Whether you’d like to wake up to a cheery robin’s birdsong or see hummingbirds in your garden, Jan Mahnken has you covered. In this colorful reference book, you’ll find simple tips to attract, feed, and observe 135 American bird species. Mahnken provides information on territory, courtship, nesting, parenting, and much more, while Jeffrey C. Domm brings each species to life with stunningly detailed paintings. Whether undertaken for practical reasons (insect control) or pure enjoyment, attracting birds to one's own backyard is an activity that can involve the whole family. In this personable, informal guide, Mahnken demonstrates both her knowledge and her love for birds as she introduces 135 North American species, discusses nesting cycles, and supplies tips on feeding and encouraging feathered friends to visit on a regular basis. This isn't as definitive, slick, or handy as some of the pocket field guides. But it's loaded with plenty of black-and-white and color pictures (not seen in finished form), which, when coupled with the book's quick facts about nesting, habits, range, size, and more, will be great for new bird spotters. Stephanie Zvirin “At a time when ‘backyard’ bird books are tripping off the presses at a dizzying rate, it is a pleasure to find one so clearly superior.” ― Bird Watcher’s Digest “[t]he most valuable part of the book may be its appendix, which lists common types of bird feed … and what birds they attract.” ― Sunset “Keep this volume handy, as you’ll use it again and again.” ― Country Living “[C]ontains valuable information on food and nesting habits, as well as great ideas for bird baths.” ― Denver Post “… great for new bird spotters.” ― Booklist “No coffee-table book, this. You’ll keep it on the breakfast table, or wherever you watch your feeder from.” ― St. Louis Post-Dispatch “The text is easy reading and will tempt the beginning bird watcher to do more and learn more. This is a very good buy for the price.” ― Richmond Times-Dispatch “a plethora of interesting facts on the habits and habitats of more than 135 birds.” ― Houston Chronicle A Selection of Book-of-the Month Club An information-packed reference to attracting, feeding, and appreciating a wide variety of birds in your yard. Whether you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden or bluebirds to your nesting box, this colorful guide is brimming with information on attracting and understanding backyard birds. You'll learn how to feed them, house them, provide nesting materials, and keep them coming back year after year. Along with beautiful, detailed paintings by Jeffrey C. Domm and a foreword by Ren, Laubach of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, The Backyard Bird-Lover's Guide features a reference section with closeups of more than 135 species and their feeding and nesting habits. And there's much more: -- A guide to feeders and food, and who eats what -- A chapter on providing nestboxes for bluebirds, martins, owls, woodpeckers, wrens, wood ducks, and more -- How to create gardens that attract birds -- Tips on deterring cats, squirrels, and undesirable birds -- How to identify nests and eggs - and what to do with a fallen nestling -- Details of the family life of birds Jan Mahnken, author of The Backyard Bird-Lover's Guide,  has written for Country Journal, Farmstead, Countryside, and New England Farm Journal. She lives in western Massachusetts and has loved birds since the age of thirteen.