Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches?
And Other Bird Questions You Know You Want to Ask
Author Mike O'Connor ISBN 9781554550418 Binding Trade Paper Publisher Fitzhenry & Whiteside Publication Date May 28, 2007 Size 152 x 229 mmA beginner's guide filled with wisdom and humour.
In 1983, Mike O'Connor opened the Bird Watcher's General Store, which might well have been the first store devoted solely to birding in North America. Since that time he has answered thousands of questions about birds, both at his store and while walking down the aisles of the supermarket.
The questions have ranged from:
- inquiries about individual species (Are flamingos really real?")
to - what and when to feed birds ("Should I bring in my feeders for the summer?")
to - the down-and-dirty specifics of backyard birding ("Why are the birds dropping poop in my pool?").
Answering the questions has been easy; keeping a straight face has been hard.
Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches? is the solution for the beginning birder who already has a book that explains the slight plumage variations between doves, but who is really much more interested in why birds sing at 4:30 a.m. instead of 7:00 a.m., or whether it's okay to feed bread to birds, or how birds rediscover your feeders so quickly when you've just filled them after a long vacation. Or, for that matter, whether flamingos are really real.
"Mike O'Connor knows birds - I mean, REALLY knows them. He has been answering questions about birds for years, and he can deliver the straight scoop with a hilarious twist that makes it unforgettable. Reading this book is almost as much fun as bird watching, and that's saying a lot!"
— Kenn Kaufman, author of the Kaufman Field Guide to the Birds of North America
"While O'Connor's detailed responses are full of ornithological facts, it's their humor and irreverence that make the book so entertaining."
— Audubon Magazine
Contents
- Introduction: How in the World Did This Happen?
- Everybody Wants Bluebirds
Catbirds, the Birds Everyone Should Want
Bring on the Woodpeckers
It's Not Just the High Rent
Giving Birdhouses Some Direction
You Don't Need a Ladder to Put Up a Birdhouse
Got to Keep a Clean House
Purple Martin Houses Aren't for Everyone
Plant a Tree, Even If It's Dead
Landscaping for the Birds
- The Best Birdseed: Keep It Simple
Feeding Bread to Birds Is Sometimes Good, Sometimes Not So Good
Feeding Peanut Butter to Birds Is Safe . . . If the Birds Don't Have Allergies
Oranges Attract Two Cool Birds
Nothing Beats a Hot Bath on a Cold Day
Backyard Birds Rediscover Bird Feeders
Bird Feeding Rocks in May
Rotten, Mouldy Seed Isn't as Good as It Sounds
Go Nuts with Peanut Feeders
Holiday Treats Make Edible Decorations
The Ethics of Backyard Bird Feeding
- Robins Are Not Boring
Blue Jays Are Smart and Handsome . . . and No One Likes Them
Cardinals Mate for Life, Which for Them Isn't All That Long
Being Common Doesn't Make Mallards Any Less Interesting
Wood Ducks Might Come to Your Birdhouse Someday
Hungry Baby Marsh Hawks
Nuthatch Nesting Behavior Is Strange but Fun to Watch
Shy Penguins Keep Their Knees Hidden
How to Find Roadrunners
That Old Ostrich Rumour Is Just Plain Stupid
Yes, Flamingos Are Really Real
Ospreys Are Everywhere and They're All Identical
A Flock of Turkeys Does Not a Family Make
The Great Auk: Something Else We Messed Up
Jumbo Woodpecker Mystery
- Good Looks Aren't Everything When It Comes to Feeders
A Little Feeder Maintenance Won't Kill You
Water + Sugar = Mould in Hummingbird Feeders
Put the Feeder Where You Can See It
There's No Time to Waste When Putting Up Birdhouses
It's Bath Time
Water and Nothing but Water
Electricity + Water . . . Sometimes They Do Mix
Field Guides: So Many Books
Binoculars: Try Before You Buy
The Dull Second Number
- Way Too Many Grackles
Pretty Blue Pigs
Protecting Feeders from Squirrels (Good Luck!)
