10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I like the concept of attracting bird families; execution is sketchy, February 24, 2008
This review is from: Bird-by-Bird Gardening: The Ultimate Guide to Bringing in Your Favorite Birds-Year after Year (Hardcover)
I really like the concept of this book. Very few of my gardening for birds books are set up by the "how to attract birds by bird family" groupings. I wish it had a little more substance though.
The first section contains three chapters with some general overview information on how the bird families are divided up, basics of bird needs, general thoughts on habitats, etc.
The second section features chapters on the general bird families which include: woodpeckers, flycatchers, vireos, crows/jays; swallows; chickadee/titmouse; nuthatch; wren; kinglet; thrush; mimic thrush; waxwing; warbler; tanager; large finch; small finch; blackbird/oriole; hummingbird; gallinaceous (quail, bobowhite, etc.).
Each family chapter includes an overview of the bird family, a brief summary of their range and habits, the plants they eat, a suggested mini garden bed plan designed to attract them, information on their eating habits, and a chart of the top few plants to attract them. It also includes brief paragraphs on their backyard fare, feeder foods, water preferences, and nesting needs.
The third section covers the seasonal aspects of bird watching - noting general migration habits, overwintering, etc.
The back has a chapter of resources for things like feeders, birdbaths, plants etc.
Overall I don't think it was anywhere near as bad a book as some of the other reviews imply, but I will say it didn't have as much meat as I had hoped it would have. I also agree with the comment that mapped bird ranges would have been more useful. Plant lists are somewhat skimpy (except hummingbirds - that one is pretty extensive).
I felt like I learned a good amount about each of the families and that was good (and educational). I didn't really feel like I learned a lot about how to attract them to my yard in particular. The book was well written and easy/interesting to read.
So, I would say it is an interesting book to add to your bird knowledge library, but it doesn't really meet its objective of showing you how to attract particular families of birds to your yard.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific book to get started planing bird gardens!, January 29, 2010
I am baffled by the negative reviews about this book. It is an extremely useful reference if you want concrete ideas about establishing a bird-friendly garden. We are landscaping our yard from scratch after a major renovation to our house, and this book is exactly what I was looking for. As a couple of the reviewers mentioned, this is NOT a bird identification book, which is fine with me because there are zillions of those books out there. Instead, this is a gardening book. The author devotes a chapter to each of the most common bird families, gives some basic information about the natural habits and preferences of each family, and then presents an actual garden plan (with sketch) to attract members of that family. The garden plans are simple, which is great, and the author also includes a table of other recommended plants and their use for birds (food, shelter, etc.) The plant lists are not exhaustive, but the garden plans are a terrific starting point. This book is most useful for folks who already know the type of birds they'd like to attract to your garden. If you don't, get yourself a basic bird ID book that gives a list of local inhabitants in your area, and then use the BIrd-by-Bird Gardening book to figure out how to attract the species of your choice. The author does have a very casual, chatty writing style, which I have to admit gets a bit annoying, but if you ignore that, the book is loaded with great information. The only thing I felt uncomfortable with is that the author takes a somewhat less rigorous approach about the use of invasive plants than is environmentally responsible. Still, she encourages use of native trees and plants in each of her plans, and flags any invasive plants so you can choose not to use them. Overall, this book is great for folks who already have some knowledge about birds, and want specific instructions about what to plant to attract them. Very useful.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for Gardeners wanting to feed the local wildlife!, December 18, 2009
I thought this book was great! I am primarily a gardener, and getting in to birding as a result of all I'm doing in the yard. This book was excellent because for each type of bird, it told you what plants you could plant in your yard to attract them, what plants they would eat, if they would be likely to nest in your yard, what kind of plants they require for nesting, what the nest would look like, and what other kinds of general habitat they might like. I really had never thought about how birds need places to hide from predators, not just places to get food and have nests. It also had information like what kind of foods each bird likes, if you want to put out feeders, and what kind of feeders (if any) each kind of bird might be attracted to.
It's not really a bird reference, this is more a gardening reference to attract birds. It does a very good job of giving you specific plant ideas for any kind of bird that you want to attract - I find that picking out specifics is often the hardest part!
The only thing I wish this book did differently is to not include invasive plants, even if they aren't invasive all over the US. There are several plants in here that are causing significant habitat problems in Massachusetts, even though in other regions in the US they aren't such a problem. Fortunately, she does call out each plant that she mentions that could fall into that category, so you will know. I just wish they weren't mentioned at all!
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