There are many tools to help with improving your birding. One of the best ways is to go where birds are being sighted and to visit places that are likely to have birds. Such sites are often discussed on birding message boards (list-servs, rare bird alerts, forums) and many are referred to specifically by their location in a state-specific Delorme topographical atlas.
Delorme has an atlas that covers every U.S. state. I’ve used them extensively for Illinois and Wisconsin (my main birding haunts) but they are extremely valuable for traveling to unfamiliar areas. Over the last few years I’ve been to Arizona and Texas and used Delorme Atlases for both to help locate areas I’ve read about or heard about from other birders.
Each atlas has oversize pages that flow from left to right across the state. The entire state is broken up in a grid on the back cover to aid in finding the correct page for a particular area. It takes a little time getting used to it if you are following a particular feature north/south. For example, when I visit the Mississippi River, the way the pages are set up can be a bit confusing.
I love using print atlases because it provides a great ability to plot a course to find birding location(s). Plus, it is worthwhile to browse for areas that are likely to have birds: small creeks, dead-end roads, quarries, sewage treatment plants, small lakes, and more. All the quiet, out-of-the-way areas that are explorable and usual places to find birds including campgrounds, trails, trailheads, and even fishing and hunting locations (which can also be good for birds).
The atlases also show many parks, preserves, and wildlife areas including a lot of areas that are not found on other maps including Google Maps.
I’ve used my Illinois atlas to plan out the Christmas Bird Count I created last year. Without it I would never have been able to get the circle centered where I wanted it in order to maximize the amount of good bird habitat to cover.
You can purchase the atlases through OpenSky where I am a shopkeeper. All products are 10% off from now until November 15th, 2009. Use coupon code: EDDIE1009
