Birding
(This was formerly called "bird watching.")
Thomas Ford has a good collection of field guides and other works on birds to help you enjoy the pleasures of nature and understand our world. These books may all be borrowed.
National Audubon Society The Sibley Guide to Birds written and illustrated by David Allen Sibley (598 Sib)
Sibley's guide is the most detailed guide to birds of the U.S. and Canada. The author is also an artist, who paints species with juvenile, gender, and seasonal plumage variations. He describes calls and includes range maps.
Sibley's Birding Basics by David Allen Sibley (598)
This smaller companion book tells how to spot and identify birds.
Birds of North America by Kenn Kaufman (598 Kau)
Kaufman digitally enhanced his bird photos to aid identification. This book is smaller, lighter, and thus easier to pack than Sibley's.
Birds of Illinois by Sheryl DeVore, Gregory Kennedy, and Steven D. Bailey (598.09773 Dev)
This book shows only species that local birders are likely to see.
Illinois Bird Watching: A Year Round Guide by Bill Thompson (598.09773 Tho)
This book has a smaller selection of birds than DeVore's book, but the layout is easier on older eyes.
Birds of Chicago Including NE Illinois and NW Indiana by Chris C. Fisher and David B. Johnson (598.29773 Fis)
This guide identifies birds most commonly seen in our area.
A Birder's Guide to the Chicago Region by Lynne Carpenter and Joel Greenberg (598 Car)
This guidebook profiles nature preserves, waterways, and other locations for seeing birds in the region, including nearby sites in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan. It tells which birds to seek by place and by season.
Birding by Joseph Forshaw and others (598 For)
Forshaw advises birders on spotting methods, habitats, and equipment, and he profiles major American species.
Bedside Book of Birds: An Avian Miscellany (598 Bed)
The editors collected bird art, stories, and poetry.
Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman (598.297 Kau)
Kaufman describes species behaviors, including habitat choice, feeding, nesting, and migration. Most of his photos show birds in their habitats.
The Life of Birds by David Attenborough (598 Att)
World famous zoologist and film producer David Attenborough presents a natural history of birds. He includes beautiful photographs.
Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds by Scott Weidensaul (598.1 Wei)
Scientists still know so little about bird migrations. Weidensaul tries to make sense of it all.
National Audubon Society North American Birdfeeder Handbook by Robert Burton (598 Bur)
and
Birds at Your Feeder: A Guide to Feeding Habits, Behavior, Distribution, and Abundance by Erica H. Dunn and Diane L. Tessaglia-Hymes (598 Dun)
These books go beyond recommending feeders and seed mixtures. They also explain observed bird behaviors.
The Bird Garden by Stephen W. Kress (598 Kre)
This guide recommends flowers, shrubs, trees, and even groundcovers to plant to attract birds to your yard.
Rick Roche, August 2007
