Sibley's Birding Basics Written and illustrated by David Allen Sibley. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2002. 154 pp. (ISBN: 0375709665) Price: $15.95.
How often can you say about a book, “Destined to become a classic”? Not too often in the world of birding books, in my view, but that’s my summary estimation of David Sibley’s latest effort: Sibley’s Birding Basics. This slim volume by the author of a now-famous but somewhat weighty field guide (and which breaks his heavyweight tradition with a vengeance) is one of the more cogent discussions on the acquisition and application of field skills you are likely to read anytime soon. Only someone with many years of productive field experience could distill so much birding knowledge into the essential core that Sibley presents here. Don’t be misled by the word “basics” in the title: one could spend the better part of a lifetime birding and miss a good deal of what the author so succinctly imparts. This is not to say it is inaccessible to the beginner, however, quite the contrary. In fact, I can think of no better book—and very few better things, period—for someone just starting out.
Birding can be challenging, but this little book will be of great value in avoiding common mistakes that sometimes mar the novice’s birding experience. An insufficient grasp of bird families and genera is one that comes quickly to mind, a lack of caution in field identification is another, and a false economy when purchasing optics is a big third. According to Sibley, once you’ve begun birding in earnest, it really makes no sense to skimp on binoculars, so buy the best you can afford. As for caution, Sibley has a whole chapter on “Misidentification”—a topic many would rather not discuss (let he who is without sin … etc.). Most importantly, though, he really promotes the idea, familiar to those with formal training in ornithology, of approaching bird identification through an understanding of the various families of birds—through taxonomy, in other words. Anyone who has tried a different approach—as, for example, using artificial groupings based on size and color merely (as have some field guides I will not mention)—knows first hand the disappointment and frustration that results. This argument is not made out of some kind of science-biased snobbery, far from it: it’s just plain easier! If you don’t really grasp the differences between a duck and a grebe, for example, or a warbler and a vireo, isn’t it hopeless to try to identify the various kinds of each?
One of the best parts of the book, and one most likely to fill a gap in the average birder’s knowledge, is his treatment of feather groups and their arrangement. Here, he applies his artistic talent very effectively to illuminate the subject. For beginners, especially, this naming of parts can seem bewildering, boring, or both, and the temptation to rush past it can be great. I don’t think the importance of understanding such key anatomical details can be overemphasized, however, and Sibley provides one of the most easily digested discussions of the topic I have ever read. Patient application of this knowledge will allow the reader to deal with the familiar, and the strikingly unfamiliar, with equal aplomb. One needn’t fear that such “technicalities” will subtract from any pleasure in the beauty of birds—this is a truly silly idea. It is my experience, and certainly it is Sibley’s point, that understanding can only enhance such pleasure.
It doesn’t take most people long to become aware of a central paradox in the art of birding: that to really see what you are looking at, it helps greatly to have seen it before—seemingly precluding the possibility of recognizing anything new. Thankfully, however, Sibley’s emphasis on a clear-cut set of observational skills, tied to anatomical features which all birds share, provides the means to overcome this apparent barrier. He repeatedly stresses that there is no substitute for field experience, and with his techniques in hand, those all-important field hours can be put to best use.
Inevitably, as in any work attempting to lay the foundation for a particular skill, there is much advice given here that we may have heard or read before but, fortunately, Sibley’s considerable birding talent is matched by a talent for communicating it with clarity and enthusiasm, and you may therefore find yourself persuaded to take the advice for a change. This is as much a tribute to the logic of his approach as to his current reputation as the world’s best-known birder. I have no doubt the two are related. Some of his good advice: cultivate an attention to detail as you look at the bird, and continue looking at the bird after you identify it—above all, never forgo the opportunity to watch the live bird in favor of searching out a picture in your field guide; fix these details in your mind by keeping a field journal in which you make notes and sketches (you’ll never look at birds the same way after you have tried to draw them); last but not least, get involved in conservation by joining with like-minded citizens in organizations like Audubon, and help to ensure that your favorite birds can survive the 21st Century. Be sure, also, to take advantage of any field trips offered by these groups.
In conclusion, there are very few of us whose level of birding awareness will not be raised by a careful reading of Sibley’s Birding Basics. I recommended it without reservation to birders of all levels of ability.