For any active birdwatcher who goes beyond their backyard this volume is essential reading. Connor writes in a lively, entertaining, but also very educational style. Chapter on optics will be very helpful for beginners, but probably best are his chapters on various bird groups where individual species can be difficult to learn (I especially like the chapters on warblers, hawks, and shorebirds). Out of the multitude of birdwatching books available there are few, if any, that fill quite the same intermediate niche as this volume does so well. Warning: there are no color pictures or photos here for those especially interested in such, but this now classic instructive text is well worth the price for avid birders.