Projects for the Birder’s Garden

Fern Marshall Bradley, a lifelong organic gardener, is also an editor and writer based in eastern Pennsylvania. A former book editor for Rodale, Inc., Fern's editing credits include Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, Rodale's Garden Answers, and Gardening with Perennials. She has a master's degree in horticulture from Rutgers University and has managed a market garden on an organic farm in New Jersey.

Create your own private nature preserve-with dozens of ingenious ideas to turn a typical backyard into a beautiful natural habitat for birds and other wildlife. Experience the gratification of watching birds gobble seeds and other treats from your homemade bird feeder. Look on with delight as a mother bird tends to her babies in the protective hideaway of a birdhouse you have lovingly constructed from a dried gourd. Create a sunflower plantation, a bird teepee, a tent-style twig feeder, a pedestal birdbath. Follow the step-by-step instructions in this book, and your yard will quickly become an enticing playground, breeding ground, and feeding ground for colorful songbirds. And that's not all-there are also projects specially designed to attract beautiful hummingbirds and butterflies to your garden. Among the book's special features: -Projects require only a few simple tools and supplies and most can be easily and inexpensively assembled using only scrap materials found around the house -Information-packed sidebars include tips for identifying the nests and eggs of songbirds and unusual facts and figures about birds and bird behavior -Instructions show how to create baffles and barriers to keep squirrels, raccoons, and other unwanted guess away from the birdseed-along with projects for tending to these feeder-raiding marauders too! The simple pleasure of viewing birds in your backyard is something to treasure every day of the year. Whether you are a seasoned bird watcher or are new to the hobby, you will find a wealth of inspirational ideas here to attract more birds than ever before to your backyard. And you'll increase your enjoyment of this soul-satisfyingpastime.