BIRD-BY-BIRD GARDENING by Sally Roth 1/13/07

Bird-by-Bird Gardening, by Sally Roth. Rodale Books, 2006. Hardback, 392pp.

Yes, this book was another find during today's bookstore trip.

I got turned on to birds when I first got clean. There were a couple of co-workers who were serious birders and they took me along to Montezuma Reserve outside of Syracuse and up Cathead Mountain in the snow. Then there was my dog's best dog friend who had an old woodsman attached to her and he also was avid about the avians. I have long enjoyed the birds flocking outside my gram's kitchen window in the countryside. My current urban environ has a variety of feeders and bushes and trees and boxes which welcome cardinals, hummingbirds, house sparrows, house wrens, and others on a regular basis. Bird-by-Bird Gardening, with its' bright orange and black cover featuring an oriole, begged me to pick it up.

And this is what I found: Several chapters of introductory material concerning bird families and identifying characteristics, followed by chapters which flush out the requirements of each family. The book is easy reading, full of tips, and has some great color shots of birds.

Highly recommended for the birder who wishes to take their backyard habitats to the next level and for the gardener who wishes to add some color to the garden.

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