Bill Thompson Iii (1962–2019)

Another one of the “For Dummies” books, this one focuses on bird watching. It not only goes through ways to help you learn how to ID birds (what to watch for, listen for, etc.), but also ways to make your yard more bird-friendly (feeders, shelter, water… also gardening – what types of trees, shrubs, flowers, etc), keeping lists, sketching, what to look for in binoculars, field guides, and more.

I always enjoy these books – there is usually some humour thrown in, though this one had maybe less than some of the others I’ve read. This one was published in 1997, though, so a bit outdated, as he mentions organizations with their mailing addresses, rather than a website, for instance; there was one chapter that included Internet and email resources, but CD-ROMs are also mentioned. Other than that, though, I thought there was a lot of good information here. Oh, I’ve seen comments about the colour photos, but my edition didn’t have that (maybe that was just in the 1st edition?).… (mais)

OPINION:This book is actually pretty dang good. I am a fan of birds but I never really have watched them but this book has helped me want to more. I really like pigeons and doves so when I saw that they had information about them I was VERY happy. This book is also very interesting for facts I didn't know about birds, like where they live and what they eat. This book is all around spectacular. One downside is how its hard to always find the right bird.

SUMMARY: This book starts by telling what is birding and watching birds and how exciting is it? Then moves on to the gear you will want when you go bird watching. This tells how birding is one of Americas fastest growing hobbies and lots of people actually do it. It then goes on to showing parts of birds and what to look for and how fashion is second to function with clothes when bird watching. Goes on and tells about field skills and joining birding clubs. At the very rest of the book it shows and tells all sorts of birds; where they live and what they look like.… (mais)

Growing up my dad always put out bird seed in the winter and it was something I continued when I married and moved away. It was fun to watch the birds that came around and I've wondered what I could do to encourage more than just the regular house sparrows and house finches that usually dominate the feeders. Offering different seed (like thistle) helped to a point, but what if I wanted even more variety? This book covers a lot of the usual information to make your yard a "bird-friendly habitat" like the need for food, water, shelter, and a place to next and is perhaps a little better than most in offering specifics. There are a number of "top ten" lists and such that are helpful, and it's quite well-written.

It has specific birdhouse instructions for chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, wrens, swallows, purple martins, bluebirds, robins, flycatchers, woodpeckers, owls, American Kestrels, Prothonotary warblers, and ducks (mainly wood ducks). It also talks extensively about making sure your bird tennants are safe from predators, and I was disappointed to see the recommendation is usually a very large and usightly baffle. The "Birdy Backyard All-Stars" was also interesting, where it profiles 15 ordinary people and what they've done.

Maybe I was expecting too much, particularly with the blurb that says "the best-known names in birding," but overall I'm not sure it covers much ground I haven't already seen elsewhere. Still, it's the kind of book I like to have for a lazy Sunday afternoon when it's too cold to go outside.… (mais)