Synopses & Reviews
This readable, friendly guide is intended for bird watchers and nonand#8211;bird watchers alikeand#8212;for anyone who wants to enjoy nature right in his or her own backyard. and#160; The longtime editor of Bird Watcherand#8217;s Digest and author of numerous books on birds, Bill Thompson IIIand#160; has been feeding and watching birds forand#160;forty years. He has tried everything, and here he shares what heand#8217;s learned so that readers can avoid mistakes and skip right to successful bird feeding. He also debunks common myths about bird feeding: Does feeding birds stop them from migrating? Will birds starve if you leave your feeders empty after the birds have come to rely on them? and#160; In an easygoing and lighthearted style, seven chapters cover all the elements needed to attract birds to a backyard (food, water, shelter) and address special cases and problems (keeping bees out of the hummingbird feeder, preventing birds from flying into windows,and#160;and much more). The final chapter profiles theand#160;130 species that are most common at backyard feeders. No separate field guide is needed; itand#8217;s all right hereand#8212;everything a beginner needs to know to attract birds and then figure out what kind they are.
Review
"Taylor's Guides are the best, most authoritative guides on the market." Garden Design
Synopsis
Hummingbirds and butterflies are some of the most beautiful visitors to a backyard, but they can also be some of the most elusive. This second collaboration between the Peterson Field Guide series and Bird Watcherandrsquo;s Digest includes tips on how to attract hummingbirds and butterflies to backyardsandmdash;and how to identify them once theyandrsquo;ve arrived. Bill Thompson III and Connie Toops have decades of firsthand experience and have written the book in a fun, lighthearted style, providing both amateur and veteran nature watchers with need-to-know information, including where hummingbirds and butterflies live, what they eat, and the best garden plants to attract them. The species profiles of the 15 most common hummingbirds and 40 most common butterflies serve as a field guide, showing ranges, identifying marks, and preferred habitats. Full-color photographs and detailed drawings make attracting, identifying, and feeding these colorful creatures a snap.
Synopsis
A new Peterson Field Guide to 200 of the most common and interesting birds in eastern North America, written especially for kids ages eight to twelve.
Increasingly popular among all ages, birding is an especially popular family friendly activity. This fun and lively guide provides just the right amount of information for kids who have an interest in birds and want to learn more. Each of the 200 species is described on a full page packed with information and written in an engaging style."Wow!" bursts contain particularly interesting facts about each bird. Range maps are easy to read and each one includes a key, so that small hands wonand#8217;t have to flip again and again to the front or back of the book. There is even a space for young birders to check off birds they have spotted and the date the species was seen. Color photographs are used for identification purposes, and black-and-white line drawings by Julie Zickefoose illustrate interesting behaviors or characteristics.
A birder since childhood, Thompson says he would have loved a book like this one when he was just getting interested in birds. Now a father of two, he spent many hours over a two-year period with his now eleven-year-old daughterand#8217;s class getting their advice on what to include in the book.
Synopsis
Written by the experts at Bird Watcher's Digest, Identify Yourself gives beginning and intermediate bird watchers a helping hand with some of the most confounding identification challenges -- birds that are commonly encountered but difficult to tell apart. Combining clear, easy-to-understand text with beautiful illustrations that show key field marks, Identify Yourself is the solution to identifying many of North America's hard-to-distinguish birds..
Synopsis
Second in a three-bookand#160;series on watching birds in the backyard: backyard bird ID, bird feeding, hummingbirds, bluebirds, bird houses, gardening for birds, etc.
Synopsis
Nature's colorful creatures will flock to the yard when you follow the guidelines set forth in this book. Attractive flowers and natural plantings will attract birds and butterflies throughout the season.
About the Author
KENN KAUFMAN is the originator of the Kaufman Field Guide series and author of
Lives of North American Birds, Kingbird Highway, and
Flights Against the Sunset, among other books.andnbsp;Long recognized as an expert on bird identification, he has been teaching popular workshops on the subject since 1980 and has written hundreds of ID articles for
Birder's World, American Birds, and other publications.andnbsp;A field editor for
Audubon and a contributor to every major birding magazine, he has also led nature tours on all seven continents.andnbsp;He and his wife, Kimberly, make their home in northwestern Ohio.
andnbsp;
andnbsp;Julie Zickefoose began her career as a field biologist for the Nature Conservancy. She became a magazine and book illustrator, then began to illustrate her own stories, gleaned from experiences with wild birds and animals. Her monthly commentaries bring a glimpse of Appalachia to NPRs All Things Considered. Bird Watchers Digest has published more than forty of her articles and seventeen cover paintings since 1986.BILL THOMPSON III is the editor ofBird Watcherand#8217;s Digestand the author of theandnbsp;Peterson Field GuideYoung Birderand#8217;s Guide to Birds of Eastern North America,along with many other books. He lives in Ohio with his wife, the author and illustrator Julie Zickefoose, and their two children.
andnbsp;
Table of Contents
Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xv
HUMMINGBIRDS
Chapter 1: What Is a Hummingbird?
Hummingbird Life History 5
Did You Know? 11
Myths Debunked 12
Chapter 2: Watching Hummingbirds
Finding Hummingbirds 17
Hummingbird Anatomy 19
Identifying Hummingbirds 19
Hummingbird Behavior 24
Chapter 3: Attracting and Feeding
Hummingbirds
Flowers versus Feeders 27
C hoosing a Feeder 31
Feeder Placement 33
General Feeding Rules 35
Ten Tips for Attracting Hummingbirds 36
Chapter 4: Plants for Hummingbirds
Planning Your Hummingbird Habitat 40
Bird-friendly Plants 50
Chapter 5: A Hummer Garden Plan
Regional Plant Lists 65
Plants for Container Gardens 86
Seasonal Progression of Blossoms 87
Chapter 6: Troubleshooting 88
Chapter 7: Hummingbird Species Profiles
Identifying Hummingbirds 98
Species Profiles 102
BUTTERFLIES
Chapter 8: What Is a Butterfly?
Butterfly Biology 120
Butterfly Life History 123
Did You Know? 132
Myths Debunked 133
Chapter 9: Watching Butterflies
Finding Butterflies 136
Identifying Butterflies 140
Butterfly Behavior 144
Chapter 10: Attracting and Feeding
Butterflies
Habitat Requirements 147
Chapter 11: Plants for Butterflies
Planning Your Butterfly Habitat 156
Butterfly-friendly Plants 160
Healthy Backyard Ecosystems 166
Container Gardens 167
Chapter 12: A Butterfly Garden Plan
Regional Plant Lists 170
Plants for Special Interest Gardens 206
Seasonal Progression of Blossoms 210
Chapter 13: Troubleshooting and FAQs
Predators 211
Hazards 214
Butterfly Conservation 218
Frequently Asked Questions 219
Chapter 14: Butterfly Species Profiles
Kindred Butterflies 223
Species Profiles 226
Appendix 1
Photographing Hummingbirds 268
Appendix 2
Photographing Butterflies 271
Resources 276
Photography and Illustration Credits 280
Index 281