[.ca] Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs Western Region: 4 CD's (ISBN 1570425884)

Just what I was looking for:
A few years ago I purchased "Birding By Ear" by Richard Walton & Robert Lawson. It's good, but I was disappointed by the small number of species represented (my version has 90 birds on three CD's, though Amazon's current offering appears to be abridged onto one CD). Each track has detailed verbal descriptions of the songs, and disc 3 includes some practice mixes of different habitats so you can test yourself. I think it would make a good tutorial for someone just getting started in listening to bird songs. But for me "Birding By Ear" didn't work. The detailed verbal descriptions got in the way of listening to the songs. I wanted more birds and fewer words. After reading the reviews here, I bought the Stokes guide. It's perfect: 551 species and no extra talking (just a short introduction at the beginning of disc 1). A quick example of the depth of coverage: 18 species of owl compared to "Birding By Ear"'s three. I found it easy to locate what I wanted; the CD guidebook is very clear. Occasionally two birds are combined together onto one track to overcome the format limitation of 99 tracks per CD (otherwise it would have been a five-CD set). Sometimes multiple kinds of calls are included for the same bird; for example, alarm calls followed by juvenile begging calls. This is definitely the collection for me.

The best I've found:
I own several bird identification books, this one is the best for the northwest region. My college zoology instructer recommended this to our class, and I was surprised at the difference between this book and others in the same catagory. This book is great for any birder, beginning or otherwise. It is easy to use because there are quick refrences and they tell you what you need to look for when trying to identify a bird. Each bird page has a picture or pictures, a regional map of where they can be found, habits, the sound they make, and other important information. I would highly recommend this book to any birder!

Simply the Best:
Imagine a single CD set, with four CDs, that includes just about every bird you could hear in the western half of North America. Not just the common birds, but California Condor and Horned Puffin! This CD set is simply THE most comprehensive western sound set available. Each CD has at least 88 tracks, so most of the 551 species it includes can be quickly found on their own track. It also comes with a booklet that states not only where each recording was made (useful when you're distinguishing dialects in birds) but also a brief description of the context in which the vocalization was made. To begin learning the songs and calls of western birds, you might want a simpler guide. But even beginners can select a few species at a time to tape onto a cassette and listen to over and over, then tape a few more over that and listen to them over and over. If you only purchase one sound recording set for western birds, this is the one to get. And you can't beat Amazon's deal when you buy both \onow and save.\c

Work in progress:
Bought the CD and am fairly pleased. Amazon.ca doesn't seem to like negative comments. So, I'll give a frank critique. The arrangement is fine and logical. There are many birds in this recording but there are some missing. The collection of Emberizine sparrows and wood warblers is not complete. A very few tracks are inaudible. For example, the Virginia Rail sounds very distance. Anyone who has stood close to a calling Rail knows the difference. BTW, has anyone noticed the mess in the printed catalog that comes with the CDs? So, this title is still a work in progress. That said, this CD set is good value at this price.

A case of mistaken identity:
The quality of the recordings are excellent and the range of birds' songs covered is copious. The song for the Red brested sapsucker is that which is made by the Red breasted Nuthatch. It's not the entire portion of the recording for this bird. The part for the sound made by the Nuthatch "with nestlings" is under the sapsucker. Its not a case of confusion with the common name. A portion of the recordings were switched or mislabled for these two birds. I have not noticed this occurring anywhere else. If it does I would take away more stars.