Product Description

Have you ever wondered what the birds in your garden get up to when they're not tucking into peanuts and seeds on the birdtable? This book takes us, month by month, into the secret lives of our most familiar garden birds, revealing inspiring, intriguing and scandalous real-life dramas such as the ferocious turf battles of Robins, the profound family ties of Long-tailed Tits and the remarkable sex-life of the Dunnock. The amazing facts that it reveals will help you to understand, encourage and enjoy your garden birds more than ever before. Written with engaging humour and enlivened throughout with dazzling colour paintings and photographs, this wonderful book will appeal to anyone who enjoys watching birds in their gardens.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10720 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-30
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Review
"Dominic takes us on a lively, informative and enthusiastic trip around the birds of Britain." Birds (February 2006) 'If you've ever wondered why the birds on your bird table behave the way they do: this book will explain it all. Beautifully illustrated with paintings by Peter Partington." The Travel and Leisure Magazine (March 2007)

About the Author
Dominic Couzens has worked as a freelance ornithologist for several years, running birdwatching courses and leading birding tours in Britain and abroad. He has a monthly column in the popular magazine Birdwatching, and has written several books.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful. wonderful, wonderful!
This is a PROPER coffee-table book- because it's always on the table. No use putting it away, I only dig it out again a few days later!

I bought this as a present for my partner. He used to bird-watch in his youth :^) and when we got our first place together we installed a bird table and bird bath in the garden, then sat back to watch and enjoy. I thought this book would be a way back into knowing what bird is what, and what they're all up to.

We've both enjoyed this book. The text is informative and often witty, the photo's are numerous and very clear (also, as an A4 size book, the pictures in this book will be bigger than in many guidebooks), and the illustrations give a great 'ahhhh' factor.

superb
I get a lot of various species of bird in my garden and after spending years watching them, and their mannerisms, I treated myself to this book.
I have read it a few times, and now read each months section as we go into a new month. It has helped me understand the mannerisms of the birds and their reasoning for doing what they do. It's certainly given me a better understanding of the birds and what to look for, and has helped me to attract more birds into the garden.
A pleasure to read and extremely informative. If you enjoy our feathered friends in your garden, then this is a must for you. I'm now ordering more for christmas gifts.

Beautifully illustrated and reads like a novel
This is the best bird book I have ever come across. I read it cover to cover and it held me enchanted until the last page. Field guides are good in that they give you instant information but this book immerses you right into the nitty gritty of the daily lives of birds. I gained a real understanding and sympathy of how they live and their struggles to survive. The text reads like a novel and the birds become the characters. I found myself following the characters as their stories unfolded. I felt joy at their successes, grieved at their losses, laughed at their attempts at romance and felt sad when they failed. I felt cross with the bullies and cheered on the underdogs. I willed them to survive and understood more fully their difficulties. They became my friends and now when I watch them I watch and listen with more insight and knowledge.

The book takes you through the months of the year. Not only is the text utterly readable and absorbing but the pages are beautifully presented with photographs and wonderful paintings of the birds going about their activities.

Buy this book, keep it out at all times and treasure it.