The Armchair Birder: Discovering the Secret Lives of Familiar Birds

From the Publisher

"Fun to read, and anyone, regardless of experience level, will learn something from this book (probably many somethings)."
-www.birderslibrary.com

"Among a list of favorite things in life must be an armchair. If yours is near a window, you can observe the most active creatures this spring—birds—while dipping into John Yow's generous new offering."
-Asheville Citizen Times

"An excellent literary introduction to forty-two of the most common North American birds. . . . Colorful and engaging."
-Englewood Review of Books

"Ably illustrates facets of bird behavior and instinct, acknowledging their unique adaptations to the natural and human worlds. Written in a humorous, conversational tone, this enjoyable read is a good choice for developing birders."
-Library Journal

"Whether you favor random dips into the book, or prefer to follow Yow systematically through the seasons, you will be sure to learn something new about the 42 species of birds that can be seen right outside your own window."
-Virginia Wildlife Magazine

"Finally, a bird book for the rest of us! John Yow has empowered . . . us to sit back, to let the birds come to us and to enjoy the sights and sounds. . . . Secrets of birds and birding are out at last!"
-Anniston Star

"Yow discusses 40 species of birds. . . . [and] whets your appetite for knowing what they are up to. . . . [With] stunning black-and-white drawings of each bird by John James Audubon."
-Booklist

"This is a most unusual bird book, not one you flip through to find the field marks of a confusing fall sparrow or to confirm a rare sighting. This is a book you will want to sit and read through over and over, not just for the fascinating bird lore, but for the affection and humor that come through in John Yow's fine writing about our familiar birds."
-Bailey White

Library Journal

Organized by season and illustrated with black-and-white images from John J. Audubon's Birds of America, this volume chronicles freelance writer Yow's observations of birds at his feeders or in nearby Georgia woods. He adds facts, descriptive quotes, and amusing anecdotes from Audubon's writings, natural history accounts, and contemporary ornithological research. Stories about turkeys feeding their chicks spicebush buds to prevent illness or newly hatched bobwhite chicks running with shells still attached mix with observations of more familiar birds. Similar to Mike O'Connor's Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches: And Other Answers to Bird Questions You Know You Want To Ask, this work ably illustrates facets of bird behavior and instinct, acknowledging their unique and often odd adaptations to the natural and human worlds. Written in a humorous, conversational tone, this enjoyable read is a good choice for developing birders.
—Sally Bickley