Bird Watching
Let Your Curiosity Take Flight at Your Yorktown Public Library
Bird watching - or birding - as a hobby can be as relaxed or as involved as you choose.
Maybe you want to be able to identify birds in your yard.
Maybe learning about journal keeping, migration patterns and what equipment to use is your goal. Whatever pace works for you, your Yorktown Public Library has the materials you need to get started.
IN THE CHILDREN’S COLLECTION
Dizzy’s Bird Watch by Alison Inches
Can Dizzy take care of a bird's nest while Bob works on a job? Find out in this simple story with a big surprise!
Hummingbirds by Jolyon Goddard
This book is an introduction to the physical characteristics, behavior and habitats of hummingbirds. Perfect for readers in grade 3 and up.
Canada Goose by Amy -Jane Beer
This book presents an introduction to the physical characteristics, behavior and habitat of the Canada goose and includes bibliographical references and index.
Bird, Bird, Bird: A Chirping Chant by April Pulley Sayre
Sixty three North American birds flit, fly, and dive across the pages of this cheery chirping chant. Bird, Bird, Bird! Is the third book in NorthWord's famous chant series--all known for tongue-twisting, silly-sounding, say-it-faster fun! Zany caricatures of each bird present these feathered-friends in larger-than-life proportions. (You won't need your binoculars here!) After readers have mastered the chant, they can turn to the back to get the real scoop on each bird. Sayre takes bird watching to a whole new level!
Peregrine Falcons by Doug Wechsler
From the opening page in which the reader is presented with a peregrine falcon dive-bombing a flock of sandpipers at more than 150 miles per hour, this dynamic book will grab and hold the reader's interest to the final page. Students will learn about this predator's history from its role as a hunting bird for Asian noblemen 2,500 years ago to its recent triumphant comeback from near extinction.
IN THE MAGAZINE COLLECTION
Birds & Blooms is the #1 bird and garden magazine in North America with more than 1 million subscribers and celebrating the “beauty in your own backyard” with a mix of expert advice and personal stories from their family of readers. The magazine covers a wide range of topics such as attracting hummingbirds, building birdhouses, gardening for butterflies, feeding birds for less, growing veggies, tales of readers’ birding experiences, plus a whole lot more.
The Libby App gives you access to a wide variety of birding magazines. Be sure to visit our catalog for more reading options.
IN THE ADULT COLLECTION
The Best of Birds and Blooms (2015)
Celebrate another amazing year of birding and gardening. This inspiring collection highlights our top tips, photos and DIY projects.
Eastern Birds by Roger Tory Peterson
The best-selling field guide since 1934, the Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America features clear, succinct accounts of more than 500 species, accurate and beautiful paintings on 159 color plates, and 512 maps annotated with extensive range information, making this the most accessible field guide for bird watchers in eastern North America.
Birds of Prey of the World by Robin Chittenden
Some of the most spectacular and awe-inspiring predators on the planet, the raptors, or birds of prey have captivated us for centuries. This new guide offers a fascinating look at these incredible birds and covers all raptors, including hawks, eagles, vultures, falcons, and owls. Information on hunting strategies, migration, habitats, and more.
On Feathered Wings: Birds in Flight by Richard Ettlinger
On Feathered Wings features the work of seven photographers who have spent their lives camping out, donning waders, and lying in wait for the greatest shots of birds doing what they do best: flying! Selected by birder and photographer Richard Ettinger, these gorgeous, often thrilling images show hunters, migrators, waterfowl, and songbirds living on the wing: hunting, feeding, fighting, traveling, or just gliding along. An essay by Ettinger gives an overview of the mechanics and evolution of bird flight.
Birds of North America by Kenn Kaufman
Beginner or expert, every birder needs a field guide that is accurate, readable, and easy to use. Birds of North America is a back-to-basics guide produced by one of the foremost birding experts, with a clear and direct approach to recognizing every North American bird. Kenn Kaufman’s innovative technique of combining the best features of photographs and paintings results in the most accurate and helpful images ever to appear in any field guide. The photographs, by some of North America’s top nature photographers, are digitally enhanced to illustrate the field marks necessary for quick and easy identification. New hardcover and flexible bindings make this indispensable guide even more durable for hard use in the field.
100 Plants to Feed the Birds: Turn your Home Garden into a Healthy Bird Habitat by Laura Erikson
The growing group of bird enthusiasts who enjoy feeding and watching their feathered friends will learn how they can expand their activity and help address the pressing issue of habitat loss with 100 Plants to Feed the Birds. In-depth profiles offer planting and care guidance for 100 native plant species that provide food and shelter for birds throughout the year, from winter all the way through breeding and migrating periods. Readers will learn about plants they can add to their gardens and cultivate, as well as wild plants to refrain from weeding out. Others, including 29 tree species, may already be present in the landscape and readers will learn how these plants support the birds who feed and nest in them. Introductory text explains how to create a healthy year-round landscape for birds. Plant photographs and range maps provide needed visual guidance to selecting the right plants for any location in North America.