Sleep Late . . . Some Birds Will Still Be Singing
Woodpeckers Don't Always Peck Wood
Fighting Female Hummingbirds . . . Not Only on Cable TV
Dropping Droppings into the Birdbath
Birdseed and Bugs, All in the Same Package (and No Extra Charge)
The Birds Won't Complain about Your Dirty Windows
- A Bird with Horns
It's a Bluebird . . . or a Grosbeak . . . or a Bunting
Nuthatches vs. Creepers
Purple vs. House Finches
Aflac: Duck vs. Goose
Hairy vs. Downy Woodpeckers
Cranes vs. Herons
King Fish It Isn't
Bloodcurdling Screams in the Night
Red vs. Gray Owls
- Missing Feeder Birds
Bird Migration: Gotta Go Now
Feeders Won't Stop Hummingbird Migration
When Barn Swallows Finally Leave the Barn
Goldfinches Aren't Always Gold
Birds Aren't Big Fans of Hurricanes
Desperate Winter Robins
Birdhouses Aren't Just for Nesting Anymore
Little Birds Take on the Big Chill
Only Bird Watchers Would Even Think of Doing This
- Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches?
Wash-and-Wear Feathers
Flight Speed . . . and More
Beak Talk
Hummingbird Beaks: Open Sesame
Snoozing Birds
One-Legged Birds with No Ears . . . No Problem
Sorry, Robins Aren't the First Bird of Spring
To Touch or Not to Touch Baby Birds
Where Babies Come From
Rice Is Nice . . . and Safe, Too
Heroic State Bird of Utah
The Birder's Bird Watcher
Backyard Birds Aren't Meant to Be Worn
How Bird Watching Can Improve Your Life
Got to Have a Favourite Bird
Shorter Answers
About the Author
"The avian equivalent in tone and expertise to NPR's Car Talk Magliozzi brothers, O'Connor should net a wider audience with this amusing collection."
— Publishers Weekly
"While O'Connor's detailed responses are full of ornithological facts, it's their humor and irreverence that make the book so entertaining."
— Audubon Magazine
"O'Connor's book delightfully answers almost any question one could ask about birds. I am impelled to declare that the Chesworth pen and ink drawings add a sprinkling of 'salt' to O'Connor's bird tales. This is a fun book to read, whether nibbled at a bit at a time, or in one large clump."
— New Hampshire Union Leader
"O'Connor's response had me literally laughing out loud . . . he makes bird-watching fun for everyone."
— Barnstable Patriot, Cape Cod
"This is quite possibly the funniest bird book ever written. O'Connor has broken the mold of straight-laced bird books."
— WildBird Magazine
"(O'Connor's) responses to questions are practical, well researched and always written with humour. . .
O'Connor manages to make very complicated things understandable even to a reader who doesn't have a background in bird anatomy and behavior, and finds something admirable about every bird, even the kingfisher which, as he says, doesn't like anybody, but you have to admire such consistent cantankerousness. . .
The great thing about this book is that it's entirely enjoyable even for those of us who are so shortsighted that even with binoculars, we can't be sure of who's flying out of the barn loft in the early evening. . .
What a terrific book to keep on hand for those times when you're not sure about an odd bird call heard late at night or whether it's a good idea to rescue a baby bird (which almost certainly does not need rescuing) or different bird species' migration patterns. The few pen-and-ink drawings illustrating the book are charming, but incidental to the information, and we must be thankful that the columns he's written over the years are now available in a permanent format to a wider public."
— The Chronicle-Journal (Thunder Bay)
Mike O'Connor
Mike is the owner of the Bird Watcher's General Store on Cape Cod. His column, Ask the Bird Folks, appears in The Cape Codder, and his writing has been included in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2004. He lives in Massachusetts.