Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches: And Other Answers to Bird Questions You Know You Want to Ask (Paperback)

~ (Author), Olivia Miller (Editor)
Key Phrases: great auk, black ducks, peanut feeder, North America, House Finch, Cape Cod (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cape Codder columnist O'Connor ("Ask the Bird Folks") illuminates his intricate, arcane area of expertise through jovial insider explanations that will enlighten as well as entertain ornithiphiles, average backyard birdwatchers and even nonbirders. O'Connor's humorous birding columns are organized into sections on ways to attract specific species, food, unusual birds, habitats, equipment and more. Among many wry but practical answers to tongue-in-cheek and sincere questions, O'Connor explains why birdseed is healthier for birds than white bread (empty calories), but plain (not sugared) doughnuts are also better than bread. He debunks the "old wives' tale" of ostriches hiding their heads in the sand—on the open savanna they just drop their heads to the ground hoping to appear like a bush to a predator in the distance. As for the woodpecker, it has "evolved a rather tough head. Its larger brain case prevents concussions, and the muscle and bone structure at the base of the bill serves as a shock absorber. The avian equivalent in tone and expertise to NPR's Car Talk Magliozzi brothers, O'Connor should net a wider audience with this amusing collection. (Apr.)
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Review

“The avian equivalent in tone and expertise to NPR's Car Talk Magliozzi brothers, O'Connor should net a wider audience with this amusing collection.” Publishers Weekly

“while O’Connor’s detailed responses are full of ornithological facts, it’s their humor and irreverence that make the book so entertaining.” Audubon

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Product Details

• Paperback: 211 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (April 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080708574X
• ISBN-13: 978-0807085745
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #374,385 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Entertaining, May 1, 2007

By	J. head (littlteton, nh USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Perhaps the most entertaining book about birds ever written. This book is a collection of the author's newspaper columns entitled, "Ask the Bird Folks". These excepts discuss questions that the general public is concerned with, or that the author has repeatedly answered in his Bird-watchers Store on Cape Cod. Common questions such as, How do you squirrel proof your bird feeder, or If I keep the bird feeder full of food will the birds still migrate South for Winter, to more exotic ornithological questions. The author, Mike O'Connor, answers these questions along with some related facts usually couched in between some hilarious zingers thrown out at the questioner's expense.
All in all the book is a good balance of factual material with humor and a down-to-earth commonsense style. Kudos to the author. A very good book for short segmented reading opportunities.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun to read!, December 7, 2009

By	Mary Bach (Riverhead, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This book answers all kinds of birding questions with a humorist twist. I bought extra copies to give to friends.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!, September 24, 2009

By	A. Tony - See all my reviews

This book is so funny. If you are a birder or just want a good laugh check this book out. Mike O'connor writes seriously with dead pan humor. More than once did I bust out laughing at his replies to the birders question.