ON THE LIBBY APP
Bird Watching is Britain’s best-selling bird-watching magazine. Each issue is packed with expert advice on when, where and how to see more birds, from common garden visitors to the most elusive rarities. There are features from some of British bird-watching’s best-known names, superbly illustrated by the work of the world’s best bird photographers, plus comprehensive coverage of all the latest sightings, guides to the best bird-watching sites, ID masterclasses, news and reviews of all the latest gear.
A Home for Bird by Phillip Christian Stead (eBook)
This children’s book is a tender tale of a thoughtful friend who is determined to help his quiet companion. While out foraging for interesting things, Vernon the toad finds a new friend - a small blue bird who is curiously silent. Vernon shows Bird the river and the forest and some of his other favorite things, but Bird says nothing. Vernon introduces Bird to his friends, Skunk and Porcupine, but Bird still says nothing. Vernon worries that Bird is silent because he misses his home, so the two set off on a journey to help find a home for Bird.
Enjoying Indiana Birds (eBook) by Alfred Starling
Use this book as a guide to learning more about the birds of our state.
A History of Birds (eBook) by Simon Wills
Even the most well-informed wildlife enthusiast will be entertained by the stories and fascinating facts in this beautifully illustrated book. Wildlife photographer and history journalist Simon Wills explores the intriguing and at times bizarre stories behind our relationship with birds. Find out why robins are featured on Christmas cards and how Mozart was persuaded to keep a pet starling. What bird did Florence Nightingale carry around in her pocket? How did the blue tit get its name?
Whole careers have been created around birds--from falconers to ostrich farmers--and birds have had great symbolic importance too. Discover, for example, why Raleigh bicycles carry a heron logo and why church lecterns are in the shape of an eagle. If you enjoy wildlife, then this book is full of surprises. Pigeons were trained to carry messages in wartime, but could gulls be taught to hunt U-boats? And which American president's parrot started swearing at his funeral?
A Place for Birds (eBook) by Melissa Stewart
North America has almost three billion fewer birds now than it had fifty years ago. It may be hard to believe, but birds are in danger, and they are calling for our help. Sadly, humans are often the source of the harm! What can we do to help save them? In simple yet compelling language, Melissa Stewart showcases twelve North American birds, from the familiar eastern bluebird to the rare Kirtland's warbler. Her clear narrative shows the threats these birds face, and informative sidebars describe a wide variety of efforts to save them. In addition, remarkable full-color illustrations vividly and accurately depict the birds within the ecosystems that support their survival. Range maps and additional bird facts are also included.
This nonfiction picture book is part of the prize-winning A Place for... series designed to inform young readers about a wide range of environmental issues and to present ways people can help protect animals and their natural habitats. An ideal choice for young birders, scientists, environmentalists, and nature lovers.
Bird Watching: How to Find, Identify & Enjoy Bird Watching for The Absolute Beginner (eBook) by Indiana Stanfield
Are you ready to learn all about bird watching? If so, you've come to the right place! Regardless of whether you're a complete newcomer to bird watching or perhaps you've got some experience but would just like a reference guide to refer to - this book is for you. Learn about identifying bird eggs, bird watching clubs, recommended equipment, the best bird watching locations in the US, UK & Europe and the best time of day for bird watching.
IN THE DVD COLLECTION
This fascinating BBC Natural History series follows host and wildlife expert Lolo Williams as he explores the behavior of birds. This ground breaking series reveals every aspect of their lives from surviving harsh winters to avoiding deadly predators. Offering a visual treat of stunning landscapes and captivating wildlife behavior, this series provides perfect family entertainment educating and enthralling in equal measure.
Here are a few terms from the Audubon Society to add to your birding vocabulary:
- Spark Bird: The bird that inspired you to start birding.
- Dipped: To miss out on a high-priority bird
- Nemesis bird: A species that constantly eludes a birder
- Twitcher: A hard-core birder who goes to great lengths to see a species and add it to his/her/their list.
- Bins/Nockies: Short for binoculars
Visit https://www.audubon.org for more birding information.
And now for the part of this post that I will refer to as “Bird Watching Adjacent”. Read on for more bird themed materials… no binoculars required!
