>>Thanks! I'm not bad with the books. I have Peterson's A Field Guide to the Birds, 2nd ed (1947) with all the helpful color plates and detailed sections by family.<<
Peterson makes excellent guides. Serious field guides are good for scientific details that casual guides don't always have, especially things like what field marks identify a species.
>>I was wondering if an app could have better local suggestions because I'm out of practice.<<
Some do, some don't. There is a tradeoff between a wide-focus tool that shows as many different species and habitats as possible (good if you travel and/or live somewhere that often sees wayward birds) vs. a more in-depth state or regional app (good if you stay put and/or have birds with hard-to-ID variations like warblers).
>> I sometimes feel betrayed when the range map shows like 60% of North America, but I need to know if it's the right season for migratory birds. <<
For that, there are a number of online guides whose range maps are color-coded for winter, migrating, breeding, etc. ranges. Some field guides also do this, but a desktop computer screen is bigger.
Both the flyway routes and major stopping points are critical for migration success. That means anywhere along the way, providing food, water, and a safe resting place for birds can really help them survive. Here in Illinois, my yard is a stone's throw from a drainage ditch and about 15 minutes by car from a lake with a nearby wildlife sanctuary. Especially in spring, and sometimes in fall, I spot migratory birds passing through. The interesting thing is that, of the species common in this area, I never know which ones will stick around from one year to another. I always have sparrows and cardinals, but others like goldfinches and house finches vary.
>> Maybe I should hit up the bookstore for a Michigan/Midwest birding book for stuff like that.<<
Hit your local bookstore, library, any nature center or park big enough to have a gift store, and natural or science museums. If you're not sure where to find such attractions, check your nearest highway rest stop -- they usually have racks of materials for tourists, and somewhere in there should be a park guide and a museum guide. You could also try your local tourist office, but those are harder to find than rest stops. If you want something more technical as you advance in skill, also check universities because they typically have a press of their own that puts out materials by their professors. Your local nature associations are likely to have similar contacts. These places often have books by local authors which may not be available online through major publishers. But you can also just search Amazon.
Midwest materials are easy to find, as this is a major category. Great Lakes guides are fantastic for Michigan, especially if you're anywhere near the waterfront. You may need to hunt a little harder for Michigan-specific ones but they do exist. If possible, use your library and other local resources to examine several Michigan guidebooks before deciding which one(s) to buy. People have different preferences regarding which features they find most useful.
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Yes ...
Date: 2023-01-09 11:15 pm (UTC)Peterson makes excellent guides. Serious field guides are good for scientific details that casual guides don't always have, especially things like what field marks identify a species.
>>I was wondering if an app could have better local suggestions because I'm out of practice.<<
Some do, some don't. There is a tradeoff between a wide-focus tool that shows as many different species and habitats as possible (good if you travel and/or live somewhere that often sees wayward birds) vs. a more in-depth state or regional app (good if you stay put and/or have birds with hard-to-ID variations like warblers).
>> I sometimes feel betrayed when the range map shows like 60% of North America, but I need to know if it's the right season for migratory birds. <<
For that, there are a number of online guides whose range maps are color-coded for winter, migrating, breeding, etc. ranges. Some field guides also do this, but a desktop computer screen is bigger.
https://science.ebird.org/en/status-and-trends/range-maps
https://www.songbirdgarden.com/store/info/infoview.asp?documentid=260
https://umgljv.org/planning/maps-gis/bird-ranges/
All About Birds includes a range map on the species page.
Here in North America, most migratory birds head north in spring and south in fall. Michigan, like Illinois, is on the Mississipi Flyway but also gets a bit of spillover from the Atlantic Flyway. The Great Lakes in general attract large amounts of migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. In my part of the world, I start seeing migratory birds in late February, with the heaviest traffic usually in March and April. You're farther north so it'll be later there, but you will see the fall departures arrive before I do.
Both the flyway routes and major stopping points are critical for migration success. That means anywhere along the way, providing food, water, and a safe resting place for birds can really help them survive. Here in Illinois, my yard is a stone's throw from a drainage ditch and about 15 minutes by car from a lake with a nearby wildlife sanctuary. Especially in spring, and sometimes in fall, I spot migratory birds passing through. The interesting thing is that, of the species common in this area, I never know which ones will stick around from one year to another. I always have sparrows and cardinals, but others like goldfinches and house finches vary.
>> Maybe I should hit up the bookstore for a Michigan/Midwest birding book for stuff like that.<<
Hit your local bookstore, library, any nature center or park big enough to have a gift store, and natural or science museums. If you're not sure where to find such attractions, check your nearest highway rest stop -- they usually have racks of materials for tourists, and somewhere in there should be a park guide and a museum guide. You could also try your local tourist office, but those are harder to find than rest stops. If you want something more technical as you advance in skill, also check universities because they typically have a press of their own that puts out materials by their professors. Your local nature associations are likely to have similar contacts. These places often have books by local authors which may not be available online through major publishers. But you can also just search Amazon.
Midwest materials are easy to find, as this is a major category. Great Lakes guides are fantastic for Michigan, especially if you're anywhere near the waterfront. You may need to hunt a little harder for Michigan-specific ones but they do exist. If possible, use your library and other local resources to examine several Michigan guidebooks before deciding which one(s) to buy. People have different preferences regarding which features they find most useful.
https://www.amazon.com/Birds-Michigan-Field-Identification-Guides/dp/1591939003
https://www.target.com/p/american-birding-association-field-guide-to-birds-of-michigan-american-birding-association-state-field-by-allen-t-chartier-paperback/-/A-86207152
https://lonepinebooks.com/product/birds-of-michigan-2/
https://www.acornnaturalists.com/michigan-birds-pocket-naturalistr-guide.html
Online:
https://thebirdguide.com/birds-of-michigan/
https://www.birdadvisors.com/backyard-birds-michigan/
https://birdfeederhub.com/backyard-birds-in-michigan/