Projects for the Birder's Garden: Over 100 Easy Things That You Can Make to Turn Your Yard and Garden Into a Bird-Friendly Haven

by Fern Marshall Bradley

Book Overview

Projects for the Birder's Garden from Fern Marshall Bradley and the Editors of Yankee Magazine lets you create your own private nature preserve-with dozens of ingenious ideas to turn a typical... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0899093930
• ISBN13: 9780899093932
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Rodale Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Excellent book for bird-loving gardeners!

Numerous, easy to follow instructions on how to create wide variety of projects! Includes illustrations also. Must have for those that want to attract birds to their gardens without spending a fortune buying items ready-made. Would be a good resource for those wanting to learn how to make garden produces to sell also.

GREAT ADDITION TO YOUR LIBRARY - RECOMMEND HIGHLY

I have been a "birder" for over 45 years and a gardener (in a very sloppy, haphazard way) for just about as long. This is a wonderul work that fits well into my hobbies. It is simple, practical and a joy to work with. As another reviewer pointed out, the ideas put forth in this book actually work! I was also thrilled that most of these projects were ones that my four grandsons were more than able to help with and in doing so, actually taught them something. I happen to live in a rural area, infact, I live in the middle of the woods. Most of the projects in this book were non-intrusive and blended in well with the natural look that my wife and I strive for. Recommend you add this one to your library. Now if I can just train my nine barn cats......

Useful and detailed

This book is full of easy projects, some of which kids can do with little supervision. Very detailed with pictures. Love it!

Kicked up amateur bird nut

I have been feeding birds for the last four years, but decided that this was the year that I kicked it up. I wanted to learn more about what types of feeders are best, which foods attracted the birds I most enjoy, etc. After looking at several books at the store, I found this one. Let me tell you I couldn't wait to read it when I got home. In just the first few pages I had all kinds of ideas. For instance, a simple way to attract woodpeckers is to take a piece of wood, nail it to a post and smear it with chunky peanut butter. I can't wait to try it out. I also am pretty excited about the recipes included in the book, since a person can spend hundreds of dollars per month on food. I must say that it was thanks to a local bird store that I learned how to attract house sparrows and keep the grackles away - use safflower seeds. I am very pleased with the results. I intend to use this book to the fullest, especially the tips on how to make my yard more bird friendly. With bird varieties declining across the world, it's a great idea - and very rewarding - to feed the birds. I get so much enjoyment watching them, too. Buy this book if you're looking to take your birding activities to the next level.

Truly a Bird Lover's Bible

I'm a major bird lover and I have bird feeders set up around my house that have been successful to varying degrees. However, I decided this spring to turn a simple interest in birds to an all out hobby, and turn my simple yard with modest bird feeders into a practical reserve for birds of all sorts. While I'd classify myself as somewhat knowledgeable as to what birds like and need, I'm by no means an expert. So I started out on looking for a book that was simple enough for me to understand, but not so basic I'd be bored. And since money is a big factor, I wanted to find a book that suggested money-friendly ideas that were practical, not overblown ideas that were a major investment. This book fills that niche perfectly. This book contains activities, projects, and tips that are easy to understand and extremely well written. There are activities in this book that are exceedingly simple (yet unbelievably effective) and other projects that are slightly more complex, but not so daunting that you are in danger of being overwhelmed. In fact, while this book is written for adults, I can't think of an activity in it that isn't something you could do with your children... Some activities I think your children could do quite well by themselves! This book is completely comprehensive, with a really good and equal spread of activities and ideas (meaning you won't pick up this book and find 100 different plans for birdhouses) in areas like bird feeders, houses, feeding stations, bird environments, planting for birds, bird food, water features for birds, to name a few. There are a good, solid number of activities varying from the typical birdhouse or bird feeder, to exotic feeding stations, nesting havens, or bird-friendly garden plans that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but a joy for birds of all sorts. One of the things I like best about this book is that not only do they give the "how to" of a project or activity, but the "why," such as what birds you'll attract, why you'll attract them, why it's appealing to birds, and how you can vary the project to exclude certain pests but include other birdfeeder favorites. Another part of this book I like is how it talks about specific birds and bird types, behaviors that are typical, when to look for them, how to attract them, and what features, trees, or plants they respond to the most (or likewise, don't respond to at all or flee from). This book also tackles the touchy areas, like how to encourage birds but discourage pest birds and chase off predators, like cats. I also enjoy the illustrations, which are featured throughout the book. Simple and clear, easy to understand, without managing to be diagrams that have no visual appeal to them. And the section at the end of the book, "Resources for Backyard Birders and Gardeners" is unbeatable. But do the suggestions work?? Well, I'm happy to report that, after implementing a few of the very, very basic tricks and tips, I've seen my feeder traff