Birding Resources


Principles of Birding Ethics

It is important to remember that we don't want to negatively impact the birds we so enjoy watching. The American Birding Association has prepared a great guide on the ethics of birding available here.


Online Bird Guides & Information
These websites offer a wealth of information on bird species; behavior, habitat, full range maps, and more.


Report your sightings & participate in citizen science 

The collective power of birders reporting what species they encounter is incredible.  We encourage birders to use online portals, such as eBird, to not only keep their own bird list, but to also make their observations count in this citizen science platform.   It is free to sign up and enjoy a wealth of bird information at your fingertips.  

Of note is that the power of estimating the number of individuals of an observed species is much higher then simply denoting that the species was present. Please click here for more information on estimating numbers.



Birding Guides & Bird Identification

  • GEAS has created a free '15 Common Birds of the Boise River' Guide.  You are welcome to download and use this guide or pick up a free hardcopy at the next community event.
  • The Idaho Birding Trail is a great resource. There are both digital and hardcopies available for purchase here.
  • 'Idaho Birding' is a Facebook group that brings birders together from all over the state. People use this page to post special bird sightings, share their bird photos, and ask for identification help.

Field Guides

There are many digital and hardcopy birding field guides available today.  Most birders develop a preference for a particular guide, and they all have slightly different advantages. Your local library lends most of these books, so you can try a few out to see what works best for you. 

  • The Sibley Guide to Birds by David Sibley
  • Birds of North America by Kenn Kaufmann
  • Western Birds (Peterson Field Guides®) by Roger Tory Peterson
  • Birds of Idaho Field Guide by Stan Tekiela
Binoculars for Birding

GEAS Member, Harold Ward, was kind enough to create and share a guide of 'Binoculars for Beginning Birders'.  This is a great resource on how to choose binoculars that will be right for you.


Birding Apps

  • Merlin by the Cornell Lab: A free app that helps identify birds based on a few characteristics.
  • iPhone app Song Sleuth: puts a name to a birdsong

Birding Resources for Kids

Birding can be a fun and easy way for kids to engage with nature! All you need is a little background on local birds and a good pair of binoculars. Here are some resources to get you started:

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