The Audubon Society Guide to Attracting Birds - 2nd Edition by Stephen Kress (Paperback)

About the Book

Drawing on decades of experience, Kress offers a remarkable variety of techniques and resources for habitat improvement which will enable readers to reach their goal of designing landscapes for the benefit of birds.

Book Synopsis

"Improving the quality of land for wildlife is the single most constructive step that anyone can take to assist wild bird populations. Happily, it is well within almost everyone's capability to improve bird habitats by providing important food and cover plants. Through this book, I will assist caring landowners and managers of properties ranging in size from urban balconies and suburban backyards to larger properties such as country estates, schoolyards, cemeteries, corporate parks, airports, golf courses, wildlife refuges, and parklands of all sizes. Managers of agricultural land, greenways, and vacant lots alike will find inspiration and techniques within these pages that will help them carry out the urgent and satisfying work of improving land for wild birds."--from the Introduction

In the second edition of a book treasured by landscapers, birders, gardeners, and naturalists, Stephen W. Kress provides a practical, comprehensive, and thoroughly illustrated guide to attracting birds to any property, be it a small patch of land in the city or a showplace countryside garden, a median strip or an expansive woodlot, a commercial building or a community park. In Kress's view, the best way to attract birds is to enrich habitats by improving vegetation, natural foods, water supplies, and nest sites. Drawing on decades of experience, Kress offers a remarkable variety of techniques and resources for habitat improvement.

This book:

-addresses the special needs of managers of large properties, giving them a toolbox of strategies for habitat restoration;

-organizes his suggestions by habitat type, such as forest, grasslands, and shrublands;

-offers advice for selecting native plants by region;

-details the importance of wetland conservation;

-discusses the safe use of pesticides and fertilizers;

-provides useful information on nesting structures and feeding stations; and

-lists plant vendors and print and online resources for further study.

Throughout, Kress emphasizes responsible environmental stewardship. The second edition of The Audubon Society Guide to Attracting Birds will help readers reach their goal of designing their own landscapes for the benefit of wild birds.

Review Quotes

"Filled with accurate and practical information from bird seed and bird houses to bird-friendly shrubs and trees, this book is an encyclopedia of everything you need to know to make your property a more welcoming and more beneficial habitat for wild birds."

--David Sibley, author of The Sibley Guide to Birds

"The design of gardens and landscapes is one of the most important ways in which we can make space for wildlife; this book is simply the most detailed and authoritative source of information on the subject I have yet seen."

--Noel Kingsbury, Sheffield University, author of Gardens by Design and Designing Borders

"Whether your site is an apartment balcony, suburban backyard, or corporate park, Kress offers plenty of techniques for enhancing its value for forest, prairie, or shrubland birds.... Kress both urges and empowers all to begin the 'urgent and satisfying work' of creating natural havens that wildlife increasingly needs to survive."

--Julie Dunlap, American Gardener, September-October 2006

About the Author

Stephen W. Kress is Vice-President for Bird Conservation, National Audubon Society. He also directs the Audubon Seabird Restoration Program, which develops innovative techniques for restoring puffins, terns, and many other species of seabirds. He also teaches field ornithology classes at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and the Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine. In addition, he is the author of many books, including The National Audubon Society North American Birdfeeder Guide, The Bird Garden, and The National Audubon Society Birder's Handbook, as well as many scientific papers about seabird restoration..