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Children can experience nature in a whole new way in an engaging field guide to our feathered friends, which includes a general overview section, an identification section, and a laminated spotter's guide. Simultaneous.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
About the author
Scott Weidensaul
46 books150 followersBorn in 1959, Scott Weidensaul (pronounced "Why-densaul") has lived almost all of his life among the long ridges and endless valleys of eastern Pennsylvania, in the heart of the central Appalachians, a landscape that has defined much of his work.
His writing career began in 1978 with a weekly natural history column in the local newspaper, the Pottsville Republican in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, where he grew up. The column soon led a fulltime reporting job, which he held until 1988, when he left to become a freelance writer specializing in nature and wildlife. (He continued to write about nature for newspapers, however, including long-running columns for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Harrisburg Patriot-News.)
Weidensaul has written more than two dozen books, including his widely acclaimed Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds (North Point 1999), which was a finalist for the 2000 Pulitzer Prize.
Weidensaul's writing has appeared in dozens of publications, including Audubon (for which he is a contributing editor), Nature Conservancy and National Wildlife, among many others. He lectures widely on conservation and nature, and directs the ornithological programs for National Audubon's famed Hog Island Center on the coast of Maine.
In addition to writing about wildlife, Weidensaul is an active field researcher whose work focuses on bird migration. Besides banding hawks each fall (something he's done for nearly 25 years), he directs a major effort to study the movements of northern saw-whet owls, one of the smallest and least-understood raptors in North America. He is also part of a continental effort to understand the rapid evolution, by several species of western hummingbirds, of a new migratory route and wintering range in the East.
- excerpted from his website
His writing career began in 1978 with a weekly natural history column in the local newspaper, the Pottsville Republican in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, where he grew up. The column soon led a fulltime reporting job, which he held until 1988, when he left to become a freelance writer specializing in nature and wildlife. (He continued to write about nature for newspapers, however, including long-running columns for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Harrisburg Patriot-News.)
Weidensaul has written more than two dozen books, including his widely acclaimed Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds (North Point 1999), which was a finalist for the 2000 Pulitzer Prize.
Weidensaul's writing has appeared in dozens of publications, including Audubon (for which he is a contributing editor), Nature Conservancy and National Wildlife, among many others. He lectures widely on conservation and nature, and directs the ornithological programs for National Audubon's famed Hog Island Center on the coast of Maine.
In addition to writing about wildlife, Weidensaul is an active field researcher whose work focuses on bird migration. Besides banding hawks each fall (something he's done for nearly 25 years), he directs a major effort to study the movements of northern saw-whet owls, one of the smallest and least-understood raptors in North America. He is also part of a continental effort to understand the rapid evolution, by several species of western hummingbirds, of a new migratory route and wintering range in the East.
- excerpted from his website
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 5, 2025
A quick book of the common North American bird species. All were male though and no female pictures.
December 16, 2017
This was a great book! Covered a smaller amount of species but included those from the same families and the range map includes wintering spots as well.
June 6, 2019
Delightful page about the noises of ducks just says, "quack." I mean, I don't know what I expected, but it made me laugh.
June 11, 2022
My copy is used with a ©1998 so a couple data points are old. Nothing a quick Google search and a thin Sharpie can't fix! Love this little field guide.
February 29, 2016
My favorite bird is the American Kestral. It is the smallest falcon in north America. It has a length of 9-12 inches. One of the common calls is a High "klee klee klee". The habitats it lives in are fields, forest clearings, farms, deserts, and towns. It looks for mice, sparrows, or very large insects. It likes to hover in mid-air.
April 6, 2013
Notes:
long overview of birds takes up beginning quarter of book
only best known birds are highlighted
liked the 'similar birds' column on each page
long overview of birds takes up beginning quarter of book
only best known birds are highlighted
liked the 'similar birds' column on each page
June 5, 2013
Great guide for kids to start their bird watching adventure! Great for adults too - a small size book you can carry with you. The pictures are great and explanations short and concise.
July 23, 2013
A good first field guide. 5 year old took to this quickly, even though he couldn't read the text.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews









