Authors: Pete Dunne
ISBN-13: 9780395906866, ISBN-10: 0395906865
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Date Published: March 2003
Edition: (Non-applicable)
PETE DUNNE is the author of many books, including Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion, Pete Dunne on Bird Watching, and most recently Prairie Spring, the first in a four-book series on the seasons. He is the vice president of the New Jersey Audubon Society and director of its Cape May Bird Observatory.
Pete Dunne has taught birding to beginners for years, but he has never found the right book to help them get started. Now the popular birding author identifies the skills and tools available to people with any amount of interest, great or small, in bird watching. Beginning with backyard birding and moving through a quick but comprehensive survey of tools of the trade, Dunne outlines ten basic, simple steps in bird identification that can make a birder out of the most casual of observers. He goes on to show beginning birders how to use their skills to explore new horizons through birding by ear, birding by telescope, and finding and identifying rare or difficult birds. Written in the lively, authoritative style that has made Dunne one of the most popular writers in this field today, Pete Dunne on Bird Watching will inspire in readers both a growing passion for birding and a lifelong respect for the natural world and its inhabitants.
Judging by the great number of field guides in print, bird watching is among the world's most popular avocations. Dunne (Hawks in Flight) takes a new tack, providing novice birders and those thinking of taking up the hobby with a literate and exhaustive beginner's manual. The quirky and often poignant anecdotes sprinkled throughout the book also make for an interesting read for advanced birders. From the backyard to field trips and guided tours, the author provides valuable information that would take years of in-the-field effort to obtain. Dunne's advice on binocular design, specifications and uses is easy to understand, despite the technical data. There are also helpful suggestions on proper clothing and footwear, which take into account terrain, season and climate. The author explains such esoterica as why birders should never wear white as well as the finer points of proper bird-watching etiquette. There is an important section discussing a range of field guides and how to use them based on the essential keys to bird identification found in these compendiums. Additionally, this birding primer details the best sites for viewing particular species; where to find more information on bird watching; and how to move beyond the initial level of this fascinating pastime into the more sublime reaches of advanced birding. 100 b&w photos. (Mar.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.
Introduction | xiii | |
1. | Back-yard Birding, Front-seat Adventure | 1 |
Stefancik's Corollary | 1 | |
America's Fastest-Growing Outdoor Activity | 3 | |
Setting the Table for Birds | 4 | |
Landscaping for Birds | 22 | |
Bird-feeding Problems | 27 | |
Attracting Birds with Water | 32 | |
Nest Boxes | 34 | |
The Other Side of the Fence | 39 | |
2. | The Tools of the Trade--Binoculars and a Field Guide | 41 |
Of Chimney Swifts and Larceny | 41 | |
Binoculars--The Defining Tool of Birding | 44 | |
Field Guides--The Rosetta Stone to Birds | 68 | |
Clothing | 85 | |
Other Things You'll Need | 89 | |
3. | The Fundamentals of Birding | 91 |
Like Grosbeaks for Purple Finch | 91 | |
Where, When, and How to Go Birding | 93 | |
Basic Bird Identification | 100 | |
Learning to See Critically | 112 | |
Keeping Records | 115 | |
4. | Resources--Dipping into the Pool of Knowledge | 121 |
The Man of the Mountain | 121 | |
Clubs and Chums--The Social Link | 125 | |
Hooking into the Publication and Communication Network | 132 | |
Birding Tours | 136 | |
Events, Functions, Festivals, and Other Birders | 139 | |
5. | Expanding Horizons--Finding and Facing New Challenges | 141 |
That Story About the Harrier | 141 | |
Sight--Spotting Scopes and Tripods | 145 | |
Sound--Birding by Ear | 154 | |
Travel to New Birding Locations | 164 | |
Mastering Difficult Identifications | 182 | |
6. | Applied Birding--For Fun, Purpose ... Even Profit! | 189 |
October 4, 1977, Cape May Point, New Jersey | 189 | |
Bird Censusing | 191 | |
The Games Birders Play | 199 | |
7. | Tips to Better Birding | 206 |
At Birding's Horizon Line--Standing with Will | 206 | |
Equipment Tips | 207 | |
Technique Tips | 214 | |
8. | Ethics and Responsibilities | 233 |
Looking for Baird's Sparrow, Walking on Eggs | 233 | |
Keeping Birding Safe for Birds | 234 | |
The Etiquette of Birding | 237 | |
Courtesy to Nonbirders | 241 | |
Conservation | 242 | |
Appendixes | ||
1. | American Birding Association Checklist | 251 |
2. | Name Changes to the American Ornithologists' Union (and ABA) Check-list | 278 |
3. | State Audubon Societies and Bird Observatories | 289 |
4. | American Birding Association Code of Birding Ethics | 293 |
Glossary | 296 | |
Bibliography | 309 | |
Index | 312 |