How to Attract Birds to Your Garden: Foods they like, plants they love, shelter they need

by Dan Rouse

Overview

Help your local wild birds by providing them with a safe garden environment

Make a difference to your local birdlife. Help reverse the decline in bird numbers by creating a haven in which they will thrive. It's a win-win. Provide the best shelter, feeding, and nesting opportunities for them and then you can reap the rewards as they sing and entertain.

No need to be an expert gardener already, or to break the bank - many of the most beneficial features can be installed easily and cheaply, and many you can build yourself or upcycle to be eco-friendly.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781465499370
Publisher:	DK
Publication date:	11/03/2020
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	384,656
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Dan Rouse is a passionate presenter, wildlife conservationist, and ornithologist from Swansea, Wales. Growing up on the South Wales coastline, she developed a passion for coastal birds and wildlife. Dan is widely respected in the birding and Welsh community for her ornithological and conservational work. She currently writes for Bay Magazine Swansea, features frequently on BBC Radio Wales/Radio Cymru, and presents for S4C Hansh, fronting videos on wildlife and wildlife science.

Editorial Reviews

10/26/2020

The garden is the best place to start appreciating birds, advises ornithologist Rouse in her vibrant debut. She highlights the many ways an average gardener can attract robust birdlife to a space of any size (“birds don’t care whether you live in a flat with a balcony, in a busy street, or in a house with acres of land”), and offers a reason to welcome the creatures: “With many species declining due to lack of space and nesting opportunities, it’s vitally important that we now take birds into our lives.” Rouse outlines basic bird behavior, detailing which types of birds will make a year-round home and which will migrate, and explains feeding habits based on such characteristics as beak size and foot type. Readers will also find plenty of practical tips; guides for building, maintaining, and cleaning feeders and bird houses; and horticultural insight, such as how to organize a garden to protect birds from predators and diseases while enhancing the beauty of the space: “If all parts of the system are working well, both the yard and its wildlife will flourish.” Complete with photos, this comprehensive guide will bring possibility to both aspiring gardeners and hopeful birders. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

This comprehensive guide will bring possibility to both aspiring gardeners and hopeful birders.” —Publishers Weekly

“Illustrations, photographs, and charts make this a true visual guide, but the breadth of information provided means it can be read from cover to cover, or consulted as a reference guide when needed. Whether they're looking to hang their first bird feeder or are already experienced backyard birders, readers will find this an amply useful guide.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

10/30/2020

Backyard birding has become a popular pandemic pastime, making this a timely offering. Rouse (conservationist, BBC presenter) treats her subject with joyful enthusiasm. That, paired with the typically bold DK visuals—sharp color photographs, and stylized blends of drawings and photos—should inspire novice backyard habitat builders. After surveying avian behavior, Rouse moves on to feeding. She discusses several feeder types, how to choose the best foods, suggests maintenance tips, and works through some nifty DIY projects. Birdhouses are presented similarly. The fourth section concerns planting—topics include gardening techniques (e.g., "layering" for optimal shelter and food provision) and preferred plants. Plant choices only go to genus level and concentrate on herbaceous perennials and shrubs; shade trees are given scant attention, and "planting native" is not emphasized. Backyard water features—birdbaths, small and large ponds—are next and include some step-by-step projects. Then follows a short section on keeping birds safe from predators and disease. The book closes with profiles of 56 common bird species with the focus on northeast and Midwestern species.VERDICT The bird feeding shelf is crowded, but with public interest so high there's probably room for this happy introductory guide. —Robert Eagan, Windsor P.L., Ont.

Library Journal