Mac's Field Guides: Northwest Coast Water Birds

Really nice guide to take to explore tidepools if you want to identify the most common invertebrates you'll find. Nicely laminated and light, so it is easy to carry, and won't get damaged with water. You can also attach it to a lanyard or a rubberband to make it easier to carry.It includes illustrations of about 100 organisms, with their general distribution within the intertidal zone.The description includes a size for each species, but it it not clear if it is the average, the usual maximum size, or other. It would have been nice to include a size range rather than just a number. On the other hand, it is great that the measurements are both in English Metric systems.The guide includes both the common and Latin names of the organisms.Other than that, it doesn't include any other biological information (which is not its purpose, and would be impossible to do on a field guide this portable). If you want to find more about the organisms, you can use a dry-erase marker to check the animals as you see them, and then go back to a more comprehensive field guide or a book on marine invertebrates to find out more about the biology of the organisms.Besides a size range, it would have been great to include color variations where relevant, or at least a code indicating which organisms present noticeable variations.Perfect to take with kids.Definitely not enough to learn about the biology of the organisms but perfect for a quick ID of the most common invertebrates of the PNW intertidal.

The images are small but detailed enough for identification purposes.It's hard to tell in the blurry image provided by Amazon, but this is actually near the size of a standard piece of paper. I could see this as a bit problematic in the field because it is a bit large and cannot fit in a pocket. It has a stiff laminate (so you could hold it by just a corner and it retains its rigidity). While it may be physically possible to roll or fold the guide, I believe that it is so rigid that it would retain that creased or rolled shape; so I would not recommend that.I really like that there is a tidal zone chart on both sides of the guide which means you don't have to flip back and forth to use the tidal zone reference.I am looking forward to using this during an upcoming trip tide pooling.

Like all the Mac Field Guides this has colored drawings of the common animals you may see. These are an inexpensive and fun way to begin trying to identify organisms. While too small to be comprehensive, they are handy to take to the seashore and durable since they are encased in plastic. The drawings are fairly accurate but may not allow beginners to make a positive identification of all organisms. The drawings often include the size range of the invertebrates which is a help. For the more serious, books or other resources with photographs and scientific keys become of great value. The Mac Field Guides are a good way to get started however, and may be a handy durable reminder for more advanced beachcombers.

I wanted to name every bird I see in the Seattle area and this got me there immediately.

Nice range of animals but only four stars because it doesn’t fold down into a smaller more convenient size for storing while looking at tidal pools

It is very easy to understand and the pictures are perfect for my toddler to identify animals. He has easily identified butter clams, hermit crabs, blue mussels, and Dungeness crabs....so far. It is laminated so which is obviously crucial for the combination of an excited young boy and the ocean. Great beginner guide for anyone new to tidal animals in the Pacific North West.

I bought this an another field guide for marine mammals for my son. We travel on local ferries often and visit my partner's family in Southeast Alaska at least once a year, so field guides are handy for my son to identify the creatures we see. They're laminated, which is nice for our wet weather, and the pictures are large enough for a small child to decipher. As a bonus, they have a hole in their tops that he uses to hang them on the wall of his bedroom when we aren't exploring.

I love having this and bringing it with the kids to the low tides, not having to worry about it getting ruined because it's laminated. Great for educational opportunities with the kids.