For the Birds: A Month-by-Month Guide to Attracting Birds to Your Backyard (Paperback)

~ (Author), Mary Schmauss (Author), Geni Krolick (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Do you think you have to travel great distances to see exciting wild birds? Would you like to set up a birdfeeder in your yard, but feel overwhelmed by the choices in your local store? Puzzled by how to attract cardinals without attracting squirrels? Are you confused about whether it’s best to feed birds in winter or summer?

 

For the Birds answers all these questions and more! In this accessible, easy-to-use guide, you’ll learn how to attract beautiful wild birds to your own backyard, year-round. Authors Anne Schmauss, Mary Schmauss, and Geni Krolick, three sisters who own and manage wild bird specialty stores, draw on combined decades of experience to show you how to make your backyard into a bird oasis. The unique month-by-month format gives you the information you want when you need it, explaining what birds are looking for in terms of food, habitat, water, and nesting every month of the year.

 

The authors cover every area of bird essentials, from basics such as types of birdseed to more exotic food choices like mealworms; from the correct depth for a birdbath to where to place nesting boxes. For the Birds is like having three bird experts on-call to answer your questions at any moment, sharing their time-tested tips and tricks for attracting the most interesting variety of birds to your backyard.

About the Author

Anne Schmauss, Mary Schmauss, and Geni Krolick are sisters and bird experts. Originally from Northern Illinois, where their interest in backyard birds began, the sisters have honed their backyard birding skills in Minnesota, Missouri, and New Mexico. They now live in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they own and manage Wild Birds Unlimited stores.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang; illustrated edition edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584797177
• ISBN-13: 978-1584797173
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,522 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best ever bird book!, October 26, 2008

By	Dawn (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews

For the Birds is a great book. It is a book that I have been waiting for for a long time. I live in an urban area where I get mostly sparrows. From reading this book, I realize that I have been using way too much millet--which the sparrows love. The book told me what kind of seed I was supposed to be feeding--more sunflower than millet. It also said that if I added a bath, I might get some birds that weren't seed eaters. I went out and bought some better seed and added a bath. In just one month, I have been noticing different kinds of birds in my backyard. All I did was read the beginning of the book where it talks about what kinds of feeders to use. Then I just went to October and read that month to find out which seed is best for the types of birds that are supposed to be in my area now. I took their advice and it really worked in my backyard. I am thrilled!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for bird lovers!, November 4, 2008

By	Amy T. (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This is a beautiful book with a different approach than the usual birding book. It gives tips month by month on what birds you are most likely to see at that time and how to best attract them. Gorgeous pictures, tons of text, fun and interesting to read. I love this book!

4.0 out of 5 stars Love for the birds!, December 14, 2008

By	Julia D. Sutton "nature lover" (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great book full of new ideas. I really enjoyed it. The only issue I had was that some of the suggestions in each chapter by the sisters were repetitive. Also I tried the suggestion about the squash seeds and the birds didnt touch it. I also hung a suet cage against the tree instead of free hanging and it has worked out well. thanks for a great book.