Guide to Backyard Birds

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Overview

This entertaining and informative book is a primer for bird watchers—both those who trek the countryside armed with binoculars and camera, as well as those less nimble nature lovers who merely keep a bird feeder near their kitchen window. Supplemented with color photos and illustrations, this book gives pointers on how to identify birds by plumage and shape, how to select appropriate binoculars and spotting scopes, the best times of day to watch for birds, and how to recognize and interpret birds' activities. ...

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More About This Book

Overview

This entertaining and informative book is a primer for bird watchers—both those who trek the countryside armed with binoculars and camera, as well as those less nimble nature lovers who merely keep a bird feeder near their kitchen window. Supplemented with color photos and illustrations, this book gives pointers on how to identify birds by plumage and shape, how to select appropriate binoculars and spotting scopes, the best times of day to watch for birds, and how to recognize and interpret birds' activities. There is also information on feeding birds, making a backyard attractive to birds, building bird houses and nest boxes, and much more. Supplementary information includes a list of rare-bird hotline phone numbers, web sites that offer information on wild birds, and a recommended reading list. Hundreds of color photos and illustrations.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Bird watching, already vastly popular, is one of the fastest-growing outdoor activities in the U.S. Higdon and Mancini, both avid birders, writers and former editors of birding magazines, aim for maximum coverage in this sweeping survey with an exhaustive array of topics including basic anatomy, birding vocabulary, prime locations, feeding, pests, bird behavior, habitat, nesting and much more. Their geographic range is equally far-reaching. "Regional information features" provide lists of local bird species and migrants for 13 Canadian provinces and nine U.S. regions (although New England migrants are unaccountably absent). Of necessity, this mile-wide approach sharply limits the depth of discussion, resulting in a true beginner's guide. The elementary nature of the simply written text is reinforced by a layout with large type, bright graphic devices and many color photographs and illustrations. All this would provide an ideal introduction to birding for young children if the reading level were consistent with the rudimentary level of information. Unfortunately, it isn't. Adults who use this book to pique children's interest in birds will have to spend considerable time reading, explaining and elaborating on the material. That makes it suitable as a teacher's (or parent's) guide, but not as a read-alone book that invites independent discovery. (Nov.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780764126871
  • Publisher: Barron's Educational Series, Incorporated
  • Publication date: 9/13/2004
  • Pages: 208
  • Product dimensions: 8.08 (w) x 10.04 (h) x 0.50 (d)

Table of Contents

1 Welcome to the World of Bird-watching! 1
Why People Watch Birds 2
What Is a Bird? 2
Special Feature: How to Use the Regional Information Features in this Book 6
How to Identify Birds 8
Learning the Lingo 12
Getting Started 15
2 What You'll Need to See Birds 17
Your Shopping List 17
Selecting Binoculars and Spotting Scopes 17
Choosing a Camera 20
The Importance of a Field Guide 22
3 Where You'll See Birds 25
Time of Day to Watch 25
In Your Backyard 25
In the City 26
How to Behave While Watching Birds 26
Special Feature: Who's Who in the North American Bird World? 28
Outdoor Health Hazards 46
4 What You'll See and Hear While You Watch Birds 50
Listening: A Valuable Part of Bird-watching 51
Useful Web Sites 53
Special Feature: Wrens Near You 54
Getting Physical 58
Eating 58
Who Eats What 58
Hunting 60
Preening/Caring for Feathers 61
Fighting 62
Timing 62
Courting 63
Building Nests 67
Laying and Hatching Eggs 67
Protecting the Nest 69
Caring for Chicks 70
Sibling Rivalry 71
Adapting to Temperature 71
Behaving Curiously: Oddities and Incomparables 72
Sleeping 74
Migrating 74
5 What to Feed Birds 78
Bird Food Basics 78
What Does My Bird Feeder Provide? 83
Who Eats What and When? 83
The Needs of Specialty Eaters 83
Types of Feeders 84
To Buy or to Build? 90
Feeder Cleaning and Maintenance 91
Making Treats for Birds 92
Storing Seeds 93
Common Feeder Problems 93
Feeder Placement 95
Year-round Feeding Tips 96
6 Problems in Paradise 112
Pests 112
Predators 119
7 Creating a Backyard Habitat 126
The Benefits of a Small Wildlife Habitat 126
Neatness Doesn't Count! 127
Predators and Prey 128
Pest Control 129
An Easy Beginning: Focus 132
Making a Plan 133
Other Plant Considerations 137
Birdscaping a Small Yard 138
An Apartment Habitat 139
Money, Money, Money 140
What About Water? 140
Special Feature: Fruit- and Seed-bearing Plants That Attract Birds 149
Invading Plant Species 156
8 Birdhouses and Nest Boxes 157
The Difference Between Houses and Boxes 157
Nest Box Specifics and Shapes 158
Handmade or Manufactured? 160
Material Choices 160
Make an Entrance: Hole Sizes and Perches 162
Enter the Birds 163
Placing the Houses 165
Cleaning Considerations 166
9 What to Do if You Find an Injured Bird 168
The Law 168
Who to Call 169
What to Do Until Help Arrives 169
Helping Escaped Exotic Cage Birds 170
Finding Help 171
10 Organizations that Help and Study Wild Birds 173
The Audubon Society 173
Birding Hotlines 174
Birding on the Web 177
11 Conservation 178
A Bit of Bird History 178
The Beginnings of the Conservation Movement 179
The End of the Line for Some Pigeons and Parakeets 181
DDT and Other Chemicals 182
Endangered Species 184
Making a Comeback: The Brown Pelican, Bald Eagle, and California Condor 184
Things You Can Do to Be a Conservationist 188
The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System 192
Bibliography 193
Index 195
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