Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 09:45:55 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: bonnie and john Subject: Re: First Winter White-crowned Sparrow MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit >I've been using an Audobon bird id book, and I couldn't really match it >to anything in the book. I'd suggest a different guide (if you are using the Audubon guide with the green cover and the photos?) I find Sibley's guide to Eastern Bird is the best for sparrows followed by Peterson's and Robbin's. The National Geo is (my personal opinion only) TERRIBLE for sparrows. Is there an easier way to identify Sparrows? Sparrows can be very easy to indentify! It's just a matter of narrowing your choices down to knowing what to expect- when, where and in what habitat. Practice, practice and more practice. I suggest finding good sparrow habitat and visiting it every day! A book specifically about them? Both of the books by Rising are great sparrow books but I'd start with Sibley first. A website? I'd be interesetd in that! I'm just getting over a prejudiced view that they're all the same and they're pests. Please!! There is the Weaver Finch which is commonly and mistakenly called a "sparrow". It is certainly NOT one and should never be included in the same group as our marvelous native sparrows. Bonnie Ott Howard County Field Trip Chair Ellicott City, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================