On the other hand, to some people photos seem more convincing, because they record what was actually there at some particular moment, rather than an illustrator's interpretation. An accomplished bird artist himself, Kenn has made a leap and gone where no field guide has gone before. He collected over 2000 good photos and then computer-edited each one, to emphasize the identifying characteristics, to eliminate confusing backgrounds and misleading shadows, and to compensate for inequalities of lighting. The resulting illustrations combine the discrimination of draftsmanship with the authenticity of photography. The well-organized book is easy to find one's way around in.
Similar birds appear on the same or close pages.
This friendly, economical little volume is ideal for anyone interested in birds, but I particularly recommend it for beginning birdwatchers. It tells when, where, and how to look for birds, and how to go about identifying them. Kenn Kaufman is a legend among birders. At the age of 16 he set off on a yearlong Odyssey. He hitchhiked North America in search of wild birds, and he broke the world record for the number of species seen in America in a single year.