examples:

“…petite and dapper…impressive diver…shy and reclusive…handsome…secretive …homebody…drab waterbird with a colourful personality…maligned..sulky…elusive..distinguished….”

The authors have captured a certain magic in these descriptions. Something that encourages a reader to head outdoors in search of these wonderful birds.

Several descriptions even caused me to laugh out loud. For example, one bird

”…will wait until you are close by…then suddenly and loudly…scare the pants off of you…”

Another example

“…the butt-bobbing-behaviour is a dead giveaway for this bird…”.

These examples demonstrate the overall tone of the book. Fun, welcoming, practical and scientific while also occasionally irreverent and humorous.

As well as colourful and inventive physical descriptions the authors demonstrate considerable skill and eloquence in characterising and presenting bird vocalisations. Sometime they invoke the phonetic sound of a bird “…chu-KAH-chuKAH-chuKAH-RAH-ChuKAH RAH” . Other times invoking whatever works, including human emotions, musical instruments, animals and insects, Fun and inventive descriptions.

I particularly liked some of the off-the-cuff comments about seeking out certain species or birds. After providing practical advice on hummingbirds, the authors also offer an alternative.

“Or take things a little less seriously, put up a feeder (or a few) and enjoy the show”.

This book grew on me as I read it. The high quality of the scientific information as well as the useful and practical Birding information. Even more so, the warm style which is very engaging, at times entertaining and fun. Oh, and the photography is glorious. Perfectly complementing the text. Natural, spectacular, charming. Just like the birds of Arizona and New Mexico.

I wish the authors the very best success for the publication of this book. A project demonstrating their passion for Birding, the community, the environment and of course, the birds.

This is a nice field guide to birds of Arizona and New Mexico. Each species features a full color photo and includes details like preferred habitat, approximate size, common behaviors, and vocalization descriptions. I found these very helpful.

The intro section offers information like birding basics, tips for identifying birds, a list of birding hotspots for both states, and a generalized habitat map for the whole region.

A few of my favorite birds in this area are greater roadrunners, Gambel’s quail, loggerhead shrikes (a.k.a. pipsqueaks of death), and Phainopeplas (a.k.a. goth cardinals). Since I’ve spent most of my time near the western AZ border along the Lower Colorado River, I’ve also spotted lots of water birds like western grebes, American coots, common merganser ducks, great blue herons, and pied-billed grebes.

I think this guide will be useful to both beginner birds and seasoned pros.

Birds of Arizona and New Mexico begins with a general introduction to birding and then the birds are grouped by types. For each bird, there are beautiful, natural photos to aid in identification, a page of information about the bird, and an inset map showing its range. This is a great help in identifying birds and I’m very pleased with the guide’s usefulness and the beauty of the pictures.
Thanks to Timber Press and NetGalley for the ARC.