Warning - listen to this episode at your own risk! If you aren't careful, you may find yourself out a few hundred dollars. Why? Today we're talking field guides, you know, the books and apps that help you identify, find and learn about all kinds of amazing creatures.There are so many amazing field guides out there - artistic, informative, innovative, and in some cases maybe even slightly irreverent. And with deep and diverse nature interests my guests are perfect for the topic.Joining me are Allen Fish, who works at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy as Director of the Raptor Observatory and as Associate Director of community science, and Cricket Raspet of the California Academy of Sciences. You might recognize Cricket from last year's surprise hit episode on Dockfouling - or the art of finding unique marine creatures on floating docks.We start with a lively discussion of our first field guides, which transitions into a short dissection of the nomenclature of field guides, identification guides, and natural history guides. We decided they'd all be on the table for this discussion! We started with bird field guides, but transition into all sorts of other interesting guides - everything from bumblebees to fungi to plant galls to lichen to desert holes! We also discuss apps and other technology that can assist, or dare I say, replace physical field guides. That's just the start!We didn't have time to cover everything in our stacks of favorites, so follow my blog or @naturesarchive, and I'll profile a few additional guides. Follow Cricket on instagram and iNat, and check Allen's organization, Golden Gate Raptor Observatory @goldengateraptors, or ggro.org.LINKS - See FULL SHOW NOTES for more linksAll That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western MushroomsBeached Marine Birds and Mammals of the North American West CoastBumblebees of North AmericaCrossley ID GuidesField Guide to Desert HolesField Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets of the United StatesField Guide to ManzanitasHorned Lizards of North AmericaLaws Field Guide to the Sierra NevadaNational Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North AmericaNatural History of Vacant LotsPlant Galls of the Western USAPlants of the California Desert - Backcountry PressSibley Field Guide to BirdsThe Coasts of California - Obi KaufmannTracks and Sign of Insects and Other InvertebratesRelated PodcastsAdam Kranz Plant GallsCharley Eiseman Leafminers and moreMichael Kauffmann Conifers, ManzanitSupport the show