What is the best Field Guide for trees and birds?

Question

I have a friend who is a fish and wildlife major. She is really into birds (owls) and trees and I thought a field guild would be a good gift idea.

Do you have any recommendations on which field guide I should get?

Answer 1

The National Audubon Society Field Guides are some of the best in the business.  

I really like Lone Pine Publishings "Birds of ..." series.  You can get individual books that focus on the main state you do bird watching in.

http://www.lonepinepublishing.com/cat/na...

Others you might look at are:

The Peterson Field Guide Series

The Golden Field Guide Series

Answer 2

The guides from the National Audubon society are great for wildlife and the Arbor Day Foundation has some excellent resources for trees.

Answer 3

Stokes Field Guide to Birds is the best.  Their pictures of females and male winter plumage are the best I have seen.

Answer 4

I like Sibleys and National Geographic for bird field guides..both have the range maps right there next to the bird photo and description..some others such as Petersons make you flip to the back for range maps.  I tend to like the one with drawings rather than photos (like Stokes) because they depict different plumages (male, female, winter, and breeding)  and birds of different ages and subspecies...which photos do not always show.

Answer 5

For the professional-in-training, get the Peterson series. Peterson himself wrote the bird guides. For the less scientifically sophisticated, the Golden Guides are remarkably good. I rank the Audubon series near the bottom.

Answer 6

The the "Stokes" field guide for birds.

I've used several different field guides for birds, and Stokes is the best - in my humble opinion.  

Here's a couple links just so you can check them out:

Stokes Eastern Region Field Guide -

http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Mu...

Stokes Western Region Field Guide -

http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Mu...

As for trees?  I have no idea.