ABA BIRDFINDING GUIDES

Birdfinder: A Birder's Guide to Planning North American Trips
Jerry A. Cooper
Published 1995
376 pages, wire-O binding
ISBN 1-878788-10-8

This book is based on the premise that birders can successfully plan to find a vast number of species of birds in North America, as long as they are armed with information about where to go, when to go, and what to expect.

Birdfinder outlines nineteen key trips designed to produce a list of over 650 species in North America. Jerry Cooper makes this possible both economically and efficiently. Cooper summarizes the Key, Possible, Probable, and Remotely Possible birds to be seen on each of the nineteen trips, with details on transportation, accommodations, special equipment, and the birdfinding guides you will need. The specialties and key species for each of these trips are outlined in detail. This is a planning guide, illustrating a strategy for successful North American birdfinding.

If you have unlimited time, you can follow the whole itinerary, trip after trip, in chronological order. Most birders, however, will pick and choose among the nineteen trips to suit the times they are free to travel. In either case, your birding experiences and lifelist will benefit greatly.

Each of the nineteen trips in Birdfinder has at least one map to highlight the birding route. Another important feature of this guide is a special chart summarizing all the species to be seen on these major trips.

As a bonus, an additional "Baker's Dozen" locations are included in a special chapter. These thirteen birding locales include The Klamath Basin, The Platte River, Point Pelee, North-Central Michigan, St. Louis, Churchill, Northwestern Wyoming, Grand Manan and Machias Seal Island, North-Central Utah, The Delaware Bayshore, Cape May, Hawk Mountain, and Coastal Massachusetts.

Birdfinder: A Birder's Guide to Planning North American Trips will serve the dedicated birder as an essential companion to regular birdfinding guides.