Learn to attract and feed a variety finches with this pocket-sized guide. The bold yellow color of the male American Goldfinch is a welcome sight in any summer garden. And the pleasing songs and high-pitched calls of all the finches truly bring your yard to life. You love these beloved birds, and you want to see them visiting your backyard or garden. Professional naturalist and award-winning author Stan Tekiela teaches you all that you need to know about finches, from crossbills to grosbeaks. The handy book is divided into three main sections. First, you'll learn all about finches: facts, range, habitat, songs, nests, and more. Up next, you'll be introduced to the seeds and other foods-such as grains and mixes-that keep finches coming back. In the third section, Stan tells you which feeders finches prefer and why. You'll also be given information on placing feeders, cleaning feeders, and protecting finches. Find out how to make your yard into a habitat that finches will love. Then enjoy Stan's finch photography, trivia, and quick tips. This is truly your guide to attracting and feeding finches!

Combining practical birdwatching tips, the insights of internationally renowned ornithologists and the science, nature, art and history of birds, The Collins Garden Birdwatcher’s Bible is a glorious celebration of the stunning world of birds. Brimming with lavish photographs, The Collins Garden Birdwatcher’s Bible offers handy tips on identifying and attracting British garden birds, as well as discovering more about the evolution, history and art of birds of the world. With detailed visual profiles of the key birds of the region, readers will learn how to identify birds by their colours, calls and behaviour, the best equipment and resources to use, as well as learning to create bird-friendly gardens and bird houses, choosing the ideal food for bird types by season and how we can become better bird advocates. Full of stunning illustrations and packed with practical advice and hands-on projects, The Collins Garden Birdwatcher’s Bible is the ultimate guide for budding birdwatchers, eager ornithologists, nature-lovers, gardeners, botanists and anyone seeking to learn more about these majestic creatures that rule the skies. CONTENTS: THE HISTORY OF BIRDS • PRACTICAL BIRDWATCHING & IDENTIFICATION • UNDERSTANDING & ATTRACTING BIRDS • BIRD-FRIENDLY GARDENS & BIRD-INSPIRED ART

The Slender-billed Curlew, Numenius tenuirostris, 'the slim beak of the new moon', is one of the world's rarest birds. It once bred in Siberia and wintered in the Mediterranean basin, passing through the wetlands and estuaries of Italy, Greece, the Balkans and Central Asia. Today the Slender-billed Curlew exists as a rumour, a ghost species surrounded by unconfirmed sightings and speculation. The only certainty is that it now stands on the brink of extinction. Birds are key environmental indicators. Their health or hardship has a message for us about the planet, and our future. What does the fate of the Slender-billed Curlew mean for us, and for the natural world? What happened to it, and why? In Orison for a Curlew Horatio Clare journeys through a fractured Europe in search of the Slender-billed Curlew, following the bird's migratory path on an odyssey that takes us into the lives of the men and women who have fought to save the landscapes to which the bird belongs. This is a story of beauty, triumph, and the struggles of conservation. It is a homage to a bird which may never be seen again.

This one-of-a-kind, lavishly illustrated anthology celebrates Audubon's connection to the sea through both his words and art. The American naturalist John James Audubon (1785-1851) is widely remembered for his iconic paintings of American birdlife. But as this anthology makes clear, Audubon was also a brilliant writer-and his keen gaze took in far more than creatures of the sky. Culled from his published and unpublished writings, Audubon at Sea explores Audubon's diverse observations of the ocean, the coast, and their human and animal inhabitants. With Audubon expert Christoph Irmscher and scholar of the sea Richard J. King as our guides, we set sail from the humid expanses of the American South to the shores of England and the chilly landscapes of the Canadian North. We learn not only about the diversity of sea life Audubon documented-birds, sharks, fish, and whales-but also about life aboard ship, travel in early America, Audubon's work habits, and the origins of beloved paintings. And as we face an unfathomable loss of seabirds today, Audubon's warnings about the fragility of birdlife in his time are prescient and newly relevant. Charting the course of Audubon's life and work, from his birth in Haiti to his death in Manhattan, Irmscher and King's wide-ranging introduction and carefully drawn commentary confront the challenges Audubon's legacy poses for us today, including his participation in American slavery and the thousands of birds he killed for his art. Beautifully illustrated, with a foreword by distinguished photographer and conservationist Subhankar Banerjee, and rounded out by hundreds of historical and ornithological notes, Audubon at Sea is the most comprehensively annotated collection of Audubon's work ever published.

