Audubon Birdhouse Book, Revised and Updated: Building, Placing, and Maintaining Great Homes for Great Birds

Price: $11.99
(as of May 09, 2023 16:00:23 UTC – Details)

The Audubon Birdhouse Book is the most authoritative book available for creating safe, sturdy, and easy-to-build homes for many of North America’s favorite birds. This updated second edition includes important new and timely topics including impacts of climate change on birds, nestbox monitoring for community science, native plants, and how birders can help birds.

Produced in association with the National Audubon Society, Audubon Birdhouse Book explains how to build and place functional DIY bird homes that are safe and appropriate for more than 20 classic North American species, from wrens to raptors. Each of the easy-to-build boxes and shelves within is accompanied by cut lists, specially created line diagrams, and step-by-step photography, making the projects accessible to those with even the most rudimentary woodworking skills. In addition, this practical and beautifully presented guide is packed with color photography and information about the bird species covered: Wrens, Warblers, Bluebirds, Flycatchers, Swallows, Titmice, Owls, Flickers, Kestrels, Chickadees, Ducks, Mergansers, Swallows, Doves, Swallows, Robins, Finches, Phoebes, Loons, Swifts, Herons, and Ospreys.

Detailed information will help you properly place and maintain the homes to attract birds. And because these projects are the product of years of experience and field-testing, you can be sure you’re getting the best advice regarding proper design, safe construction materials, and correct home placement to mitigate exposure to elements, pests, and predators. Finally, beyond the birdhouses, you’ll find out how you can contribute to the larger birding community and even enhance your birding experience.

From the Publisher

Audubon Birdhouse Book, Revised and Updated: Building, Placing, and Maintaining Great Homes for Great Birds

Barn Owl

Barn Owls are among the most widespread of all land birds, but they are nonetheless declining over much of North America, particularly in the Midwest. Key factors include loss of nesting sites (such as large, hollow trees and old barns) and development of agricultural fields and grasslands where these owls hunt. Rodenticides kill Barn Owls indirectly, since rodents are their main food. Because they fly near the ground when hunting, these owls are especially susceptible to vehicle collisions.

Say’s Phoebe

Eastern Phoebes once nested along stream-bank cliffs and overhangs, but these adaptable birds now usually nest on porches, under house eaves and bridges, on barns and sheds, and even in active doorways. Say’s Phoebes have also benefited from nesting in and around humanmade structures and have a wide breeding range. Because nesting sites are plentiful, phoebe populations are stable in most areas.

Great Blue Heron

In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, Great Blue Herons were slaughtered for their showy plumes, which were used to adorn women’s hats and clothes. Populations were drastically reduced but subsequently recovered following protective legislation. Today, the heron population is again declining, particularly where pesticides, mercury, and other pollutants have contaminated the herons’ wetland feeding areas. Great Blue Herons are also vulnerable to habitat loss and human disturbances that disrupt nesting colonies, including vehicle traffic, logging, and motorboats.

BIRDS IN BOXES: GREAT NEST BOXES FOR GREAT BIRDS

XBOX BLUEBIRD NEST BOX DESIGNED BY DAN SPARKS AND THE X-MEN, PHOTOS AND BUILD BY CHRIS WILLETT

BARRED OWL NEST BOX DESIGNED BY RICHARD O. BIERREGAARD, PHOTOS AND BUILD BY CHRIS WILLETT

DON “THE DUCKMAN’S” WOOD DUCK NEST BOX DESIGNED BY DON HELMEKE, PHOTOS AND BUILD BY CHRIS WILLETT

BIRD HEROES: Over the past century, many people have helped save birds in need.

TYKEE JAMES Advocating for Birds

A long-time advocate for Black birders, naturalists, and environmentalists, Tykee James is a government affairs coordinator for the National Audubon Society. In this role, he helps Audubon chapters and state offices advance federal environmental policies, and trains Audubon members and chapter leaders to work effectively with federal decision makers. But according to James, his most important role is being a birder!

Photo Credit: Luke Franke/Audubon

KENN KAUFMAN Birding the World

Kenn Kaufman began watching birds at age six. He is now field editor for Audubon Magazine, a regular contributor to other major birding magazines, and a director of the American Birding Association. Kaufman has birded on all seven continents. His 675-page Lives of North American Birds includes a brief life history of every bird species in North America. His other books include Kingbird Highway and The Peterson Field Guide to Advanced Birding. He finds the sheer aliveness of birds most appealing: “Most birds live at a level of intensity that we can’t match.”

Photo Credit: Kimberly Kaufman

CORINA NEWSOME Black Birders Matter

Following a racist incident against a black birder in New York City’s Central Park, Corina Newsome said in a Twitter video, “For far too long, Black people in the U.S. have been shown that outdoor exploration activities are not for us.” To change that narrative, she helped organize the first-ever Black Birders Week in 2020. Newsome, a biology graduate student researching seaside sparrows at Georgia Southern University, hopes the event will spark increased diversity in birding and conservation, and encourage young scientists and birders of color to pursue their dreams.

Photo Credit: Katherine Arntzen, Georgia Southern University

SCOTT WEIDENSAUL Words with Wings

Ornithologist and author Scott Weidensaul celebrates the natural world and the miracle of bird migration in his research, writing, and public speaking. He has authored numerous books, including The Ghost with Trembling Wings about the search for possibly extinct species, and Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds, a Pulitzer Prize finalist. He also contributed to the book Nests: Fifty Nests and the Birds That Built Them. He teaches and directs sessions at the Hog Island Audubon Camp, and spearheads research focusing on owls, hummingbirds, and songbirds.

Photo Credit: Chris DeSorbo

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cool Springs Press; 2nd edition (June 15, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0760368627
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0760368626
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.45 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.3 x 0.65 x 11 inches