I was first introduced to Richard Crossley’s striking photographic bird plates nearly two years ago. A post on 10,000 Birds linked to Crossley’s gallery and asked if this could become North America’s best identification guide. A year later, Princeton University Press announced that they would publish The Crossley ID Guide. The sample plates were unique and utterly amazing. I couldn’t wait to see the book for myself.
In the past month, the buildup to the book’s publication has seen more plates revealed, video interviews with the author, and a few early reviews. I was starting to wonder if it would live up to my lofty expectations. Finally, the day came when I had in my hands The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds
After my initial look-through, I was distinctly…whelmed. I neither loved nor hated it. I still appreciated the reality birding concept that Crossley was going for, where the birds are shown as a part of a lifelike scene in their actual habitat, at various distances, and in all sorts of plumages. But maybe the novelty of the plates was starting to wear off. Some of them also looked “off” somehow, in a manner that I couldn’t quite articulate.
But as I continued through the guide, I started looking at the images more closely. I found myself trying to find all of the birds in each scene, which is not as easy as it sounds. It’s not unusual for songbird plates to have as many as 15 (or more) representatives portrayed. I also started to notice some small details, such as the House Finch that had conjunctivitis. Some images also showed behaviors that aren’t usually mentioned in field guides, much less actually illustrated, like a Rough-legged Hawk perched on a limb that looks much too small to support it, or a Blue-winged Warbler poking its head into a cluster of dead leaves.
I had to further reconsider some initial impressions when I read Crossley’s blog posts explaining some choices concerning color and sharpness in his images. To keep the plates as realistic as possible, many of them are darker and less sharp than photos we’re used to seeing in field guides. I realized that was the main source of my nebulous consternation regarding the images. Once I understood what was being attempted, it bothered me much less. However, there are some images that still seem too dark, like the Bay-breasted Warbler below. The lighting may accurately reflect the conditions in the spruce-bogs where they breed but, call me crazy, I’d like to be able to see at least one of the breeding males well.
The text, overshadowed by the images literally and figuratively, is more extensive than it appears. It covers abundance, behavior, habitat, voice, and identification. It’s very informal, and more than once certain phrases or descriptions reminded me of something Pete Dunne would write (a very big complement coming from me). Don’t skip it. The range maps are pretty standard, though unfortunately they don’t include migratory range.
I should also mention that this thing is huge. You’re not going to want to take this in the field with you. But that’s ok; everything about this book was designed to be studied at home, before you go birding.
I’ve got plenty more to say about it, including additional distinctive features and, sadly, some issues. But that’s going to have to wait for the full review. The more time I spend with The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds
Continue on to the full review of the Crossley guide.
Posted by Grant McCreary on February 15th, 2011.
I agree with what you all said (other than I don’t care for the Peterson’s). I think Richard wanted the book to be uniquely his plus it had to have been an overwhelming task to create. Add to that the concept of poring through tens of thousands of other photographer’s photos, waiting for consent forms to be returned, seeing to all the proper credits, concerned that someone may be miffed if their wonderful photo got reduced to pea-size, etc., I can see why he tried to keep it simple in that regard. Can you imagine trying to credit someone with a particular microscopic photo in the background among other similar depictions? It would have made the book twice as daunting and lengthy. Hardly even doable. For example, he put two shots in of an Elf Owl. One (or both?) is credited to Brian Gibbons. I haven’t a clue which. So I think using other’s photos presented a huge problem. Maybe now that he’s better known, he could collaborate with a team to put together something similar with all the best photos they can get. That could entail photographers wanting payment for their masterpieces, which once greatly reduced in size might make for a bad investment. The book certainly wouldn’t be as reasonably priced. But yes, what an addition! I’m so happy with it.
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Carolyn, excellent analysis on the potential problems of his using others’ photos.
I came to the same conclusion about the reduced plates for western species unlikely to be seen in the region covered by this book. I think it would be much less of an issue if the Eastern and Western guides were published simultaneously. If that were so, on one hand those borderline species could be dropped (and maybe more attention paid to the range-restricted birds birders want to see). But then you’d have complaints from those living near the demarcation line that they now need two books to contain all of their birds. Of course, who wouldn’t want both?
Not sure if there’s a perfect solution.
I live in Texas so have to have both Eastern and Western guides if I don’t have one that covers the whole US. That’s one reason I don’t think I’ll take the Crossley into the field with me. I’m just going to enjoy the book for what it is. I’ve spent way more money on lots of things less pleasurable. Right now I just wish I could figure out how to put a smiley face in my message or put my profile photo on posts. I’m 70 years old and not that computer savvy.:)
A colon and close parenthesis should work to make a smiley. Maybe yours didn’t do it because there was no space between the period and colon?
As for the profile picture on comments, I (and most other blogs that have them) use Gravatar. Sign up with them and upload a picture, and it will automatically appear on your comments.
Oh, forgot to mention. It will work if you comment using the same email address that you used to sign up with Gravatar.
Thanks. It actually worked.
I was at the Ding Darling NWR book store this morning and was drawn to a big display of Crossley’s new book (lots of autographed copies – he must have made an appearance there). And, of course, I, too, felt it would be a great addition to my collection of bird guides. I really like the way Crossley shows the birds in their habitat and in their various plumages. I know I will have hours of pleasure and education going through the book. I wish I’d had it with me for my novice birding friends in Captiva last night after my lesson on the beach earlier about the differences between Royal Terns, Black Skimmers, and Laughing Gulls. As others have said, it’s not a guide to carry around; for me it will join Sibley’s guide in the trunk of my car when I go on field trips. I have a question, though, for people who know Painted Buntings. I live in southeast Florida and have large groups of Painted Buntings visiting my feeders from September through April. I have marveled at the varied plumages they have and have looked for a guide that might help me identify them. Crossley’s book is the first I’ve seen that labels First Year Painted Buntings. However, he labels the First Year Male also an Adult Female. I’m not so sure he’s right here. That tinge of pinky orange on the bird’s breast tells me it’s a young male, but I have never seen that marking in the images of Adult Females in any other guides. Can anyone correct or confirm this remark? The varied plumages in the PBs is remarkable, especially in the males, and there are changes as the winter turns into spring down here. I’d love to have a guide to that variation, and I wish Crossley had included more images of them.
@Kristen: I’m not an expert on Painted Buntings – I don’t see them nearly as often as I’d like. I looked up PABU in Tanagers, Cardinals, and Finches of the United States and Canada: The Photographic Guide, and it only has 6 photos. This is what it says about first year males: “males are variable but generally brighter [than first year females], with a few scattered blue and red feathers in their plumage”.
As for the label in the Crossley guide – in the intro Crossley says that he labels them that way when the majority of birds cannot be easily identified by sight. That may indeed be a 1st-year male, and Crossley may even know for sure that it is, but still labeled it that way for the purposes of the book.