Helm Bird Identification Guides
Superb Bird Guides
The Helm series of Field Guides and Identification Guides are a superb set of resources for birders, birdwatchers and ornithologists alike.
I have been birdwatching for more than 30 years and as I have become a more serious ornithologist I have become more and more aware of how good the books in the Helm series are, but there is no point in waiting to become an experienced birdwatcher before getting these books; start with the best.
I have written lenses on How to be a Good Birdwatcher and Where to Watch Birds in Thailand, now it is time for me to share this lens which lists all the bird books in the Helm Identification Guide series that I know of.
Helm Identification Guide Vote; What Do You Think Of These Books?
Have you used a Helm identification Guide?
My Favourite Helm Bird Guide - Gulls Of Europe, Asia & North America
Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America (Helm Identification Guides)
This is one of those authoritative books that is without peer. Gulls are a really difficult group of birds to deal with and this book details them all with great plates, many photographs of different molt phases and informative text.
Although the taxonomy of gulls is constantly being reassessed, this book includes all known subspecies that may or may not be elevated to full species, so that this publication should remain the most complete dealing with this group of birds.
If you want to identify gulls, then buy this book; it really is as simple as that.
Another Great Helm Publication - Reed & Bush Warblers
Reed and Bush Warblers (Helm Identification Guides)
Reed and Bush Warblers are some of the hardest to see and identify birds in the world of bird watching; this new book allows birdwatchers to study the ecology and minute plumage details that are vital in being able to identify these cryptic birds and is the first book to attempt to do so.
This is a wonderful addition to the Helm series and I was amazed at the superb quality of it - when I first received my copy I sat and read through it for hours.
If you want to get anywhere near understanding this most cryptic of bird groups, this book is essential.
Pipits & Wagtails Of Europe, Asia & North America
Pipits and Wagtails of Europe, Asia and North America: Identification and Systematics (Helm Identification Guides)
This is another fantastic guide, this time dealing with wagtails and the highly cryptic pipits. Superb illustrations, expansive text and a wealth of photographs allow ornithologists to identify all plumages of these difficult birds. This book was essential for me in identifying the second record of Blyth's Pipit in Thailand.
Helm Identification Guides - Bird Family Accounts
I personally use "Pipits and Wagtails", "Raptors of the World" and "Shorebirds" regularly and they frequently help me sort out difficult identification problems.
Helm Field Guides
The term "In the field" refers to being outside in any wildlife habitat be it forest, beach, open sea or wetlands.
Field Guides usually contain a large number of high quality plates depicting the birds along with a little text and often accompanied by a distribution map for each species.
The Field Guides published by Helm are particularly good and I own and regularly use a number of them. Whilst I have not looked at all the field guides listed here, I have used enough of them to know that they are of consistently high quality and would be confident in recommending any of them.
Helm Field Guides - Asia
Helm Field Guides - Africa
Helm Field Guides - South & Central America
Helm Field Guides - North America
Helm Field Guides - Oceania
Helm Field Guides - Europe
Helm Field Guides - Other
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Please leave a comment
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I see a bird around here a lot that I wish I knew what it was - watching it flit around amuses me to no end! Nice collection of guides here. :) -
Well, the beauty of watching birds is that you can enjoy them for what they are and you do not really need to know their names. You can make your own bird names up too! -
Very nice. I will have to look into these guides. -
Very helpful lens. -
Great information and excellent lens. I rated it 5 stars. I also voted for you on Squidom. Hope you will do the same and visit my lens about emotional healing. Gary Eby, author and therapist. - Load More
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