Today I am sharing my review of How to Know the Birds by Ted Floyd. Thank you to National Geographic and TLC Book Tours for supplying a review copy of this book.
About the Book:
Become a better birder with brief portraits of 200 top North American birds. This friendly, relatable book is a celebration of the art, science, and delights of bird-watching.
How to Know the Birds introduces a new, holistic approach to bird-watching by noting how behaviors, settings, and seasonal cycles connect with shape, song, color, gender, age distinctions, and other features traditionally used to identify species. With short essays on 200 observable species, expert author Ted Floyd guides us through a year of becoming a better birder, each species representing another useful lesson: from explaining scientific nomenclature to noting how plumage changes with age, from chronicling migration patterns to noting hatchling habits. Dozens of endearing pencil sketches accompany Floyd’s charming prose, making this book a unique blend of narrative and field guide. A pleasure for birders of all ages, this witty book promises solid lessons for the beginner and smiles of recognition for the seasoned nature lover.
My review:
Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am a lover of birds, that I am endlessly fascinated by them, and that I love to photograph them. I wouldn’t have thought to classify myself as a birder, but maybe I am! I only know that I love them.
I have several bird identification guides that I consult regularly. This book, however, is different. It’s not a traditional identification guide, however, you will learn so much about identifying birds through the absolutely delightful essays written by author Ted Floyd, who is the Editor of Birding Magazine.
Divided into six sections, the books designed to teach us over the course of a year. “Spark Bird”! which covers the first of the year, speaks to those birds that birders call Spark Birds – the ones that sparked an interest in birding. “After the Spark” covers March through May and speaks to birdsong and migration. “Now What?” moves into summer, studying nesting, courtship, molt and bird conservation. “Inflection Point” corresponds to the last half of summer when most birds aren’t flying because they’re molting (I didn’t know this!) and more time is spent on bird conservation. “What We Know” moves into autumn and covers sources for birders, and “What We Don’t Know” speaks to where we are in our knowledge of birds and what we have yet to learn.
If all this sounds technical, it shouldn’t. Floyd’s writing is very accessible; straightforward, entertaining, and educational at the same time. Each essay is short – one page only. This is the kind of book you can pick up at leisure to read a random essay, or read in chronological order throughout the year.
In each essay, Floyd focuses on some point, using a specific bird to illustrate that lesson. For example, the essay entitled, “How do Nocturnal Migrants Know Where to Go?” concentrates on the Indigo Bunting, who flies mostly at night, and who “learns to recognize the rotation of the night sky around the North Star – and to fly south in the opposite direction.”
Amazing.
Sprinkled throughout the book are pencil illustrations by N. John Schmitt.
If you love birds, want to know more about them, and want to read a book that is entertainingly written, this is for you.
About the author:
Ted Floyd is an internationally recognized birding expert and Editor of Birding magazine, the award-winning flagship publication of the American Birding Association. He has written four books previously, including the Smithsonian Field Guide to Birds of North America. Floyd is a frequent speaker at bird festivals and ornithological society meetings. He and his family live in Lafayette, Colorado.
Good news! I am giving away one copy of How to Know the Birds.
All you have to do, if you are interested, is leave a comment on this post. You cannot leave a comment on the email version of this post. You have to leave a comment here on the blog. I will pick a winner, using the Random Number Generator, on Thursday evening.
Since I have to keep count of comments, I am unable to respond to comments on this post only.
Enjoy!
Happy Monday.
I’d love a copy of it! I’m waiting for my summer tanagers to come back. I have one pair that are just beautiful.
We have so many different birds here in Michigan, we could sit and watch them all day. After reading another book about animals in general, including birds, by a woman who contributes to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, I know birds are much smarter than most of us realize. So I’d be interested in this book as well.
“Are there trees near you,
and does your own soul need comforting?
Quick, then––open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song
may already be drifting away.”
from the poem by Mary Oliver, Such Singing in the Wild Branches
Nice review, thank you.
I would love to win the book for my husband. He is an avid birder. Claudia, If you would like to see some of his pictures, you can email me and I’ll send you his Facebook info.
sounds like a lovely, helpful book! i’d love to win it on behalf of my family. my parents taught my brother, sister and me, through their loving examples, to do so many wonderful things, including caring for wildlife and especially birds. they’ve provided food and birdbath stations as long as i can remember (and i am 61, as of today!). if i don’t win the book, i will check for it at a local shop. thanks very much for the great review and chance to win the book!
happy monday, everyone!
kathy in iowa
Pick me! :)
It looks like a lovely book!
Fellow bird lover, here! This book sounds wonderful—count me in, please!
Great review! I would LOVE to win a copy. Thank you for the chance to learn more about some interesting birds. Happy Monday!
