Birding Hot Spots of Central New Mexico (Volume 42) (W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series)

Judy Liddell and Barbara Hussey's BIRDING HOT SPOTS OF CENTRAL NEW MEXICO may well be a close to the perfect local birding guide as one will ever find! I have been a serious birder for more than thirty years and have birded, and bought birding guides, in every state in the United States and a number of foreign countries as well. Some of those guides, such as those published under the imprint of the American Birding Association, are, for the most part, first-rate, with careful directions to special sites not only where one can see birds but also about the birds themselves. Others are far less well-written and certainly far less useful (and a terrible waste of money to boot). Liddell and Hussey's book, published as part of the always excellent Texas A. and M. University Nature Series, comes as close to the best ABA volumes that anyone can imagine. It is exceptionally well-written and extremely careful in providing details to great birding locales ranging from the urban Albuquerque region south to Socorro and the internationally famous Bosque del Apache. It hits all the "obvious" sites -- the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park in Albuquerque, the Sandia Mountains, the Bosque and on and on -- but it also picks up places not usually visited by birders such as the wonderfully evocative Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument at Quarai (one of my favorite places anywhere in the world) and it does so with precision. There are maps to many of the sites and though it is clear that an automobile is useful if one plans to see some of the more remote spots, the authors have even provided information on the proper bus routes necessary to access spots throughout Albuquerque and its environs.New Mexico may be my favorite state and Albuquerque my favorite city irrespective of the birds that one can see in both. Now, however, thanks to Liddell and Hussy, one can visit those wonderful places AND, with confidence (and a few free hours here and there) plan to enjoying at least a significant part of the state's birdlife as well.Let me close this review as strongly as possible: Any serious birder, amateur or professional, coming to or living in central New Mexico ought to have a copy of this superior volume. It is perfect for taking along on a trip as the guide it is intended to be. It is even better as a "book of dreams" -- a volume to study carefully when planning where to go on to see the hundreds of birds that visit New Mexico year in and year out.

Even with all of the avaiable info down online, it is still satisfying to sit down with a book and have everything in one place. This is very well-organized as well. And, besides the description of the site and birds that may be seen, there are other details like public transportation, parking, food, safety etc. Well worth the price.

The book doesn't treat a very long list of sites, and not nearly all the decent birding locations in the Albuquerque area. The sections it does treat aren't given the detail they deserve. Would also appreciate more help on access and parking kind of concerns. Beyond that, a mostly helpful little volume for birders new or traveling to ABQ.

The book is awesome, I've enjoyed it and it's very useful. It tells of key bird species to see in the areas visited. The directions to the sites to visit are well written.

Very good reference to birding locations in New Mexico

Excellent source book for birding travelers to NM.

"Birding Hot Spots of Central New Mexico" is very informative with specific instructions on how to find the best birding spots. The book is also full of tips about lodging and parking.

Extremely well organized and informative. I discovered birding spots i didn't know about and received more detailed information on several favorites.

Good book. Detailed directions along with lots of helpful birding tips.