Explore the Expanding Peterson Line. Leave your reading glasses behind. Now Roger Tory Peterson's classic Field Guide to Eastern Birds has been reissued in a larger format specially produced for those who don't want to take their reading glasses into the field. Peterson's treasured illustrations have been reproduced in beautiful color. Species descriptions include only the most important identification elements -- size, voice, and habitat -- in large, easy-to-read type. Color range maps, conveniently located next to the species accounts, have been updated specifically for this book. Roger Tory Peterson's original text has been revised and updated by Virginia Peterson, who worked closely with her husband and created the maps for the fourth edition of the Field Guide to Eastern Birds; Noble Proctor, a professor of biology who was a close friend of Roger Tory Peterson's and led natural history tours for twenty-five years; and Pete Dunne, vice president of the New Jersey Audubon Society and director of the Cape May Bird Observatory, as well as the author of many books on birding. The maps have been updated by Virginia Peterson and Paul Lehman, past editor of Birding magazine and a bird tour leader who has traveled extensively around North America studying bird distribution and identification and has written many articles on these subjects.

The Great Horned Owl is the largest owl found throughout most of North America. Adult owls are between eighteen to 24 inches from head to tail and can have a wing span of more than four feet. Their long ear tufts and cryptic coloration enables them to remain well hidden during the day, often out of sight of sharp-eyed diurnal raptors and eagle-eyed birders. Through more than 130 photographs and illustrations, take an in-depth look into the life of this very impressive and formidable bird. Explore the owls food habits, nesting sites, how they raise their young, and the rehabilitation of injured owls. The one-of-a-kind photographs and comprehensive descriptions make this a must-have treasure to be enjoyed by all ages. It is sure to become the go-to reference on the Great Horned Owl."

The perfect gift for bird watchers. 70 of Britain's birds - natural history facts, folklore and literary appearances. Packed with natural history facts, folklore and literary appearances for more than 70 of Britain's birds. A fascinating and charming guide that will make a perfect gift for anyone who loves birds and natural Britain. Did you know that according to legend blackbirds were originally white? Or that the number of times you hear a cuckoo determines how many children you'll have? Or that woodpeckers have special shock absorbers built into their beaks? Or that in 1958 a puffin was blown inland and knocked a man off his bicycle near Bromley? There are 40 beautiful custom illustrations in the book too, which will help beginners to identify the birds.

Graced with bounteous natural beauty Costa Rica has become a popular destination for travellers from all over the world. Birds play a prominent role in attracting visitors, too. The shimmering quetzals, gaudy macaws, and comical toucans that populate tourism posters only begin to hint at the impressive avian diversity to be found throughout this small country. The principal objective of this book is to help you correctly identify birds in Costa Rica. Each family of birds is introduced by a brief description that should help the novice birder determine to which group a bird belongs. Nearly every species is illustrated by one or more images, as needed. Corresponding to each species' illustration is a written account on the facing page. The account begins with the unique field marks to look for that will distinguish each species from similar ones. Following the description is information about status, distribution and vocalisation. Most species accounts include a a map showing the distribution within Costa Rica. This new edition features 903 species in total, including 64 that are illustrated here for the first time. The 174 colour plates include 360 new images from artist Robert Dean. The text and maps have been fully updated to ensure that this guide is the definitive field guide for anyone visiting Costa Rica.

