Book Description
Create your own private nature preserve-with dozens of ingenious ideas to turn a typical backyard into a beautiful natural habitat for birds and other wildlife.
Experience the gratification of watching birds gobble seeds and other treats from your homemade bird feeder. Look on with delight as a mother bird tends to her babies in the protective hideaway of a birdhouse you have lovingly constructed from a dried gourd. Create a sunflower plantation, a bird teepee, a tent-style twig feeder, a pedestal birdbath. Follow the step-by-step instructions in this book, and your yard will quickly become an enticing playground, breeding ground, and feeding ground for colorful songbirds. And that's not all-there are also projects specially designed to attract beautiful hummingbirds and butterflies to your garden.
Among the book's special features:
- Projects require only a few simple tools and supplies and most can be easily and inexpensively assembled using only scrap materials found around the house
- Information-packed sidebars include tips for identifying the nests and eggs of songbirds and unusual facts and figures about birds and bird behavior
- Instructions show how to create baffles and barriers to keep squirrels, raccoons, and other unwanted guess away from the birdseed-along with projects for tending to these feeder-raiding marauders too!
The simple pleasure of viewing birds in your backyard is something to treasure every day of the year. Whether you are a seasoned bird watcher or are new to the hobby, you will find a wealth of inspirational ideas here to attract more birds than ever before to your backyard. And you'll increase your enjoyment of this soul-satisfying pastime.
Customer Reviews:
Great book for birders.......2007-02-21
This is a great book for anyone interested in backyard birding, no matter what size your backyard may be. There are articles on how to attract, feed, and house different birds.
Fun.......2007-02-16
I like this book. I'm a new bird watcher. I've made some of the projects mentioned in this book and they work quite well.
Excellent book for bird-loving gardeners!.......2007-01-12
Numerous, easy to follow instructions on how to create wide variety of projects! Includes illustrations also. Must have for those that want to attract birds to their gardens without spending a fortune buying items ready-made. Would be a good resource for those wanting to learn how to make garden produces to sell also.
Projects for the Birder's Garden.......2006-11-28
The book arrived promptly and was a good bargain price. It had very good information on attracting and taking care of birds.
GREAT ADDITION TO YOUR LIBRARY - RECOMMEND HIGHLY.......2005-09-07
I have been a "birder" for over 45 years and a gardener (in a very sloppy, haphazard way) for just about as long. This is a wonderul work that fits well into my hobbies. It is simple, practical and a joy to work with. As another reviewer pointed out, the ideas put forth in this book actually work! I was also thrilled that most of these projects were ones that my four grandsons were more than able to help with and in doing so, actually taught them something. I happen to live in a rural area, infact, I live in the middle of the woods. Most of the projects in this book were non-intrusive and blended in well with the natural look that my wife and I strive for. Recommend you add this one to your library. Now if I can just train my nine barn cats......
Book Description
Increasingly, homeowners are recognizing the need to provide natural abode for those fluttering jewels of naturebutterflies and hummingbirds. Sally Roth offers a menu of irresistible plants plus organic garden design strategies to create backyard habitat.Discover tried-and-true techniques for selecting, using, and maintaining nectar feeders and attracting a broad range of butterflies by offering foods other than nectar. Easy-to-follow instructions detail fun projects like creating mud puddles for butterflies or setting up a mister so hummingbirds can bathe in flight. Youll find out how you can provide nesting sites and nest materials for hummingbirds.Readers from 5 to 75 will be thrilled by the sight of hummingbirds or butterflies enjoying the habitat theyve created for them. The book includes a field guide to the 16 hummingbird species found in North America and 75 of the most popular butterfly species, along with Roths entertaining and insightful guide to butterfly and hummingbird behavior.
Customer Reviews:
Great Resource!.......2007-05-15
This book was just what I needed to learn about attracting humming birds and
butterflies. This has been very useful for figuring out how to start my garden.
I am very visual, so the beautiful pictures in the book and the general text design layout
makes it easy to read.
Helpful and beautiful.......2007-02-08
This book is wonderful for anyone who wants to garden in nature's best interest.
Blends gardening and wild animal management and observation.......2003-01-06
Attracting Butterflies & Hummingbirds To Your Backyard deserves ongoing mention as an outstanding survey of how gardens can attract desired wild birds and butterflies. From determining how native plants interact in the environment and help attract native visitors to understanding how to maintain a healthy environment, Attracting Butterflies & Hummingbirds To Your Backyard comes packed with tips which blend gardening and wild animal management and observation.
Customer Reviews:
Helpful to someone moving south.......2007-07-13
I moved to Georgia 14 years ago, from Vermont. Talk about climate shock! I found THE BIRD GARDEN to be quite helpful in getting me started in Zone 7. It is certainly not a completely comprehensive book, nor does it pretend to be. The sketches of sample bird gardens based on the varying climate areas of the USA gave me an easy to follow template for turning my yard into a bird and butterfly sanctuary. The year I had twenty-six chrysalises on the side of my house, I knew I'd done something right. Creating a bird garden, after all, cannot help but benefit the other welcome species, too.
My (indoor) cats and I love bird-watching now.
Disappointingly sketchy.......2003-01-16
Steve Kress is a great ornithologist and I greatly admire the work he's done in wildlife species and habitat preservation--but this book is not one of his best achievements. Basic and sketchy, at best it might give you a few ideas, but you won't be able to really implement them from this book--you'll have to get much better and more complete references. Look on the audabon web site or other birdwatchers web sites for ideas, and donate the money you save from not buying this book to audabon.
Bring beauty and life to the garden!.......2002-05-11
As an avid gardener with an extensive collection of gardening and reference books, this is the most cherished and most consulted of any book in the house. It brings the garden to an interactive level and a site of much learning for adults and children! Inspiring and informative, The Bird Garden also carries the endearing beauty of presentation one would expect with an Audubon Society publication. Wonderful gift for gardener or birder alike. I keep a few copies on hand for birthdays and house-presents. Finally, with enough inspired souls...the birds and butterflies will stand a better chance in the world. Read all about it!
Hatch your bird garden using this book!.......2002-04-30
I have used this book in the winter and the spring of 2002, and the results have been more than I could have expected. The book is well written, nicely illustrated, and well organized. If you want to have one reference book on hand, then you would be wise to consider this one.
If you only buy one book on the subject..........2002-01-30
Make it this one. It's full of detailed information on all aspects of creating a garden that will attract birds. It's well written and clearly illustrated.
Book Description
What should a birder do if he likes bluebirds and wrens but is not all that interested in woodpeckers and starlings? Bird-by-Bird Gardening takes the chance and happenstance out of backyard birding. Readers learn what design features and edible treats will tempt particular bird families so their birdbaths and feeders will be overflowing with visitors of their choice. Bird-by-Bird Gardening: shows readers how to lure their preferred species with bird-friendly features such as water, shrub cover, nesting plants, and feeders includes 19 garden designs for attracting specific bird families provides water projects and feeder recipes for bird families With this book to guide them, bird lovers will soon have their favorite birds lingering longer in the backyardand revisiting year after year.
Customer Reviews:
Little use for the serious birder.......2007-05-07
I found this book to be of little use to anyone other than those just beginning to be interested in birding. Many of the chapters could be combined into simply a chapter entitled how to attract birds. Many are repeates. This book is also seriously lacking in usable pictures of many of the birds that it discusses.
Bird-by-Bird Gardening.......2006-12-07
I just started reading Sally's book, one of which I should have written myself, but am delighted in the way she has designed this topic. As a person with a forestry background, I have long advocated that the birds represent the plant community, however indirectly. That said, once one gets the needs of a particular species, which has been well brought about by the endangered species advocates, then a landowner can tailor approaches with managing property in order to attract those birds. Other wildlife is benefitted, too, but we do concentrate on birdlife. So, this a two pronged effort: pay attention to the plant associations, and then realize the wildlife management aspects resulting. Each of us can be an earth citizen, making a vital contribution on one's own land. I have a radio show and weekly newspaper column here in NH, "COUNTRY ECOLOGY" where I pursue these ecological profiles and whatever one can do to make things prosper. I formerly built over 11,000 bark-faced natural birdhouses during 14 years in that business, and was on the board of directors for NABS. I take care of two UNH natural areas on Squam Lake, where "On Golden Pond" was filmed years ago.
Customer Reviews:
Good resource.......2002-08-11
As with other Stokes books, this one is quite a good reference. Lots of nsights in attracting wildlife, specifics on prefered plants, etc. A good book to have on hand when landscaping or planting new gardens.
I hate to say anything bad about the Stokes, but..........2002-01-30
This book was a disappointment. I think it represents a classic example of a publisher using established authors' names to crank out a nice looking book that contains very little in the way of useful information.
The book has only 95 numbered pages to begin with. The first five of those are -- get this -- the title page, a page listing other Stokes publications, another title page. the publisher's information page, and the table of contents.
Okay. That leaves 90 pages for content, right?
Not really. The last 31 pages are given over entirely to glossy, full color bird identication photos. And approximately one third of the remaining pages are also devoted to pretty bird photographs. The book is almost entirely "boiler plate", in other words. What content there is is fine -- there just isn't much of it.
If information is what you want, get _The Bird Garden_ by Stephen Kress (The Nation Audubon Society) instead. It's much better.
Great for beginners.......2000-04-06
This book is a wonderful starting point to help you learn about bird gardening. It starts with the four basic needs and then explains in a clear and simple fashion how to meet these basic needs, as well as other considerations. The book also has a small picture glossary of the most common birds and their "bio". This book is very well written, has charts that are easy to follow, full of gorgeous color photographs, and though they keep it short, it's crammed with helpful info!
Book Description
A superb collection of field recordings and descriptions offer unparalleled access to the sounds and calls of numerous popular and less well-known birds. The book and CD provide an introduction to the sound repertoire of species living in eastern and central North America. A variety of calls from each species are included, along with an in-depth description and explanation of their significance. In addition to color photographs of the most common species, the text offers a fascinating look at the science of avian calls, making this an indispensable aid for the outdoor enthusiast.
Customer Reviews:
Great for beginners in bird songs/calls.......2007-08-08
As a novice to identifying birds by their songs and calls, I found this CD be exactly what I needed. When buying the item I was really mostly interested in the audio disk. This contains the songs as well as various calls for the common birds in the Eastern Region, and already I'm finding that I'm using the calls I've learned more than the songs to identify birds in my neighbourhood (at least at this time of year). While I initially was concerned that the number of birds the CD covers might be limited, I'm finding that learning even this number of birds is quite challenging for a novice, and a greater number of birds would probably have just confused me at this point. So while not comprehensive in terms of species, it is more detailed for each species, and I can identify most of the birds I encounter quite well. The book contains a photo of each bird and a description of the sounds it makes and when they are made, which is proving surprisingly useful since associating a "pronounciation" of the sounds seems so far an effective aid for learning the calls. Once I master volume 1 and 2, I will probably purchase a more comprehensive collection of songs, but for now I"m more than happy with this.
Fabulous for learning all the sounds of your common birds.......2005-02-14
Lang Elliott, one of the best bird recordists around, has compiled a wonderful collection of virtually all the vocalizations made by 35 species found in eastern North America. This compilation may have a limited number of species covered, but it more than makes up for this in providing so many different calls and songs for each species, and also providing the context in which each vocalization is made. For example, for the American Robin you hear the basic song, the dawn song, the low-grade alarm call, the alarm call given when a raptor flies overhead, and more! Excellent both for learning common bird sounds and for figuring out what the meaning of a particular vocalization is.
Average customer rating:
- A wealth of information
- A wonderful addition to the birdlover's library!
|
Songbirds in Your Garden
John K. Terres
Manufacturer: Algonquin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Birdwatching
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Ornithology
| Zoology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1565120442 |
Book Description
Whether you're an avid birder or just someone not sure where to begin, John K. Terres will help you enjoy attracting birds to your backyard. Having sold over 500,000 copies in four previous editions, Songbirds in Your Garden has become the best-loved guide to feeding and attracting birds at home. Songbirds in Your Garden brims with stories, practical wisdom, and expert guidance. "No matter whether you consider yourself primarily a gardener or a birder, you will love the updated and expanded version of a classic."--Omaha World-Herald. A Country Homes and Gardens Book Club selection. Fifth edition, updated and expanded. Introduction by Roger Tory Peterson.
Customer Reviews:
A wealth of information.......2000-09-22
I've been amazed at the amount of information packed into this small book. In addition to the handy lists of information, such as the list of flowers that will produce seed for birds, there are also amusing and inspiring anectdotes sprinkled throughout the book. Definitely worth having in your library!
A wonderful addition to the birdlover's library!.......2000-04-04
John Terres provides fascinating insight into the life of songbirds and how to attract them to your home and garden. Beyond mere identification, the descriptions of individual bird behavior greatly enhance the birdlover's understanding of their feathered friends. Included are easy-to-follow suggestions for making your own bird feeders, houses, baths and other sundries, and references to other intriguing books on living with birds. I would highly recommend this book, more for the depth of information than it's ease of use as an identification tool.
Book Description
Enjoy your home and garden as never before when you have a yard that's filled with colorful birds and bird songs as well as flowers. This A-to-Z guide includes:Terrific tips and plans for building bird feeders, birdbaths, and birdhouses.Recipes for making bird food that is sure to be a hit with your feathered friends--including Chickadee Doughnut Delights and Easy Bird Treat Mini-Muffins.The 25 best plants to grow to attract birds to your yard--including columbine and honeysuckle, hummingbird favorites.How to identify and attract goldfinches, chickadees, cardinals, and more than 50 other favorite birds to your yard. Plus, you'll learn what their songs and antics really mean.With Attracting Birds to Your Backyard, you are on your way to creating your own backyard bird sancturay today!
Customer Reviews:
Great for Newbies.......2007-06-08
This is a great beginners book. It lacks some types of birds, for pros, but for backyard bird lovers like me, it's perfect. I love the tips and heads up on how to train, feed and attact all types of birds in my area. It even has a page on building a birdhouse!! Lots of homemade treats to give you feathered friends a big smile...LOVE IT!! JK
Informative.......2007-02-16
I like this book. I'm a new bird watcher and this book has many good hints.
Excellent for gardners and bird watchers........2007-01-11
This book is worth its weight in gold. It is loaded with tips on gardening and attracting birds. Good for novice and old timers. Once can never know enough and new ideas are always welcome.
Fantastic book for beginners!.......2006-04-22
I just bought a home in the winter and have since become VERY interested not only in the birds that inhabit the woods in my back yard, but in attracting more birds through the use of feeders, baths, and gardening techniques. I picked this book up on a whim in Cracker Barrel and I'm SO glad I did! This publication offers great pictures and diagrams, specific (both complicated and extremely easy) garden designs for attracting birds, tips for providing nutrition for your visiting birds on a seasonal basis, notes on habitats and flight patterns, even tips for keeping the little guys & gals from bashing into sliding doors and large windows! Ms. Roth also offers personal and very interesting anecdotes from people in all stages of gardening/birding.
Roth's Book would make a fantastic gift for a beginning or avid gardener/birder of nearly any age! If you live at home, close home, or if you call your Mom every day to tell her about your birdie friends, as I do, consider giving this book to Mom as a "something we can enjoy together" gift!
Have fun!
YOU CAN TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS!.......2006-02-06
I have been birding for well over 40 years now, have literally hundreds of books on the subject and spend a great deal of time in pursuit of this wonderful hobby. I am also an avid gardener and maintain a very bird friendly acreage. I recently purchased this book and I have to admit, right from the start, I actually learned things I did not know, got great ideas and had a wonderful time reading to boot. What more could you want. Ms. Roth has given us some wonderful illustrations and a text which is enjoyable, humerous and easy to follow. I am absolutely delighted to have added this one to my collection. The book is useful for anyone interesting in birds, nature, gardening or the simple pleasure of reading a good, well researched book. Recommend this one highly.
Amazon.com
This accessible, comprehensive volume will answer any and all questions about the visiting habits of hummingbirds and butterflies. Which flowers attract butterflies? Why do hummingbirds fly toward the color red? What's the role of water in attracting these revelatory creatures across the garden's boundary? The book opens with a chapter called "The Basics," which explains where and when hummingbirds and butterflies tend to emerge and their migration patterns, climate preferences, and life cycles. Later chapters include "Tempting Butterflies with Treats" and "Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden Designs." It concludes with a series of clear drawings of various species and their identifying characteristics, favored plants, range, and habitat. Writer Sally Roth is a natural guide to this flying world, and although her text contains reams of information, it never seems complicated or overwhelming. Well organized with illuminating sidebars and remarkable close-up photographs--a mother hummer feeding her young in their tiny nest--Attracting Butterflies and Hummingbirds to Your Backyard will help you turn your garden into a destination for these miraculous guests. --Emily White
Book Description
In her newest book for Rodale, the irrepressible Sally Roth zeroes in on one of North America's best-loved backyard birds-the hummingbird-and on the beautiful, delicate insects that are all the rage among nature enthusiasts-butterflies.
