This gorgeously illustrated book brings the family life of
American birds to our eyes and elaborates on the details
of
courtship, chick-rearing and survival. If you would like
to
know more about the visitors to your garden, or your state
bird, where better to start than by looking INTO THE NEST.
With the aid of photos of many species, authors Laura
Erickson and Marie Read explain how one bird builds a
single-use nest of moss and feathers, while another
constructs a sprawling stick residence for annual use.
Some
species live in holes in trees, and these generally lay
white eggs. Other species rely on camouflaged eggs, while
the cowbird sneaks her eggs into other birds' nests.
If you've heard a few words of bird talk on a TV programme
and not been sure what they meant, now is your chance to
find out. For instance, precocial chicks are those which
leave the nest within a few hours of hatching, bearing
enough fluffy feathers to insulate them, able to follow
their mother and search for food. Ducklings are a good
example. Altricial nestlings hatch nearly naked, sit in
the
nest for weeks waiting for parents to bring food and
fledge
proper feathers before leaving. Eagle chicks are an
example.
Photos follow birds ranging from Hummingbirds to Herons.
If
you think all birds nest 'in the wild' think again. An
amusing picture shows a Red-tailed hawk feeding her young
in a nest on a fire escape in the Bronx. These city-
dwellers eat rats so play an important role in pest
control.
Some birds, such as Herring Gull and Mallard, are familiar
to European readers. I was interested to see inside a
woodpecker nest, in a hollowed treetrunk. These holes are
often used by other birds and animals as shelters.
Colourful hummingbirds, bluejays and tanagers are native
to
the Americas, while I learnt that the state bird of
Alabama
is the Northern Flicker. I also learned that in 1803 young
John Audubon tied silver threads around the legs of
Eastern
Phoebes nesting near his Pennsylvania home, proving that
the same birds returned the following year. There is
plenty
of variety to be found by dipping into this lovely and
informative book INTO THE NEST so anyone from young reader
to adult can enjoy learning more about our feathered
neighbours.
The intimate lives of familiar birds as never before seen!
Spectacular, stunning, and beautiful close-up photography
documents the family lives of more than 30 birds, from the
first song of the courting male to the first flight of the
fledglings. You'll find images of the male and female,
nest construction, the eggs, the parents on the nest,
nestlings, feeding time, fledglings taking their first
leap, and more. The featured birds include songbirds,
urban birds such as raptors and pigeons, water birds, and
owls, all of them common to North America.
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