Fascinating stories about birdsong for every week of the year, with QR code for every entry. Dominic Couzens, a leading bird expert and writer, takes you on a journey to enjoy an authentic year of birdsong around the world, one for every week of the year. From the ancient song of the Rifleman that was likely the first sound made by a songbird to the Eurasian Skylark who evokes the zenith of summer, from the constant companion of the American Robin whose song resonates from the top of skyscrapers and complements the howling of a wolfpack in Alaska to the drumming rhythm of the Great Spotted Woodpecker. This book covers a myriad of topics including bird nature and behaviour, stories and literary masterpieces inspired by birdsongs, the musicality of the notes, and what different songs communicate. Each of these fascinating stories are accompanied by illustrations by award-winning artist Madeleine Floyd and a QR code to let you listen to the birdsong while you read. A natural wonder that has captivated and fascinated generations, birdsong is the soundtrack to life. This book offers the perfect tonic whether you are an avid birdwatcher or just want to understand the songs that are often the first thing we hear in the morning and the last thing we hear at night.

The vibrant and exciting world of penguins is shown in all its glory in this new book from renowned wildlife photographer David Tipling, who has trekked to remote and beautiful locations to capture birds in their natural habitat going about their daily lives. Moments rarely caught by humans have been preserved on film and reproduced in glorious full-colour images. Penguins: Close Encounters showcases 140 amazing photographs of birds in the wild, and a short description accompanies each image. The book has coverage of all of the world's 17 penguin species - including a comprehensive 'penguin fact file' section at the end - and chapters cover all aspects of their lives and behaviour. This book is a celebration of these birds and a photographic study that is sure to captivate any bird lover or wildlife photography enthusiast.

A book about birdsong, from the critically acclaimed author of Raptor. In Wild Air, James Macdonald Lockhart sets out to write about a series of birds as though he has his granny's role of listening to birds' songs and calls and relaying what she heard to her aged and by then quite deaf father - the famous naturalist Seton Gordon. From a nightjar's strange churring song on a heath in the south of England, to a lapwing displaying over the machair in the Outer Hebrides, he writes about eight different birds who he has spent most time with, returned to most often and relays what he hears. The eight species are all representative of a different habitat. Nightjars on a lowland heath; shearwaters on a mountain overlooking the sea; dippers on a river; skylarks in farmland; ravens in woodland; divers on a loch; lapwings on the coast; and nightingales in dense scrub. Not all of the birds are songbirds in the traditional sense, though each possesses its own distinctive music. That music can vary from the strange, as in the weird gurgling sound a shearwater makes inside its burrow, to the joyous exuberance of the skylark's song. Sometimes, he hears a lot, and sees little (shearwaters in the pitch dark); sometimes he sees a lot, but hears little (black-throated divers on their loch). But in every case the sounds the birds make become an introduction to their lives - an audible introduction to the birds and the places they are found.

"What Rachel Carson did for the sea . . . Scott Weidensaul has now done for bird migration."
--Caroline Fraser, Outside

Bird migration is the world's only true unifying natural phenomenon, stitching the continents together in a way that even the great weather systems fail to do. Scott Weidensaul follows awesome kettles of hawks over the Mexican coastal plains, bar-tailed godwits that hitchhike on gale winds 7,000 miles nonstop across the Pacific from Alaska to New Zealand, and myriad songbirds whose numbers have dwindled so dramatically in recent decades. Migration paths form an elaborate global web that shows serious signs of fraying, and Weidensaul delves into the tragedies of habitat degradation and deforestation with an urgency that brings to life the vast problems these miraculous
migrants now face. Living on the Wind is a magisterial work of nature writing.

Find Your Recipe for Bird Watching SuccessA few minutes in the kitchen can become hours of bird watching fun. Take birding to another level by creating unique dishes especially for backyard birds. This creative cookbook turns bird food into a banana split, cupcake, pie, and even tree ornaments. Each dish is perfect to tackle alone or with the whole family. Inside You'll Find 26 recipes to attract the birds you want to see Ingredients that appeal to 70+ bird species, including "hard-to-get" birds Tips on selecting the right ingredients for the right birds A handy chart that shows which birds dine on each dish BONUS: Tips for cooking with kids, wildlife research projects, and a bird-identification section See more birds and make birding even more interactive. Invite everybirdy to your yard with a banquet of nutritious, homemade foods.

