Why Do Bluebirds Hate Me?
More Answers to Common and Not-So-Common Questions about Birds and Birding
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
A collection of humorous Q&As about everything you've always wanted to ask about birds and birding
Mike O’Connor knows bird watchers as well as he knows birds. He knows that if you’re even slightly interested in identifying birds or attracting them to your backyard with a feeder, then you’ve also had your share of strange and silly questions about birds and their sometimes inexplicable behavior. In Why Do Bluebirds Hate Me?, O’Connor applies his deep knowledge of all things avian to answer the questions that keep birders up at night. Questions like
· Should you clean your birdhouses?
· Do swallows have a feather fetish?
· How much does it cost to run a heated birdbath?
· Is drinking coffee bad for birds?
Other questions O’Connor covers range from the practical (Should I rotate the seed in my feeder?) to the quirky (Why are vultures eating my vinyl screen door?) to the just plain adorable (Are those birds kissing or feeding each other?). And he also explains why bluebirds just don’t seem to like some people.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
O'Connor (Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches? And Other Bird Questions You Know You Want to Ask), owner of the Birdwatcher's General Store in Cape Cod, Mass., offers a second q&a compilation from his weekly column, Ask the Bird Folks, which appears in the local newspaper Cape Codder. Here, the author focuses on the more obscure questions he receives to "expand the readers' bird horizons." O'Connor's humorous answers are extensively researched, and include explanations of why quail chicks may appear to have two dads, the sad fate of the Carolina Parakeet, and the connection between American chickens and India's wild jungle fowl. O'Connor also provides practical advice on issues such as cleaning birdhouses, keeping rats away from feeders, the perks of owning a heated birdbath, how and why to make a bird list, and of course, birdseed. While many questions come from readers in Massachusetts, O'Connor makes a point to include birds from other countries and sings the praises of the good-natured Australian Kookaburra, the story of Lapland Longspurs and their Canadian breeding ground, and the scavenging habits of Mexican Eagles. This detailed q&a will appeal to bird enthusiasts and birdwatchers, but O'Connor's friendly approach will also appeal to novices. Illus.