I love birds, no idea where my interest initially sprung from. Having moved a lot over the years, one year when I was doing packing inventory I happened to notice just how many items in my home had birds on them, something I hadn’t been conscious of.
Even the briefest glimpse of a bird never fails to raise my spirits.
PS – “How to be a Bad Birdwatcher” by Simon Barnes is a really good book. Don’t let the title put you off.
This looks like a beautiful book! Our family has always noticed the birds around us. My husband saw the first oriole of the season yesterday afternoon (we’re in southern california). I think orioles would be our “spark” bird-from when we first saw one trying to eat from the hummingbird feeder several years ago. I didn’t even know we had orioles around here until then.
Thanks for this lovely feature and giveaway.
Please count me in! Sounds like this would be the next step up from my generic bird books. Great review…thanks for the chance! ;)
Please, please…I love my birds who flock around my yard. I especially take good care during winter months. I bring in my Hummingbird feeders at night so they won’t freeze. The little rascals! I have some deco too, I.e., special ‘what nots’ and always put a bird on my embroidery pillow cases.
This sounds like a great book and I would love a copy! Our son and his girlfriend just bought a house and have put up a number of feeders – it would be wonderful to give this book to them!
Thank you for the opportunity to be included in the draw. I am a keen but very amateur bird watcher and I should love the chance to know more.
Just yesterday I was watching two little birds that appear to be building their nest inside an old birdhouse that is hanging from a tree in our backyard. I had looked at the birdhouse the other day and thought, I need to put a support on the bottom because it seems to be pulling apart. Hopefully it will hold together for another season.
Thanks for the review, I’ll buy a copy if I don’t win!
Hi Claudia….Please put my name in the hat for the bird book. Sounds interesting. Enjoy your posts, especially those dollhouse-related. Susan
Love my birds especially their happy Spring birdsong!
It sounds like an interesting way to approach birding. I’ve been a fan but not a birder — just the backyard variety and those I see when I travel or on a walk. Sounds like a very good book. Thanks for hosting the drawing.
My “spark bird” was a wood thrush. I was hiking in the woods and kept hearing this beautiful song bouncing off the trees. I had to find out who sings that lovely song…been hooked ever since.
Claudia this sounds like a great book. I love to watch the birds at my feeders and I’m always trying to identify them. Thanks for the chance at the giveaway!
Claudia,
I never thought of myself as a birder either, but I think I am. I’ve always loved feeding and watching them. When I had to put my little Chihuahua to sleep I was (and still am) so grief stricken that I stopped doing a lot of things. I just could not find joy. I still struggle, but I’ve started feeding the birds again and love watching them from the kitchen window. We are fortunate to have a bird store nearby with quality food, seminars, and a knowledgeable staff. I too have local field guides and it’s fun to keep track of visitors. I would love to win this book, but if I do not I will definitely be buying it. Thank you for sharing.
I love birds and always try to include them in my blog and Facebook posts. I would love to own this book. Thanks for giving us a chance!
Thanks for the generous give-away, Claudia! Studying zoology, including a class in ornithology in college, I came to love watching birds and now having a backyard where many come, I have a renewed interest in bird watching. The author seems to have a great approach to birdwatching
Thank you for bringing this beautiful book to our attention. The art on the cover alone is stunning and enticing to get a copy. It sounds like a great book to recommend to our library as well as owning.
I have quite a bit of bird related items in my decor. Bird figurines, pictures of birds, bird cages. The only rule I have is the bird cages HAVE to have the door open so my imaginary bird inhabitants can come and go as they please. My mother in law has started to do the same with the decorative bird cages in her garden.
Thank you for your review of this book. It sounds lovely.
I love watching the birds here on Cape Cod. I would love a copy of this book. If I don’t win, I just may have to order a copy on my own.
Thanks for sharing your review.
Happy Birding!
Thanks Claudia. I would love a copy of this book. It sounds like something I would leave out all year. I keep my other bird books out where they are easy to get to quickly.
This sounds so interesting!! Neat way to “catagorize” the birds through the year! Great review!!
A different sort of birding book. I, too, love watching birds and observing their habit. I think over half of all my photos are of birds! That’s fine.
I enjoy birds coming to our feeder every morning when I am having coffee. I would love to learn to identify each one. Thanks!
Thank you, Claudia! Good to know this book is available.
Since moving from Michigan to Florida five years ago I’ve seen so many new to me birds! The book sounds wonderful.
This sounds like an entertaining and informative book about our wonderful birds. The love of birds was passed on from my grandma, to my dad, then on to me. If I did win this book, I would share it with my dad. I know that he would enjoy it as much as I would!
Nice review of a book that sounds interesting.
Claudia,
Thanks for your review on How to Know the Birds. The cover art is beautiful and your review was great! I never considered myself a “birder” (maybe I am, who knew?!) and I don ‘t know that I had a “spark bird” but I am currently planning my bird and butterfly garden and hope to plant at least a few things this weekend.
