The North American Bird Guide 2nd edition

Today I took delivery of "The North American Bird Guide 2nd Edition" written and illustrated by David Sibley. This bulky 600 page edition weighs in at 1.4kg. Not a pocket guide then. Far from it. This supreme book is the most comprehensive guide to the birds of North America. It covers the identification of 923 species and includes nearly 7,000 paintings digitally remastered from original art.

So, what is a bloke doing, who lives on the south coast of Britain, buying a guide to North American birds? You might well ask. Well, I own many guide-books to birds from various regions of the world, but particularly the United Kingdom and Europe. This is my first, and will be my only, guide for North America. We actually share many species and 'vagrant' American birds do turn up 'over here' at times of inclement weather across the Atlantic.

I will probably spend hours looking at the astonishing artwork of David Sibley and reminding myself of the wonder of birds that I saw recently in the delightful movie "The Big Year" starring Steve Martin, Jack Blake and Owen Wilson; three amateur bird watchers who compete to become the ultimate 'birder' by spotting the greatest number of species within a single calendar year. Highly entertaining.

And just maybe I can convince myself that the long haul flight would be worth it to participate in some birding in America.

I just need to convince my wife....