Hierdie praktiese, eenvoudige gids tot van die voëls in Suider-Afrika wat die meeste gesien word, is gemik op beginner- en selfs juniorv oëlkykers. Dit is meer toeganklik as ’n volwaardige veldgids, en baie nuttig met eenvoudige teks, duidelike illustrasies en foto’s van 300 van die streeks se voëls wat die maklikste te sien is.

Vir elke voël bied die boek:

- Eenvoudige teks met onder meer ‘vind dit;’ ‘identifiseer dit’ en ‘verstaan dit’

- Illustrasies en foto’s in volkleur

- ’n Verspreidingskaart

- Die gewone Afrikaanse naam, wetenskaplike naam en gewone name in Engels en ander Afrika-tale

- Gemiddelde grootte en besonderhede oor die nes

- Omraamde teks met bykomende inligting vir sommige voëls.

Hierdie kleurryke, tersaaklike boek met bondige aanwysings vir identifisering behoort groot byval te vind by Suider-Afrikaanse voëlkykers en buitelewe-entoesiaste.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 'I loved this book' Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path 'Utterly absorbing' Lucy Jones, author of Losing Eden Wishing to leave behind the quiet isolation of her Orkney island life, Amy Liptrot books a one-way flight to Berlin. Searching for new experiences, inspiration and love, she rents a loftbed in a shared flat and looks for work. She explores the streets, nightclubs and parks and seeks out the city's wildlife - goshawks, raccoons and hooded crows. She looks for love through the screen of her laptop. Over the course of a year Amy makes space hoping for the unexpected. And it comes with an erotic jolt, in the form of a love affair that obsesses her. The Instant is an unapologetic look at the addictive power of love and lust. It is also an exploration of the cycles of the moon, the flight paths of migratory birds, the mesmerising power of Neolithic stonework and the trails followed by a generation who exist online.

The ultimate illustrated field guide to the birds of Argentina and the islands of the South-west Atlantic Argentina is one of South America's premier birding destinations, encompassing a range of habitats-from rainforests and pampas grasslands to the wetlands of the Ibera and the wilderness of Tierra del Fuego. Surprisingly, despite the strong interest in Argentina's rich avian population, the country has until now lacked a credible, modern field guide to its birds. Authoritative and up-to-date, Birds of Argentina and the South-west Atlantic provides detailed species accounts, a plethora of distribution maps, and close to 200 stunning color plates illustrating every species and many distinct plumages and subspecies. This essential book will satisfy researchers, birders, and conservationists alike. The only up-to-date English-language guide to the birds of Argentina and the islands of the South-west Atlantic More than 2,300 images illustrate 1,075 species, including all residents, migrants, and vagrants Close to 200 color plates depict every species and many distinct plumages and subspecies, including 28 endemics and 17 near-endemics Key identification features and plentiful distribution maps

