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1) Garrett, Kimball L., Jon L.Dunn, and Brian E. Small. Birds of Southern California. 2012. R.W. Morse Company. Paperback: 496 pages. Price: $19.95 U.S.

SUMMARY: Birds of Southern California is a pocket-sized 506 page photographic guide for the birds that reside in or visit the lower half of California, an area of approximately 56,000 square miles.
    The Species Account pages provide color photographs of the 350 local birds and have a companion page with key information about each bird including: description, voice, behavior, similar birds, where and when to find this bird, and a Did you know section with interesting facts. There is a space at the bottom of each page to record sightings of each bird.
     The Short Index inside the back cover also gives a quick way to find birds in the guide.
     The Map inside the front cover gives a good overview of the geographic area covered in this book and the location of some of the top birding spots.
     The Common Local Birds pages show photographs of Southern California's most common birds.
     There are a number of sections of the book designed for beginning birders:
*Identifying Birds (how to tell one bird from another)
*Observing Birds (how to be successful in seeing more birds)
*Bird Habitats (describes the 12 types of habitat in Southern  California and some of the birds in each habitat)
*Helpful Resources (where to get more information)
*Index/Checklist (use this checklist to record bird sightings)

RECOMMENDATION: This book is best for beginning/novice birders of the region.