Sierra Birds: A Hiker\'s Guide


John Muir Laws published an absolutely beautiful guide to the Sierra Nevada, The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada. Reviews all over the country, including here on Amazon, have been glowing.

Laws writes on his website that "[t]he draft of the bird section of the guide was so enthusiastically received (the reviewers did not want to part with their drafts) that we published it separately as a stand alone book. It is remarkably easy to use and is now carried by everyone from environmental educators to back country rangers."

Amazon doesn't allow people to look inside Sierra Birds, but you can see 27 of the pages, many in full color, by searching for the book on Google Books. You'll see immediately how easy the book is to use for everyone from kids to experienced birders. The book actually reviews itself.

And, even better, as he writes: "A virtual exhibit of my work is now on line at the Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum. Enter the site, click on "Galleries", click on "Natural History", scroll down to "Plants" and there it is." You'll be very happy you did.

And, if you have any interest in birds, you'll enjoy this little guidebook, even if you only hike in the Eastern mountains and dream about the Sierra Nevada as I do.

Robert C. Ross 2008

Average Rating:
Author: John Muir Laws
ISBN: 1890771783
Number Of Pages: 64
Languages:
Unknown: English
Original Language: English
Published: English

Product Description:
Novice birders often distinguish birds by color and size. Sierra Birds: A Hiker’s Guide is a unique book that assumes no prior birding knowledge on the part of the reader and is organized for quick and easy reference. Color-coded keys eliminate the time-consuming and frustrating necessity of having to thumb randomly through a hefty guide, hoping to stumble upon the right species…before it disappears! A cross-index of bird families is also included for more advanced birders. All this in a format that is simply organized, light-weight, and small enough to tuck inside a pocket.

Available at Amazon
List Price: USD 9.95
Lowest Used Price: USD 4.14
Lowest New Price: USD 3.89

Customer Reviews


Nice, with Notable Omissions
It's nice to have a field guide just for the Sierras, if that's where you live. You don't have to waste time looking at all the birds that are in the Western US, but not in the Sierras. However, even as a rank amateur, the first things I noticed were startling. The guide doesn't even have an index for Egrets nor a picture, even though I've seen Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and even Cattle Egrets in the Sierras. So don't look for those beautiful Great Egrets you see in Sierra Valley in the book. Shockingly, they're not there, and you have to take the word of an amateur, "Those large white birds with graceful long necks, wading in the water are Great Egrets." I wonder too about the accuracy of the pictures. The second bird I looked for was the White-faced Ibis and noticed a very poor picture. They are noticeably darker in reality, virutally black in flight, and the wings are more irridescent. Truthfully, I had to look at the label to believe they were actually showing an Ibis. I'm hoping the rest of the Guide is more faithful to reality and actually reflect the birds in the Sierras, but right out of the box, a little disappointing.


Sierra birds: A Hiker's Guide
This is a wonderful book. Easy to use and identify birds. I gave it to my 84 year old mother in law. She loves it and delights in telling me what birds she has seen that day. I used it for the Great American Backyard Bird Count this year and it really helped. It makes a great gift for people traveling to the Sierra's or hiking in them. I live here so use it every day.


Handy reference.
This is a well prepared compact reference. Nature lovers can find excellent identification pictures and descriptive narrative to aid in enjoying our feathered friends.


Sierra Birds - EXCELLENT!
THIS WAS A VERY HELPFUL BOOK. THIS YEAR WE USED IT TO IDENTIFY PICTURES WE TOOK OF BIRDS WHILE CAMPING AND HIKING IN THE SIERRAS. NEXT YEAR WE WILL BE SURE TO BRING IT WITH US!