Birds Books

I also own other books by Ray Friesen (Lookit, Yarg, etc..). I read them to my 5 and 7 year old and they enjoy them very much.
What they liked most about this one: "Ptui" when TBird finds out he is treating Cassowary to lunch, and the expression "nincompoop covered in stupidity sauce".

The only thing I didn't like are a few spelling and grammatical errors (like your vs you're), but I point those out to my kids. They are few and don't detract at all from the fun.

I am looking forward to the next book by Ray Friesen!

Feeling a bit peckish? Try Another Dirt Sandwich! It's a graphic novel of the humorous persuasion with all the fixin's: Swindling! Mustard! Birds wearing hats! It's just chock full of cartoony goodness.

This book chronicles the ramblings adventures of inept ostrich con-man Tbyrd Fearlessness, and his gullible rube-turned-sidekick Hopalong Cassowary in their search for fame and fortune, or at least lunch.

A must read for kids and kids at heart. If you like silly, then giggling is guaranteed.

If you eat only one book this year, make it this one. Chomp. Mmm! You can barely taste the gravel.

You may have to take this review with a grain of salt, as it is written by the author. Who better to write an objective review?

This spoof of field guides really shows the wit and ingenuity of its creators. You'll laugh through the entire guide.

I have owned a copy of these books since I first heard them reviewed on NPR. I still laugh every time I pull them from the shelf. Excellent gifts for your naturalist friends and others!!

A nice novel with a surprising ending. I loved the TV series that came out in 1979 based on the book so much so that I went out and got the book from the library to read it!

When David Collier's engineer brother Barry is killed in a strange accident in Greece, David a timid young man finds himself involved in an unwanted adventure of a life time.

Suddenly he is being chased, bullied, kissed and shot at by all sorts of people, from killers, to bandits, to the police, to a ruthless millionaire art lover and a beautiful woman with a very mysterious past.

What makes matters worse is that David has no idea what any of them want with him but every time he tries to leave the island something forces him to stay on a bit longer, not to mention the case full of money that keeps appearing and disappearing, and a beautiful gold necklace that supposedly came from a cave that is the grave yard of the ancient Greek Gods...

This is a well written book with lots of twists and turns, a good plot, well defined characters and a mysterious air that makes it a compulsive and enjoyable read.

When Barry Collier is critically injured in an accident on the beautiful and historic island of Cyprus, his brother David flies out to him, only to arrive too late. Barry is dead.

But while the Police are sure it was accidental and caused in no little part by Barry's driving, strange things begin to happen which convince David otherwise.

Among Barry's possessions is a mysterious photo of hieroglyphics. Then there is the briefcase full of money which inconveniently appears and disappears. And what of Barry's friends, the wealthy businessman Eugene Hellman and the bewitchingly beautiful Helene?

An attempt to shoot him while traveling in the countryside leaves the shocked David with a badly twisted ankle. Struggling to find shelter he is recued by a 'shepherd' - the brigand, Basileos who takes him to an empty monastery. His confusion increases when he later discovers Basileos with Helene but there is no trace of them when he returns with Chief Inspector Mitsides.

Just who should David trust and what was Barry involved in?

But then perhaps the good inspector suspects that other factors are at play.

This novel is a skillful tale of mystery with an intriguing twist. The characters are colourful and the plot totally absorbing.

Are we the authors of our own fate?

My two daughters have absolutely loved this book. They loved making the animal sounds as the baby bird encountered each new animal! Very educational and extremely engaging!

My daughter loved this book from an early age. It was one that allowed her to practice all her animal sounds and practice hearing the same story from the English and the Spanish point of view.

Must have for anyone studying gamebirds, or small game management in Az. Lots of great info. Life histories, management histories, almost all the info you need.

When I first picked up "Arizona Game Birds" a couple of years ago, I looked at it as a serious textbook on Arizona's upland birds (partridges/pheasants, grouse, turkeys, quail, cranes, pigeons and doves). And it certainly is: with it's good-quality black-and-white figures, carefully designed maps, generous captions and an extended bibliography supplemented by a sufficient index, it ranks far above average when compared to similar scientific references. But this book is a lot more than a textbook: it is a unique comprehensive guide offering a straightforward path to both the novice and the expert through the complex, and at times confusing, interaction between the birds and their habitat. The general pattern Brown lays out in his clear, figurative language for each species in terms of life history, distribution, management history and hunting strategies is unsurpassed in the literature, a knowledge and expertise which can only be accumulated through decades of experience in the field as a wildlife biologist, AZ G&F game manager and a hunter. This book has served me as a faithful companion for not only planning hunting trips into new areas, but also to better understand the many biotic communities in the Southwest. Such information does not come easy, and one has to always work for it. Above all, I consider Brown's hunting anecdotes among the best put on paper. Loaded with practical advice and written with respect for the quarry by a true gentleman hunter, these short stories take you right into the field. Read e.g. about Brown looking back to Ward's Dove Night in Tuscon during the early 1970es and you will understand why this fine book is on my shelf standing right next to such classics as Jack O' Connor "Game in the Desert" and Charles A. Sheldon's "Wilderness of the Southwest". May it never go out of print!

My son and I enjoyed this book tremendously. He has read it on his own quite a few times but the effect is so different when we read it together. The story is touching and at one point, I could see my son winced in pain (the part when the hawk was shot). He felt really sorry for it and was so delighted to know that it is alive and well again. Great story, good lessons within.

This is a beautiful book. The true story of this magnificent bird's struggle to survive will touch the hearts of children and adults who are nature lovers. Great artwork!

This collection is not only marvelously printed but also amazingly packaged with high quality and thoughtfulness throughout. The attention to detail is stunning and the limited edition autographed prints are beyond anything I could have imagined. If you are looking for a special something for that Disney lover foodie in your life, this may be the perfect gift.

First of all, if you are not interested in limited prints, do not spend your money in this edition. Just buy the book separately, which is exactly the same one that the simple edition almost ten times cheaper. You have to know you are going to pay for the limited autographed prints included in this Limited Edition. However, if you are crazy about this kind of things; you are a collector or an animation fan, do not hesitate: this is your edition! The book is inside a dark grey box and over it, there is another tray with a hand-written letter by the director, Brad Bird and the limited prints. They are really amazing due to the quality of the prints: strong colors, beautiful surface paper and moreover, they are signed by their authors! I would like to see in a close future Disney and Pixar book editions like this one to get them all.

I loved this book!! It really gives me artistic inspiration. I always go back to it, and i use the photo's for many paintings. Bald Eagles, swans, pelicans, and you guessed it... songbirds!!
Crisp photography, For a lot of birds they show both sexes, bright colors, I really can't say enough good stuff about this book!!!

Songbirds and Other Favorite Birds has paid for itself several times over in the realistic drawings I've done of various birds from it. The references are well organized and beautiful, the poses the birds are in vary so much that it's easy to combine a pose from one and the anatomy and markings of another, it never fails to catch my interest.

I use my copy constantly and have since the day it first arrived. The Artist's Photo Reference series also teaches how to use magazine photos and other images that you don't have copyright to, in ways that do not violate copyright. For anyone who does realistic drawing it's a valuable resource, and the lessons on how to draw and paint are excellent too. Each lesson is in a different medium and explores as many different techniques as possible, so no matter your level of skill, there is probably something in this book you haven't tried.

And hundreds of gorgeous references. Each bird gets a page or two of multiple photos labeled male or female where there are differences, often captured at a distance by zoom so they're in motion or in unusual poses. Not many are in flight but there are a few. My only problem with this book and this series is that North Light needs to publish more of them, there are now two Birds books, this one and Artist's Photo Reference: Birds, and you could easily go through several more without exhausting the variety of subject matter.

There isn't much overlap between this and Birds -- it fills the gaps nicely and has mostly different species. Where they are the same, the photos are different so both of them have an honored place in my library where no doubt I'll wear them out with decades of use. Get it in hardcover, if you paint birds often you'll want a durable copy.

Although this gem of a book certainly covers attracting and feeding hummingbirds, including extensive advice on selecting flowers appropriate for each region of the continent, its modest size and simple title don't hint at the true gift within: an ecologist's insight into the natural history of one of our most highly-specialized and most fascinating bird families. The first 14 pages of text and photos are a concise, well-balanced examination of how hummingbirds fit into their environment, written for neither children nor scientists, but for the inquisitive layman. You won't find this content in any other book I've seen.

The second part is about plants, and again compresses a wealth of useful information into a succinct but rich overview of what flowers hummingbirds like, and why. More than a plant list, this section will help you understand how to plan a garden that works.

There are also sections on feeders, habitat, and species identification. Each is invested with an equally-impressive amount of insight, although as the author advises you'll want a good field guide for serious ID questions (and Sheri is writing one now). Finally, there's a nice listing of organizations and both printed and online resources for further study.

I have a collection of hummingbird books, assembled to help me build and maintain hummingbirds.net. This one is one of the three I wouldn't be without.

This small but information-packed guide is the best I've found for detailed, practical advice about viewing and caring for these little flying jewels. The photographs are breathtaking and the text is well-written and filled with wonderful advice and tips about feeders, habitat, gardens, identification and further resources.

Terrific.

This is a terrific book for southern bird lovers. Besides being packed with valuable information,the photographs of the described plants, trees, etc. are so beautiful and helpful. Because of all those "pretty pictures", kids really like this one too. My kids liked telling me what to plant. We made a game of trying to plant what would attract the most birds (and also look pretty).

As a birder who has worked tirelessly to create the ultimate backyard habitat, and a former birding editor of a regional gardening magazine, I can vouch for the unbelievable plethora of information contained in this treatise. Not only are landscape designs provided in detail for various types of gardens, from the formal to the wild, they are done with inclusions of complete lists of annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees for nectar, fruit, seed, and insect eaters. these lists are exhaustive, and cover every aspect of the garden.

After the chapter on landscaping, nearly seventy of the various bird species that can be attracted to the Southern garden are each described, and most often photographed with complete detail. These descriptions of each species are thorough, along with a list of their habitats, a brief outline of behaviors, and their favorite food plants.

Following is an exhaustive chapter which covers all of the most important plants, both native and non-native, which are attractive to birds in the South. Each is cross-referenced to include a list of the birds that feed on them. There is a nice description for each plant which delineates not only its phylogenetic classification, but also its optimum growing conditions, the hardiness zones it does well in, it's fruiting or flowering time, the size it can obtain, whether it is deciduous or evergreen and much more.

The fourth chapter deals with accessories: Feeders, water gardens, misters and drippers, houses (including dimensions and correct entrance hole diameters and cavity depth for each cavity nesting species), seed preferences, and more!

The final chapter dispels some of the common myths about birds that have prevailed over the years, providing insights that will give even the most novice backyard birder a leg up on creating and maintaining an exciting backyard! Topics such as "what to do with 'abandoned' baby birds found in the yard" and "parents abandoning their offspring" are covered very well. In all, ten of the most common myths are analyzed.

Throughout the book, beautiful paintings of our favorite southern birds by several artists grace the pages. This book is definitely a must have for the libraries of all gardeners and birders!