Product Description

Millions of people worldwide enjoy bird watching; it offers them a chance to get back to nature and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. Bird Watching For Dummies covers all the basics of bird watching, leading you on a guided tour of the gorgeous world of birds. From identifying birds by sight and sound to making your own “life list,” you’ll find all the tips and advice you need right here.

Whether you’ve been bird watching for years or you’re just starting out, Bird Watching For Dummies has all your bases covered. It’s full of practical tips and proven advice to make your bird watching experiences as fun and rewarding as possible. It’s your first aid kit for finding, identifying, feeding, and even housing birds. Plus, there’s more:

• Designing a bird-friendly backyard
• Purchasing bird feeders, birdhouses, binoculars, clothing, and more
• Keeping notes and records of the birds you spot
• Joining bird clubs, taking field trips, and attending bird festivals
• Booking bird watching tours that fit your budget and expertise
• Choosing and using field guides

You won’t find a more straightforward and reliable bird watching guide than this one. Written by Bill Thompson III, and the staff of Bird Watcher’s Digest, it covers everything from backyard bird watching to field trips across the globe. No matter what your level of experience, this guide offers everything you need for unforgettable bird watching:

• Tackling pests and other feeder problems
• Bird-friendly gardening tips
• Optics and how to use them
• Birding by habitat and hotspots
• Songs, calls, and non-vocal identifying sounds
• Attracting and spotting hummingbirds
• Understanding the terminology
• Dressing for success
• And, 32 pages of full-color photos!

If you need help getting started in your new hobby, or you’re an old hand who just wants a quick-and-easy reference, Bird Watching For Dummies is the fun and simple way to stay up on all the latest in the world of bird watching. With unbeatable advice and practical guidance from the experts at Bird Watcher’s Digest, this handy resource is the only bird watching guide you need.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #272514 in Books
• Published on: 1997-09-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

From Library Journal
The talented staff of the popular magazine Bird Watcher's Digest wrote, edited, and illustrated this latest entry in the ubiquitous "Dummies" series, whose mock-deprecating titles attract a wide readership. Fortunately, this book, as with others of the series, is not as simplistic as its title, offering nearly 400 pages of often humorous, witty, and anecdotal but nevertheless excellent advice on a wide variety of topics: bird feeders, nest boxes, optics, field guides, birding hot spots, identification, web sites, birding festivals, plantings, et al. At times a too conceptual approach is frustrating. For example, there is plenty of information on optics and nest boxes but no details on specific models' dimensions in these respective areas. However, quality illustrations enhance a useful text. Despite minor flaws, this is highly recommended.?Henry T. Armistead, Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Back Cover
"If I'd had Bird Watching For Dummies many years ago, my life list would have been much longer."
—Jimmy Carter, Former President of the United States

"This book is for me – a bird watcher and a dummy! Thank you Mr. Thompson!"
–Janet Leigh, Actress and Author

"Bill Thompson’s conversational style, humor, and great experience make this [book] an ideal place to start."
–Nicholas Hammond, Former Director of Communications, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK

If you’d like to get back to nature and join the millions of bird watching enthusiasts worldwide, let Bird Watching For Dummies take you on a private tour of the beautiful bird kingdom that will take your breath away!

Inside, you’ll discover how to:

• Design a bird-friendly backyard with bird feeders, houses, gardens, and baths
• Keep your bird feeders, gardens, baths, and houses free of diseases and other pests
• Locate sources for bird houses, feeders, binoculars, clothing, and more!
• Identify both eastern and western birds like an expert, from blue jays and barn swallows to hummingbirds and herons!
• Understand bird behavior and how to recognize birds by their songs
• Make your own "life list" by keeping notes and records of the birds you see
• Join bird clubs, take field trips, and attend bird festivals nationwide
• Book bird watching tours that fit your level of expertise and budget

About the Author
Bill Thompson, III is the editor of Bird Watcher's Digest and the author of An Identification Guide to Common Backyard Birds. He has edited more than a dozen other bird watching booklets and has a bird watching life list of more than 1,000 bird species worldwide.

Bird Watcher's Digest is the oldest and most popular bi-monthly magazine devoted to birds and bird watching enthusiasts around the world.

Customer Reviews

Informative, fun to read, every birder needs it!
I have never spent my money on a better book! This book got me into birdwatching and nature. In "Bird Watching for Dummies," Bill Thompson, III introduces you to his passion of observing birds. The book is filled with information and tips on which optics, field guides, bird seed, and books to buy, and very useful tips on how to observe bird behavior, identification, and attracting birds to your yard with food, water, shelter, and plants. If you are thinking about becoming a bird watcher, you must buy this book- if I could give it sixty stars, I would.

The dummy speaks
I have thoroughly enjoyed Bill Thompson's book. It's rare when you can find a book that is so informational and completely entertaining as well. I love the sensitivity of the drawings throughout. I intend to use this book quite often; in fact I am currently building a bluebird nesting box. Birdwathchers most likely have the stigma of being eggheads, but this book certainly wouldn't lend credence to that (comparing a bluebird's love of worms to Homer Simpson's doughnut cravings is pure delight). Anyone at all interested in our feathered friends would enjoy reading this book.

A great how-to guide for bird watching and bird feeding!
This book gave me the confidence I needed to become more active in birdwatching. If you want to attract more birds to your backyard, this book gives you practical how-to-do-it advice on birdhomes, plants that attract birds, dealing with squirrels and other "pests," feeders and foods, etc. Now, thanks to this book, I have the confidence to venture beyond the backyard, thanks to the down-to-earth encouraging tips about identifying and enjoying birds.