Birding Resources
Apps
eBird – Free app that helps you explore birds and hotspots near you and wherever you go. Share your sightings with others and join the world’s largest birding community. Track your life lists as well.
Merlin Bird ID – Free app that offers quick identification help for all levels of bird watchers. Helps you identify birds by photo and/or sound. It also allows you to track your life list and works with eBird to explore birds nearby.
Books
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America – This provides information about the bird, a picture of the bird and range maps on the same page. It is very easy to use and covers the whole country.
The Sibley Field Guides – There are different versions available; all are great. The Field Guide to Eastern North America and The Sibley Field Guide are among the most complete bird identification books.
Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds – The old standby. It is easy to use. This guide categorizes by orders of birds. It offers good illustrations highlighting distinguishing features. Range maps are in the back of the book. There are other versions of this book: Western Guide, Birds of Texas, etc.
Birds of Illinois by Stan Tekiela – A good resource for birds located in Illinois. Birds are organized by color. It includes nice photos and gives additional information about the bird (i.e., nests, eggs, etc)
Sparrows and Finches of the Great Lakes Region and Warblers of the Great Lakes Region by Chris Earley – Nice supplemental books for further identifying certain birds. They provide close-up photos and general information about each species. There are other books in this series.
The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior – A favorite on many bookshelves. This is the book to use as a reference when you want to know more about bird behavior. For example, if you want to know how many eggs and what color eggs a particular bird lays, the Sibley Guide provides that information. It also provides information on migration patterns.
The Birder’s Handbook by Paul Ehrlich, David Dobkin, and Darryl Wheye – This is not so much an identification book but a great resource for the natural history of birds. There is lots of information condensed into this book to help you expand your birding experience.
Educational Links
All About Birds – The Cornell Lab of Ornithology for bird identification.
The Online Guide to North American Birds – The Audubon website for bird identification covers 800 species and is a good field guide.
WhatBird.com – A search engine for identifying birds.
Local/Illinois Groups and Interests
Illinois Birding Map – Interactive Google map that shows show birding hot spots.
Illinois Ornithological Society.
International Crane Foundation – Works worldwide to conserve cranes and the ecosystems, watersheds, and flyways on which they depend.
Sand Bluff Bird Banding Station.
Stewards of the Upper Mississippi Refuge – A group affiliated with the Fish and Wildlife Service in Thomson, IL.