Compact Guide to Ontario Birds

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

These compact guides are the result of reducing the size and content,
reusing the illustrations, and recycling the research and some of the
text from the full-size field guides Birds of Ontario and Birds of
Atlantic Canada. But they also include some interesting features for
each species not found in the field guides, such as lines pointing to
field marks, an illustration of the species’ egg, a sidebar on what to
look for when confirming an identification, an interesting-facts note
(“Did you know?”), and mini-illustrations of similar birds.

All these features are in addition to many of the characteristics of
the exceptionally high-quality Lone Pine field guides, such as large,
clear colour illustrations; a full-colour quick-reference chart; an
abbreviated illustrated index on the back cover; water-resistant covers
with rounded corners (a feature that discourages dog-earing); standard
AOU (American Ornithologists’ Union) organization; and clear
presentation of stats (size, status, habitat, vocalizations, range,
nesting).

The full field guides each cover about 300 species. The compact guides
each cover 83 species. The difference is substantial, and means a
different role for the compacts. For example, the full field guide has
29 waterfowl; the compact has four. The field guide has 38 warblers and
tanagers; the compact has four. While this initially appears to be a
negative for experienced birders, it is a plus for novices, who need the
choices narrowed down to the most likely options. More experienced
birders will find that the two guides work well as a team: the compact
close at hand in a pocket can be used as a quick verification tool and a
reminder of some of the more frequently seen similar species, to be
checked against the full guide later.

The selection of which species to include was made with consideration
given to its range and to the likelihood of its occurring in the area.
The Ontario compact guide includes species that would definitely be
missed if they were excluded, such as pelicans, lesser yellow legs,
sandhill cranes, house wrens, orioles, and blue birds. In the same way,
the Atlantic compact guide includes birds one would expect to see in
that region, such as crossbills, horned larks, gannets, storm petrels,
puffins, and other sea birds.

While the compacts primarily target beginners, the reality is that
birders love books and the outstanding Lone Pine quality ensures that
birders of all levels of experience will be drawn to these volumes.