Natural Gardening for Birds: Simple Ways to Create a Bird Haven

by Julie Zickefoose

Bird watchers everywhere dream of a landscape filled with berry-laden branches, nesting spots among twining vines, and birds crowding their feeding stations. Let Natural Gardening for Birds show you how to lay out the welcome mat for birds by providing for all their needs, including year-round water, food, and shelter. Create a bird haven right outside your backdoor!

Genres: Gardening, Nature, Reference, Nonfiction

244 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Tracy]

This book was very informational to me. Especially as someone who recently moved to a new home and wants to make their yard more bird friendly. The lists of plants/shrubs/trees provided by region is incredibly helpful and will make picking out plants and shrubs in the spring a lot easier for me. By reading this book I learned a lot of things I was doing right, even more things I was doing wrong and many, many things I need to start doing for better health of the birds that already frequent my many feeders. For someone who may be new to bird watching, this book is a wealth of information. My copy is now filled with many tabs and highlights.

[Bryony Angell]

Zickefoose writes as a bird lover and passionate gardener, with equal authority for both subjects. She is known for her illustrated bird memoirs, so it's delightful to read one of her books that is more instructional. She has much the same voice whether writing creative nonfiction or demonstrating how to select and arrange plants to attract birds. I love an instructional book that includes the author's opinions, ruminations and observations, and not only that, this book includes Zickefoose's beautiful illustrations.

Zickefoose includes elements that make a world for birds, not just a few plants here and there. The book includes ideas for water features, creating nesting and foraging habitat, and letting your garden go to seed, literally. Seed and suet feeders make a brief appearance, and for the most part, the book concerns actual gardening to attract birds. The philosophy here is a slow, sustainable, seasonal process, not a quick how-to. That Zickefoose's writing is a pleasure to read as well as instructional makes this book a keeper.

[Melissa McClelland]

Incredibly detailed guide to planting, feeders, and nest boxes to make your yard more bird friendly. Includes planting ideas for all regions in the US and Canada.

[Tara]

A great reference for plants and birds.

[Betty Loven]

Now I really have an excuse to abandon the traditional lawn

[Cindy Dyson Eitelman]

Very informative in all manner of ways. I now know the best seeds to look for in a bird seed mix, the best flowering plants for my area, and the importance of brush piles. The supreme importance of brush piles. No problem for me--out here in the boonies, brush piles just happen. When you least expect them. They're quick to come; slow to haul away.

I'd already noticed how much the birds seem to like fallen trees and loosely piled branches. Wrens especially, but I've seen native sparrows sheltering there. One thing the book didn't think to mention was that green grass in winter delights most every wild bird. I have a bird-friendly septic system.

In addition to endorsing our poor landscape maintenance, the book had little insets of birder anecdotes every page or two.

[Susan Scruton]

Interesting and helpful book about how to create a bird-friendly backyard. What kind of food to offer at your feeders, what kind of plants to plant, how to create supplementary housing, the importance of water features, how to deal with predators and other threats (windows, disease, etc.). It's part philosophy and part practical suggestions. There are regional sections in addition to the general advice. I think I'm ready to start digging and planting!

[Reanna]

Way too wordy.

[Maryanne]

Natural Gardening for Birds 04242007 (The Bird-Friendly Backyard by Julie Zickefoose and the Editors and writers of Bird Watcher's Digest


ok interesting