How to attract birds to your garden

Ornithologist and BBC Wales presenter Rouse refers to "garden" in the British sense of the word here, aka your yard. Her book is rich with information about the bird life cycles, behaviors, and breeding patterns that become the basis for the habitat readers can design for their feathered friends. Readers will learn, for instance, how birds' feet and beaks determine the types of food and feeders they are attracted to, along with tons of other information for making a comfortable and safe home for birds. She provides plenty of hands-on activities for all skill levels, from making a suet mix to building a backyard pond feature. Illustrations, photographs, and charts make this a true visual guide, but the breadth of information provided means it can be read from cover to cover, or consulted as a reference guide when needed. Whether they're looking to hang their first bird feeder or are already experienced backyard birders, readers will find this an amply useful guide.

The garden is the best place to start appreciating birds, advises ornithologist Rouse in her vibrant debut. She highlights the many ways an average gardener can attract robust birdlife to a space of any size ("birds don't care whether you live in a flat with a balcony, in a busy street, or in a house with acres of land"), and offers a reason to welcome the creatures: "With many species declining due to lack of space and nesting opportunities, it's vitally important that we now take birds into our lives." Rouse outlines basic bird behavior, detailing which types of birds will make a year-round home and which will migrate, and explains feeding habits based on such characteristics as beak size and foot type. Readers will also find plenty of practical tips; guides for building, maintaining, and cleaning feeders and bird houses; and horticultural insight, such as how to organize a garden to protect birds from predators and diseases while enhancing the beauty of the space: "If all parts of the system are working well, both the yard and its wildlife will flourish." Complete with photos, this comprehensive guide will bring possibility to both aspiring gardeners and hopeful birders. (Nov.)