Birds in Your Backyard: A Bird Lover's Guide to Creating a Garden Sanctuary

I have a wide variety of birds that come to my feeder daily. I just did not recognize some of the birds. With "Birds in Your Backyar", I was abled to identified all of my birds. It also gave great tips on feeding, what types of seed the different birds like, how to grow your own seeds, and bird feeders that you could build. The book I purchased was used and you could not tell, it was as good as new!

This one would be a wonderful addition to anyones bird library. There are hundreds upon hundreds of book out there in this particular genre, some good, some bad and some just so-so. I really have to put this one toward the top of the list. Now keep in mind that this is a Reader's Digest Publication. I absolutely hate Reader's Digest (this is a personal hang-up, and really my own problem, not yours, but I felt I should mention it) but I do have to admit they did a good job with this one. This rather heavy volume covers subjects such as creating bird gardens in your home landscapes, plantscapes to attract birds, feed and seed basics, bird-watching, a wondeful list, including pictures, of various plants that attract birds, various bird houses and feeders; thier construction and placement and even a field guide to common birds. This last part is the only part of the book that is absolutely worthless, but that is okay, as the rest of the book makes up for it. Keep in mind that when you look at the lovely bird gardens in this book or contemplate building these gardens, or feeders, or bird houses, that it is not as easy as it makes it look. This sort of thing takes a tremendous amount of work and quite a lot of skill. Even with hard work and skill, your project probably will not come out looking as nice as the ones shown in the book, but hey, they never do. I doubt of the featured any pictures of any of my projects in this sort of book they would never sell a copy...arrrrgh. On the other hand, my stuff might not look as good, but it works, as I am sure theirs dose also. All in all, this is a great addition to your library, particularly for those interested in this subject and I do very much recommend it. `

We've all heard of butterfly gardening, planting the right flowers and other plants to attract butterflies of all kinds. But have you considered planting the right garden plants and habitat to attract birds? In Birds in your Backyard the author teaches the reader the details of how to make a bird garden that will attract and support various birds. The book contains a complete section on creating an appropriate backyard habitat including providing food, cover, and housing for the species you want to attract. This is typical of the attention to detail the author displays throughout the book. Other sections cover topics like choosing appropriate plants for housing materials, building perches and shelters, birdhouses and feeders (including complete plans, materials lists, and assembly instructions), adding fountains or bird baths, and protection from predators. The last part of the book is very good section on bird habits, migration information, a guide to common North American birds and butterflies, and a guide to plants that attract birds. Birds in your Backyard is highly recommended to anyone interested in attracting birds or creating their own backyard bird watching area.