Sized for backpack or pocket, each 272-page volume highlights a single state or two and covers 125 species (each with a photograph and range map), with local expertise provided by experienced birders.

Even novice birders will make quick and confident identifications thanks to the uncluttered, easy-to-use format. An introductory locator map pinpoints top birding sites, and customized range maps detail each species' winter, breeding, migration, and resident ranges.

New York boasts a rich mix of city and country birds, from Long Island waterfowl to Niagara's famous gulls and various high-latitude Adirondack species. Springtime hawk-watching makes Derby Hill Bird Observatory a favorite; at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in the Finger Lakes, seasonal migrations promise sightings galore, while New York City's Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge shelters birds of interest all year....

Birding is the fastest growing wildlife-related outdoor activity in the U.S., with at least a million new birders a year estimated to join an already robust group some 80 million strong. For these beginning and intermediate enthusiasts, National Geographic Birding Essentials is a must. Comprehensive and authoritative, yet engaging and user-friendly, it teaches readers how to begin and improve their birding... what to look and listen for... and how to make sense of what they see and hear. A unique visual component shows actual field guide pages and how to read them, while another compares the same bird in photography versus artwork and explains how to use both for species identification. National Geographic's quality photography is a major highlight of the book, supplemented by pencil drawings and full-color maps to give the novice and intermediate birder a full range of visual information.

Field Ornithologists Jonathan Alderfer and Jon Dunn have crafted a masterful guide, striking just the right balance of practical information and reader-friendly tone. Chapters discuss the pleasures of birding, equipment needed, how to read range maps, birds' physical features, how to identify birds, identification challenges, bird classification and suggested books and journals for building a fine birding library.

National Geographic has established a stellar reputation among birders with our blockbuster Field Guide to the Birds of North America. The tradition continues as we serve an entry-level market that continually needs the helpful, up-to-the-minute information found in National Geographic Birding Essentials....

Sized for backpack or pocket, each 272-page volume highlights a single state or two and covers 125 species (each with a photograph and range map), with local expertise provided by experienced birders.

Even novice birders will make quick and confident identifications thanks to the uncluttered, easy-to-use format. An introductory locator map pinpoints top birding sites, and customized range maps detail each species' winter, breeding, migration, and resident ranges.

Maryland and Washington, D.C. offers seabirds, shorebirds, land birds, songbirds, and raptors aplenty, from Peregrine Falcons, Bald Eagles, Barred Owls, and Pileated Woodpeckers to multiple species of vireos and bitterns and an array of ducks. Hotspots include Assateague Island National Seashore, Swallow Falls State Park and the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge....