National Audubon Society North American Birdfeeder Guide

Much more than a guide to simply feeding birds, this reference, published in association with the National Audubon Society, explains how to plant a bird-friendly garden, understand bird behavior and identify common North American backyard birds, from the tiny chickadee to the rather large American crow. Wildlife writer Burton and biologist Kress spend an ample amount of time on the business of attracting birds, with tips on installing hanging birdfeeders, deterring unwanted visitors, arranging ground feeders, building feeders, choosing bird food and setting up bird baths. Most pages are a blend of flowing narrative text augmented with illustrated sidebars and charts. Planting guides, lists of species and their preferred foods, and even a tutorial on how to sketch birds are a nice addition, and the photos-of birds, gardens and feeders-are invaluable (although some appear faded or washed-out). Still, the bird identification pages are improved with rather detailed drawings of each bird (100 in all), showing what it looks like when flying and with its wings folded. This useful book works well as a basic introduction to welcoming birds into one's own habitat.