This is a book written by an expert with a lifetime of experience, designed to show disabled people the wonders of bird watching, with great tips and advice on the places to go, resources available and a detailed and enjoyable introduction to the subject. I became a Blue Badge holder a little while ago and my mobility levels were much reduced, walking 2/300 meters or so became a problem. I have been bird watching all my life, or so it seems. Since the death of my wife three years ago, it has become almost a way of life, giving me direction once again. How was I going to obtain maximum pleasure with minimum effort? I now had to call on all my past experience and knowledge to be channelled down what I will call the 'Easy route'. I needed birds to come to me, which is highly unlikely, or get to them as close as possible, a car can make a good hide as long as you stay in it. I started to set up a list of locations which fitted these criteria and used my map reading skills, such as they were, to locate others. It is amazing what you can discover by studying a Landranger map! At many of the lectures I provide I find many disabled people attend, and many of these tell me this is about as close as they get to nature now, especially the wheelchair bound. Surely these people are not banned from the countryside because they cannot walk or walk well? I had been wishing to write a book for years, and now a bench mark had been laid down, and my book was born. When you consider the RSPB boasts over 1,000,000 members and the Wildlife Trusts claim over 800,000 members, that is nearly 2,000,000 people. I think we can safely presume over a half of these will be retired, and a good percentage of these will be disabled to some degree or other. These people need to be told just what is available out there in the wild world, just how well many of our nature reserves cater for the disabled, many hire out wheelchairs at a nominal cost or even provide them free, I have found them useful at times. Most bird hides have ramps, and Blue Badge parking is usually available. Hopefully this book will point you in the right direction, open your eyes to a beautiful world, introduce you to many new friends who will be only too happy to share the wonders with you. One final thought. Although this book was primarily written with the disabled in mind, as an introduction to both the subject and the places to visit, it is there for all. For the experienced this book is a pleasant reminder of the wild world we love, for the novice, an introduction to a truly wonderful world which does not cost a lot. All you need is the inclination to go out and see it.

The perfect guide to the birds of the southeastern United States, from the #1 birding website AllAboutBirds.org The All About Birds Regional Field-Guide Series brings birding enthusiasts the best information from the renowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website, AllAboutBirds.org, used by more than 21 million people each year. These definitive books provide the most up-to-date resources and expert coverage on bird species throughout North America. This dynamic guide is the perfect companion for anyone interested in the birds of the southeastern United States. The guide offers fascinating details about the birds around you, useful bird ID tips, and handy bird-watching information. It presents full accounts of the 210 species most commonly seen in the Southeast; beautiful photographs of male, female, and immature birds, as well as morphs, and breeding and nonbreeding plumage (so you can ID birds all year long); current range maps; and so much more. The southeastern USA edition of All About Birds is easy to use and easy to share. This volume features the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as Washington, DC. Descriptions of 210 bird species, including four photos for each bird chosen specifically for better ID and sourced from the Macaulay Library (a collection of bird photos from citizen scientists) Quick and easy index with illustrations on cover flaps, with complete index at the back Information on Cornell Lab citizen-science programs and how to participate Bonus content includes identification best practices and tips on bird photography, birdscaping, food and feeding, and more Free MERLIN Bird ID app (downloaded more than 5 million times) for quick ID in the wild using photos and birdsong

This is a book about what it's like being a birder in an age of natural decline. It is part autobiographical - tales of spell-binding birding encounters that left indelible memories - and it is part reflective. The travellers' tales of birding adventures are about places and events that were variously entertaining, amusing, captivating, inspiring, exciting and awesome, literally. They also feature the amazing, eccentric, dedicated, inspiring people in the birding community. Travels to Madagascar, Cambodia, India and many other places are recalled. There is birding in the Himalayas, in the Australian outback, on the Southern Oceans and in hotel gardens and city parks and there are tales of the 'big listers', 'big-lensers', professional guides, and local conservation workers who try to keep their habitats safe for us. There are lots of images to accompany these stories. Martin's experiences in becoming a birder late in life revealed some strange behaviour which he soon learnt to take for granted as a member of the birding community. Why tear off chasing the next tick when we were having such a good time in the forest we were already exploring? Why was seeing a rare parrot in a cage less significant than seeing a 'wild' one that was being hand-fed in a nature reserve? Why was he visiting all those rubbish tips and sewerage farms in search of birds when birding excursions to a forest or a natural wetland were so much more pleasing? There are chapters about all of these puzzles and oddities, and more - their origins and, in some cases, how they shape our behaviour in somewhat perverse ways - on 'authentic' birding, the origins and importance of the life list, on rarities and trophy birds, and why the idea of a 'species' is elusive yet so important. All these tales and reflections are shaped by birding during an extinction crisis and the growing biodiversity crisis. As he observed trashed habitats and vanishing bird populations during his travels, Martin's growing dismay and alarm about these issues coloured everything. So he came to ponder what birders are doing in response, whether it is for good or harm. There is the paradox of 'extinction birding' - it is not difficult today to see some vanishingly rare birds, because they are hanging on in reserved, fenced spaces, kept alive by artifices such as captive breeding. Because our visits to these places provide funds, we are also among these species' last hopes for survival. Is this the best we can do? More self-reflection among all birders is necessary. Faced with the growing crisis, we can all do better.

