Many of the Jays include nest-helpers.
Eric Jeffrey
Virginia USA.
Sent from my iPhone
> On Aug 24, 2017, at 7:56 PM, David Adams <> wrote:
>
>> On Fri, Aug 25, 2017 at 9:04 AM, Steve Potter <> wrote:
>>
>> Thanks everyone for your helpful advise. Both on books and Apps.
>> As I like a book to thumb through and write in I was more looking in this
>> direction. I liked the idea of the Sibley books as they seem to be the
>> stand out, but then I really only want one book for reference. So I ended
>> up pre-ordering the Sept '17 release of the National Geographic single
>> copy. If its rubbish I’ll get the Sibley one in the states.
>>
>
> The NatGeo was the go-to guide in America before the Sibley guides, so
> you'll probably be pretty happy with it. There are tons of apps for North
> America, I end up using the iBird apps the most, but several are quite
> good.
>
> While there are plenty of birdy areas in North America, they can also be
> hard to find at times....even if they're nearby. Plus, birding is so much
> more seasonally dependant there than here. In the end, you need somewhat
> different strategies in North America than Australia. (Plenty is the same,
> of course.) First up, check for local bird clubs before you go! There are
> heaps in the USA and Canada and are typically very helpful and friendly. I
> know that some people disagree about this observation, but I find the birds
> in North America far harder to distinguish than birds here...and I'm from
> North America originally. There are so many LBJs up there. When I was a
> kid, the Peterson's guide (the only substantial guide back then) clumped a
> lot of Warblers into "confusing Spring Warblers" and "confusing Fall
> Warblers." So true. (Warbler-watching is a specialized skill...no question
> there...they've so fast moving and are often in mixed flocks...you have to
> switch quickly between naked eye and binoculars.)
>
> You may also find that bird behavior is somewhat different. Mobbing is far
> more common there, cooperative nesting is far more common here. (Does North
> America even have cooperative nesting or nest helpers? I can't think of
> species north of America apart from Acorn Woodpeckers, which are communal
> nesters.) And the seasonal changes really take getting your head around.
>
> A bird club can help you out with finding great locations, sorting through
> sparrows, distinguishing ducks, dealing with waders, and a lot more. At the
> least, a club outing is likely to include a few high-quality scopes if
> you're working on waterfowl or waders and haven't brought your own.
> (Brought your own spotting scope, I mean...bringing your own ducks is
> frowned on.) If you're into owls, clubs are your best bet outside of luck.
> If your dates don't line up with an outing, you should at least get some
> ideas about areas to visit during the time of year you're going to visit.
>
> The ABA also has state site guides which are sometime quite fantastic.
> Years ago, I got a ton of value out of the Florida guide, for example.
>
> LA Audubon has an excellent bookshop and a lot of specialized resources,
> they're always a good place to check for specifics.
>
> Oh, and the data sets for eBird in America are staggeringly rich in a lot
> of areas....there's no way to get a sense of how useful that can be based
> on birding in Aus.
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