It’s here! Chirp Nature Center’s “Best Birds of Big Bear Lake Field Guide,” co-written by Kathy Portie and Randall Putz, was more than two years in the making. This definitive Big Bear Lake bird guide will be available for purchase at Chirp Nature Center beginning Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025.
Featuring the Top 100 Birds found in Big Bear Lake, “The Best Birds of Big Bear Lake Field Guide” is 146 colorful pages of information, photographs, maps, lists and identification tips. But this is more than a bird guide. The book also provides readers with Big Bear Lake historical information, maps, lists of favorite birdwatching spots, bird feeding tips, the joys of birding, and tips for the beginning birder. You will also find Chirp’s wild bird checklist, the story behind the Chirp bluebird logo, and, of course, a feature on Big Bear’s famous bald eagle couple, Jackie & Shadow. The guide comes in a handy size for easy use while on the trail. It sells for $19.95.
“The Best Birds of Big Bear Lake Field Guide” has been an idea since Randy and his wife, Beth Wheat, opened the Chirp Nature Centers in 2018. “It was clear early on to me that while the general western North America field guides are helpful, we needed a guide that focuses on local birds,” Randy says. “Based on interaction with thousands of customers over the years and leading close to 50 birdwalks, it became very obvious that Big Bear Valley is an underappreciated birding area.”
This guide brings attention to Big Bear as a birding destination, he says.
When Kathy Portie joined Chirp as a sales associate in 2023, Randy’s idea came to fruition. The retired editor of the Big Bear Grizzly newspaper, Kathy’s writing and photographic skills complimented Randy’s visual design talents. They spent the past two years putting together this uniquely visual field guide.
“As a writer and photographer I have always been interested in publishing a book,” Kathy says. “When Randy suggested we collaborate on a field guide, I was ready to get started. I believe the result is a beautiful book that provides a unique resource for birders as well as a great gift for readers looking for a book that focuses on Big Bear nature.”
Care was taken to make sure the guide is a comprehensive resource. “We used a variety of ways to make sure it is, in fact, the 100 best birds of the local area,” Randy says. “The focus of the book is appropriate, accurate and comprehensive. It’s very visual, simple and easy to understand. This book will help you figure out where to go and how to be a better birder. It is the most comprehensive information available about local birds.”
“The Best Birds of Big Bear Lake Field Guide” debuts at Chirp Nature Centers during Chirp’s final Wings & Wild Things Nature Festival on Aug. 9. There is also a book signing and celebration at Chirp from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 10, 2025, with pizza and live music. RSVP required; call Chirp at 888-412-4477. (The Best Birds of Big Bear Lake Field Guide can also be purchased online here, or in person at Chirp Nature Center.)
