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  • Felicity Shouldersfaerye@pie.gd
    Jul 28, 2026, 10:36 PM

    Choosing field or reference guides for animals can be very frustrating. There often aren't many reviews, and while it seems like it should be easy to choose a volume one relies upon and simply look up another in that series, one finds either:
    A. There isn't a comprehensive series of this particular reference guide, and nothing for the taxon desired;
    B. There are overlapping guides from the same publisher by different authors and one can't figure out which would be better. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Replies

  • Sarah E Bournesbourne@mastodon.social
    Jul 28, 2026, 10:58 PM

    @faerye You could try asking at your library. They usually have review sources you might not think of. At the very least, you could look at the ones they have and see which ones have the most wear.

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  • Felicity Shouldersfaerye@pie.gd
    Jul 28, 2026, 11:00 PM

    @sbourne That’s a good idea!

    I was really hoping that I could take my (glorious, OOP) Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers and just go, “okay, this but with hawks now, please”. Sometimes things have to be a bit harder :)

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  • Doctor Dratvet@retro.pizza
    Jul 29, 2026, 12:04 AM

    @faerye have you tried asking the fedi for their favorite field guide? Amongst birders this would start a cacophony of replies. I assume the mammal people are likewise field guide monogamists.

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  • Felicity Shouldersfaerye@pie.gd
    Jul 29, 2026, 12:22 AM

    @ratvet I did think about it! I admit I stopped myself because my urge to start out by recommending my beloved reference guide seemed mean because it's out of print. Heh! However, I bet we can crowd-source some good stuff!

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