Becoming a dual hummingbird/butterfly watcher couldn't be more natural for backyard gardeners and nature lovers because both of these types of winged creatures are attracted to beautiful nectar flowers. Sally Roth is a passionate gardener, and she shares all her best recommendations on the perfect flowers to plant to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. She has even included her original garden designs especially appealing to hummingbirds and butterflies, including an herb garden for butterflies, a red-hot garden for hummingbirds, and a $10 garden for butterflies (you can plant it for less than $10). And, of course, all of Sally's advice is all-organic!
There's lots more you can do to attract and preserve butterflies and hummingbirds besides plant flowers, so Sally shares plenty of great tips and techniques for:
* Using and maintaining nectar feeders
* Setting up hummingbird misters and making butterfly mud puddles
* Attracting a wider range of butterflies by offering special foods other than nectar
* Providing nesting sites and nest materials for hummingbirds
* Understanding and observing butterfly life cycles
* Choosing and using equipment for watching and photographing butterflies and hummingbirds
Attracting Butterflies and Hummingbirds to Your Backyard includes Sally's unique field guide to identifying hummingbirds and butterflies. No stuffy scientific lingo here. Sally's writing is light and entertaining throughout her descriptions of each lovely hummingbird and butterfly, and she tells it as she sees it in describing the sometimes less-than-lovely looks of caterpillars. Sally also lists favorite nectar flowers for each type of butterfly and hummingbird.
Customer Reviews:
Good reference.......2003-09-06
This is a super resource. It has great info on both the host and nectar plants of butterflies, talks to the different needs of hummingbirds and the plants they like, how to set up the garden to be most inviting. There are full chapters on things like "the lure of water", "the shletering garden", garden designs, butterfly & hummingbird behavior, etc. There's a section on hummingbird feeders as well as butterfly feeders (rotting fruit - they love it!) It's a great into to the lives of butterflies and hummingbirds, explaining the cycles they go through and their needs and has really straightforward info/ideas on how to create the habitat that will be right for them. The photographs of the caterpillars, butterflies and hummingbirds (even one feeding young in a nest) are fantastic. It also tells (a little bit) about how caterpillars overwinter. Really one of the best books I've seen on the topic - glad I bought it - its a lot of fun! I highly recommend it for anyone looking to set up a garden to attract these folks or augment an existing garden. Build it and they will definitely come! We've had great succeses!
Delightful!.......2002-07-09
I received this for Christmas and have read it three times since then, referring to it constantly as I build our new hummingbird/butterfly friendly backyard. Sally Roth has changed the way I garden - her relaxed style, her obvious pleasure in her subject, the wonderful photographs, great descriptions of hummingbirds, butterflies and the plants to sustain them, have made organic gardening accessible and understandable. I have always had a no-spray garden, but always felt some distress when things started getting chewed, as will happen. Now I look eagerly for the first signs of 'munching' on the passiflora I just planted, hoping for some fritillary action. Host plants are now mixed in with the nectar flowers - and I can't wait to see a monarch caterpillar on the milkweed! Thanks, Sally! I have hung up the big giant strawberry feeder with pride!
Wonderful!.......2002-06-07
I borrowed this book from our local library, and I read it from cover to cover! Most gardening books are good for browsing, but are too boring to read. I am an avid gardener and bird/butterfly watcher, and I found this book VERY informative, well illustrated and also well written. I've added this book to my wishlist hoping someone will buy it for me! If you're interested in butterflies or hummingbirds, this is the book for you!
A beautiful book - enjoy and be inspired.......2001-09-28
I've read a number of gardening books lately, as I have decided to start gardening. This is one of the best. There are beautiful photographs and illustrations of flowers, butterflies and hummingbirds. The author has an obvious love of the subject. She doesn't make the whole gardening idea into a religion, however. She has a light touch, tells some stories on herself, gives a lot of good advice and makes the whole thing seem like a joy, not a chore.
Books:
- Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place
- Return of the Bird Tribes
- River Of Wind (Guardians Of Ga'hoole)
- Soaring with Fidel: An Osprey Odyssey from Cape Cod to Cuba and Beyond
- Stairways to the Stars: Skywatching in Three Great Ancient Cultures
- Stokes Beginner's Guide to Birds: Eastern Region (Stokes Field Guide Series)
- Thank God I Had a Gun: True Accounts of Self-Defense
- The Art of Ratatouille
- The Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher: Birdfeeders and Bird Gardens
- The Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher: Birdfeeders and Bird Gardens
Books Index
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