Backyard Birds Welcomed Guests at Our Gardens and Feeders

by Tekiela, Stan

• ISBN13: 9781591936411
• ISBN10: 1591936411
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2016-10-04
• Publisher: Adventure Publications

Summary

Bird-watching is one of life’s simple joys. Seeing a colorful friend flit about your backyard brings feelings of excitement, gladness and contentment. Stan Tekiela understands the thrill of bird-watching. The award-winning author and naturalist has been studying and photographing backyard birds for more than 25 years. Here, he guides you through the wonderful lives of the most popular, most beloved species—like the American Goldfinch, the Northern Cardinal and the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. His incomparable photography captures the birds in action and depicts behaviors that are sure to warm and perhaps even surprise you, while the book’s headings and small blocks of text make for easy yet informative browsing. Every important aspect of the birds’ lives, from first flight and feeding to migration and mating, is portrayed in this gorgeous book. Your coffee table won’t be complete without it.

Author Biography

Wildlife photographer Stan Tekiela has written more than 130 books. As a professional naturalist for more than 25 years, Stan studies wildlife throughout the United States and Canada. He has received various awards for his books and photographs. He lives in Victoria, MN.

Table of Contents

The Comfort of Backyard Birds
Moving into the New World
The Origins of Bird Feeding
Families of Birds
The Backyard Birds
Declining Populations
Saving Our Backyard Birds
Is It a Male or Female?
Flashy Attractions
Juvenile Plumages
Keen Eyesight
Knee and Ankle—or Foot?
Toe Arrangements
Hitching Down the Tree
Specialized Bills
Seasonal Feeding
Getting to the Nutmeat
Bird Feeding Popularity
Effects of Bird Feeding
Fruit Diet Appearance
Insect Diet
Natural Music in Backyards
Repertoires
Two-Song Multitaskers
Who’s Singing That Song?
Songsters with an Accent
Pounding Out Drumbeats
Singing in Season
Adjusting Songs to the Habitat
Variety of Nests
The No-Fuss Home
Cavity Nesting
Falcons in the Nest Box
Swifts in Chimneys
Nesters on Bug Patrol
Parasitic Nesting Birds
Killdeer Nesting Ruse
Blackbird Appreciation
Drawing Painted Buntings
Indigo Bunting Visits
Birds and Plants
Birds and Bugs
One-Season Pair Bonds
Short-Term Partners
Long-Term Mates
Hummingbird Independence
Early and Late Nesting
Semi-Colonial Nesters
The Amazing Egg
Egg Laying, One at a Time
The Marvel of Incubation
Whose Turn to Incubate?
Caution—Babies About to Hatch!
Help from the Egg Tooth
Helpless or Ready to Go
Brooding Warmth
Fledglings in the Nest
Chicks Out and About
The Need to Fly South
Hummingbird Migration
Weathering the Winter
Designed to Survive
Instincts Help Them Through
Shivering for Warmth
Our Backyard Friends
About the Author