Second Edition, Birds of Pennsylvania Field Guide

I really like this book. First, it only lists birds of PA, so I don't have to page through other bird species when trying to locate a bird reference in my back yard. Second, the pictures in the book are outstanding, making bird identification a snap. Also, the birds are listed in order of color, with separate identification for male and female, where there is a difference in their color.

Got the reference book for my girlfriend Bevo who's a real bird enthusiast here in Bradford County. She's used it often and we're surprised by the many different species she's been able to identify. Sometimes she shows the birds her hiney

I got this basically to use while walking back and forth from work. I don't know anything about birding, and I wanted something small to put in my jacket pocket. Not the typical ways of choosing a reference. It has beautiful closeup pictures, and its compact size means I can have it with me while walking around, as opposed to Audubon, Peterson or Sibley guides which would either require a big pocket or cause said pocket to be bigger. The book is organized by color, than size. I think that the organization into type, then size as the major field guides do is more useful, but this is not bad. Also, while the pictures are great, the major field guides use drawings that teach how to identify birds (field marks) and drawings may be better for that. Most useful as an introduction for someone that does not have a background in biology and has no contacts with other birders who know what they are doing. Also useful as a backup for field guides that are too big to carry around. The companion audio CD (available separately) also helps getting used to listening to sounds in the field.