We don’t have a large variety of (fancy!) birds here in our Southern California neighborhood but I adore the sparrows and house finches just the same.
(Off the top of my head…) we regularly see hummingbirds, black phoebes, teeny tiny zebra finches, ring neck doves, orioles, gold finches, blue birds, mocking birds, blue jays, swallows, ducks, geese, sea gulls, parrots, hawks, owls, kestrels, oh and a great egret landed right outside of our kitchen window just a few days ago as the migration of painted lady butterflies filled the yard…what a rare and lovely sight!! One of my very favorite birds is the pin-tailed whydah. I’ve seen it sitting up on the telephone lines with its long split tail a number of times, it is quite unique and lovely!
A few years ago there was a family of house finches nesting in the wreath on the front door. It was so fun to hear their little chirps and watch them grow. I kept an oriole nest that fell out of our magnolia tree a couple of seasons ago (it was empty!) during the santa ana winds. It is on a shelf near my desk.
One of the highlights while living in Ithaca, NY was the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at the Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary…have you been? It is probably a 2+ hour drive for you and Don. I just adore welcoming the neighborhood birds and enjoy visiting the local wildlife sanctuaries.
One of the books I am currently reading is The Secret Network of Nature: The Delicate Balance of All Living Things by Peter Wohlleben. It is fascinating and certainly worth reading if you are interested. It was recommended in Country Living UK (December 2018?) and I’m so glad I ordered it from Amazon. I read The Nature Fix by Florence Williams last year after it was highlighted in Country Living as well…again, a great read!
I know you can’t comment now, but maybe you can go back through after the give away and comment? I’d love to hear about the birds in your area and your garden plans!
My goodness, I have rambled on long enough, ha ha!!
Happy almost spring!!
Christy
I really liked the book review. I didn’t know that birds fly less when they molt. I have a parrot (Okay, I will admit – I have 3 parrots – now you think I’m crazy.) and I know when my parrots molt they aren’t as proficient at flying – especially if they molt their flight feathers. I will have to buy this book as I also love to watch the birds outside – unless I win the raffle. I just bought a Cannon 80D to try to relearn photography. Nature is one of the things I like to photograph. (You’ve inspired me!)
I am seeing lots of exotic birds here in the Rio Grande Valley. It is a World Birding Center.
Sounds like an interesting book. I too am fascinated by birds. Currently waiting to see which chickadees take up annual residence in the birdhouse on our front porch. Just watched a video today about all their different sophisticated calls. As I was playing them, the cat got so excited – she, like me, has heard them all before. Fascinating.
I love to watch the birds. They are so comforting and relaxing to watch. It is so funny to see them flying around and chasing or playing with each other. We have a big bush in the yard and the Cardinals like to sit there until the other birds appear. Thank you for the giveaway. I would love to win the book.
Marilyn
Claudia – thanks for the chance to win a book – something special about that.
Oh wow! I am definitely an avid birder, the kind that always packs binoculars, keeps a spare pair under the front seat of the car, swerves off the road for a good bird and picks vacation destinations based on new birds that might be sighted. Win or lose, I will add the book to my library!
We love watching the birds, putting out food and suet for them. This book sounds very interesting and I would love to win a copy!
I , too, love birds and I am more and more fascinated by bird behavior. As a baby, the mobile above my crib was various birds, so I like to think that had something to do with my interest.
Big fat robins come to bathe in our fountain every morning here in Northern California. I’d love the book :)
Well written review.
I have several bird books now and would love to have a copy of this one!…So much great information and I do get quite a variety of birds here!…At this time of year I am anxiously watching to see who has returned!!
sounds like a wonderful book, we love our CT birds!!! Happy Birding!!!Good Luck to everyone!!!
hugs
What an interesting format for a book about birds! Yes, please consider me.
Peace and All Good Things,
Deb
Love love love the birdies. I would like to win the book as well. One of my favorite things to do is bird watch at my feeders.
Thanks. I love to watch birds but my parents would love this. Take care.
This sounds like a delightful book. During the past month in addition to appreciating the lengthening amount of sunlight each day, I’ve been so happy to hear the birds returning. Thank you for offering it.
I would be thrilled to win a copy of this book! I get so much pleasure from watching the birds out my windows…at my feeders and nestled in the arborvitaes in back of my house. I noticed just today that the robins and red-wing blackbirds are back! And Mr. and Mrs. Mourning Dove (same couple as the past years?) are once again nesting in my next door neighbor’s gutter and then visiting here every afternoon for food and just hanging out on my the fence.
This sounds like a lovely book! Thanks for being on this tour!
Sara @ TLC Book Tours
Oh, I love birds and although I have several bird books, I do not have this one. I would love to explore this book!
Thank you for the opportunity and thank you for the review!