ON THE LIBBY APP
The Tea-Olive Bird Watching Society by Augusta Trobaugh (eBook)
Coconut cake, grits, poisoned turtle stew and bird-watching...the ladies of tiny Tea-Olive, Georgia share a lot of interests, including murder. Retired judge L. Hyson Breed, a Yankee, picked the wrong Southern woman to trick, bully and steal from. The members of the Tea-Olive Bird Watching Society plot revenge after the judge's marriage to their friend, Sweet, turns out to be a greedy grab for her land and for control of their town. To the rescue: Beulah, Zion and Wildwood (all named after hymns, as is Sweet). The only problem? The wannabe murderers are southern matrons from a more civilized generation. How does one remain polite even while planning to kill a man and get away with it?
Bonus: This material is also available as an audio book.
A Bird Will Soar (audio book) by Alison Green Myers
A heartfelt and hopeful debut about a bird-loving autistic child whose family's special nest is in danger of falling apart. Axel loves everything about birds, especially eagles. No one worries that an eagle will fly too far and not come home--a fact Axel wishes his mother understood.
Deep down, Axel knows that his mother is like an osprey--the best of all bird mothers--but it's hard to remember that when she worries and keeps secrets about important things. His dad is more like a wild turkey, coming and going as he pleases. His dad's latest disappearance is the biggest mystery of all. Despite all this, Axel loves his life--especially the time he spends with his friends observing the eagles' nest in the woods near his home. When a tornado damages not only Axel's home but the eagles' nest, Axel's life is thrown into chaos. Suddenly his dad is back to help repair the damage, and Axel has to manage his dad's presence and his beloved birds' absence. Plus, his mom seems to be keeping even more secrets.
But Axel knows another important fact: an eagle's instincts let it soar. Axel must trust his own instincts to help heal his family and the nest he loves.
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession and the Natural History Heist of the Century (eBook) by Kirk Wallace Johnson
On a cool June evening in 2009, after performing a concert at London's Royal Academy of Music, twenty-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist boarded a train for a suburban outpost of the British Museum of Natural History. Home to one of the largest ornithological collections in the world, the Tring Museum was full of rare bird specimens whose gorgeous feathers were worth staggering amounts of money to the men who shared Edwin's obsession: the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying. Once inside the museum, the champion fly-tier grabbed hundreds of bird skins--some collected 150 years earlier by a contemporary of Darwin's, Alfred Russel Wallace, who'd risked everything to gather them--and escaped into the darkness.
Two years later, Kirk Wallace Johnson was waist high in a river in northern New Mexico when his fly-fishing guide told him about the heist. He was soon consumed by the strange case of the feather thief. What would possess a person to steal dead birds? Had Edwin paid the price for his crime? What became of the missing skins? In his search for answers, Johnson was catapulted into a years-long, worldwide investigation. The gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice, The Feather Thief is also a fascinating exploration of obsession, and man's destructive instinct to harvest the beauty of nature.
IN THE DVD COLLECTION:
An Alfred Hitchcock classic! The story begins as an innocuous romantic triangle involving wealthy, spoiled Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), handsome Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor), and schoolteacher Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette). The human story begins in a San Francisco pet shop and culminates at the home of Mitch's mother (Jessica Tandy) at Bodega Bay, where the characters' sense of security is slowly eroded by the curious behavior of the birds in the area. At first, it's no more than a sea gull swooping down and pecking at Melanie's head. Things take a truly ugly turn when hundreds of birds converge on a children's party. There is never an explanation as to why the birds have run amok, but once the onslaught begins, there's virtually no letup.
A young girl goes to live with her father after losing her mother in a car crash. On her father's farm, she becomes the caretaker of a group of goslings.
A comedy-adventure that centers on Blu, a flightless macaw who acts more human than bird. When Blu, the last of his kind, discovers there's another, and that she's a she, he embarks on an adventure to magical Rio. There he meets Jewel and a menagerie of vivid characters who help Blu fulfill his dream and learn to fly.
bonus:
(As a Hoosier, I had to add this material. Cue the coy smile!)
Bird Watching: On Playing and Coaching the Game I Love (eBook) by Larry Bird
Larry Bird captured the imagination and admiration of basketball fans throughout his thirteen-year career with the Boston Celtics with his trademark style of creative, intelligent, exciting, and hard-nosed play. And then, last year in his rookie season as head coach of the Indiana Pacers, he infused the team with these same qualities -- and the results were remarkable. This book is Larry Bird's basketball playbook, and it's the one book every basketball fan will want to read.
Birding can be enjoyed as a family hobby as well as a solo gig.
Whether you conduct backyard observations or travel to particular habitats for a chance at a rare sighting, Birding is an accessible, year-round hobby that fosters your connection with nature in a relaxing environment.
Visit your Yorktown Public Library and let your curiosity take flight.