Appreciate the Adornment of BirdsFeathers-possibly the most amazing body covering in the entire animal kingdom. No other covering does all that feathers do. From the delicate down feathers that keep birds warm to the sturdy flight feathers that allow birds to soar, these marvelous structures are something to admire. This coffee table book is filled with stunning, incomparable photos, and it promises to delight as it walks you through the world of feathers.Book Features: More than 230 stunning, one-of-a-kind images of feathers and birds from across the United States. Many fascinating facts, including how feathers keep tiny chickadees warm in winter, why Blue Jays aren't really blue and how the feathers of owls can help them hunt prey. Information that will season your understanding of feathers and enhance your enjoyment of birds. Everyone who celebrates nature will appreciate this beautiful, detailed look at feathers.

'A vaulting triumph of a book' Isabella Tree, author of Wilding 'A master storyteller, Weidensaul communicates so much joy in the sheer act of witnessing and such exhilaration in the advances of the science behind what he sees that we are slow to grasp the extent of the ecological crisis that he outlines.' Observer Bird migration remains perhaps the most singularly compelling natural phenomenon in the world. Nothing else combines its global sweep with its inherent ability to engender wonder and excitement. The past two decades have seen an explosion in our understanding of the almost unfathomable feats of endurance and complexity involved in bird migration - yet the science that informs these majestic journeys is still in its infancy. Pulitzer Prize-shortlisted writer-ornithologist Scott Weidensaul is at the forefront of this research, and A World on the Wing sees him track some of the most remarkable flights undertaken by birds. His own voyage of discovery sees him sail through the storm-wracked waters of the Bering Sea; encounter gunners and trappers in the Mediterranean; and visit a forgotten corner of north-east India, where former headhunters have turned one of the grimmest stories of migratory crisis into an unprecedented conservation success. As our world comes increasingly under threat from the effects of climate change, these ecological miracles may provide an invaluable guide to a more sustainable future for all species, including us. This is the rousing and reverent story of the billions of birds that, despite the numerous obstacles we have placed in their path, continue to head with hope to the far horizon.

Framed by the magnificent and internationally important coastline from the Dyfi round Anglesey to the Dee, North Wales, which includes the mountains of the Snowdonia National Park, is a very special place for birds. In excess of 700 contributors submitted more than 200,000 records over five summers to produce this fascinating atlas of the area's breeding birds. Lavishly illustrated with stunning photographs this beautiful full colour book includes fully bilingual introductory chapters, a Welsh language precis alongside each English language species account and a wealth of recording data, maps and tables.

Bird Planet presents the best work of Tim Laman, the world's most celebrated bird photographerBirder extraordinaire Tim Laman is a superstar in one of photography's most challenging pursuits: The quest to portray birds in the wild. A naturalist and explorer as well as a brilliant image maker, he has spent thousands of hours over more than 30 years wedged precariously in the tops of trees, often in remote jungles, in the hope that careful planning and good fortune will align to produce the perfect picture. His is a passion shared by all birders, carried to the level of art. Bird Planet takes the reader on a journey to the world of birds. Laman shares his best images of spectacular birds on all continents, from the scarlet ibis of the Orinoco River in Venezuela to rhinoceros hornbills in the rainforests of Borneo; his familiar backyard American birds are as memorable as his poetic red-crowned cranes in snowy Japan. His signature achievement-to photograph all the known species of birds of paradise, spending 18 months in New Guinea over eight years-gets a chapter, as does his visits to the penguins of Antarctica. Immensely knowledgeable about both nature and photography, Laman is the perfect guide to the kingdom of the birds.