101 Ways to Help Birds Read the introduction, "Why Help Birds?" The Book You've Been Waiting For
Price: $19.95 This 101 Ways to Help Birds website is the repository for reviews, additional information, photographs, criticisms and complaints about the book.
About the book: I spent three years researching and writing a book that examines the many things that are hurting birds in today's world and the things that are keeping a few species at unhealthy and unsustainably high levels. I also searched for positive, concrete things we can do to help that will really make a difference. The book doesn't shy away from controversy--for example, in #31: If you must control mosquitoes, do so safely, I discuss the one limited use of DDT that may make sense in view of the million people who die each year from malaria, and how this specific indoor spraying of upper walls and ceilings does not in any way, shape, or form support the view that DDT is ever safe when applied in the outside environment. Even with this limited indoor use, safeguards must be taken to protect residents and workers from exposure, to prevent any DDT from getting into the wrong hands and being used agriculturally, and to treat all building materials sprayed with DDT as hazardous waste. But even here, I'm still gathering information. After talking to Michael Fry, the head of the pesticides division of the American Bird Conservancy, I'm seeking information about the fate of DDT used on walls (apparently it works its way into the environment faster than its proponents claim), and apparently isn't as effective in protecting against malaria as its proponents claim. My intention with this website is to provide more current information as I get it, with the expectation that future editions of the book will be up to date and as solid as possible. Drawing from my experiences as a licensed wild bird rehabilitator and long-time conservationist and birder, winner of the National Outdoor Book Award for my Sharing the Wonder of Birds with Kids, the Conservation Award from The Raptor Center for my work fighting a bird-killing tower on the Lake Superior migration pathway outside Duluth, Minnesota, and the Frances F. Roberts Award from the Cooper and Wilson Ornithological Societies for a research paper about daytime warbler migration, I've tried to make this the most comprehensive guide to how we as individuals can help birds. This book is my magnum opus, the best work I'm capable of, to make the world kinder and gentler for birds and humans both. It's also the only book of its kind. 101 Ways to Help Birds covers a wide variety of issues, from the importance of buying federal Duck Stamps and minimizing pesticide use to how consumers can make decisions with bird conservation in mind when choosing food items (shade-grown coffee, grass-fed over grain-fed beef, Alaskan over Atlantic salmon) and consumer products (did you know that automatic shut-off irons have mercury in their switches? I didn't!). There are several effective suggestions for making windows safer for birds, and discussions of how exactly conservation of energy, water, paper, and other resources helps birds. In addition to large topics, I have sections about what to do when individual birds need help, how to figure out the safest ways to solve bird problems (herons in a backyard goldfish pond, woodpeckers attacking wood siding, cardinals and robins attacking their reflection in a window), and a lot of other issues. Birding ethics are discussed, promoting mindfulness with regard to using laser pointers and bird recording playback in the field as well as topics covered in the code of birding ethics promoted by the American Birding Association. This is truly the most comprehensive book about how we can help birds ever written. So far, at least. Nice things people are saying about the book Excellent resource 101 Ways to Help Birds is an excellent resource for bird lovers of all levels, whether a person simply needs to know how to handle a wild bird emergency, wishes to become more proactive helping birds around home, or is interested in volunteer work or political action. Not only for bird lovers This isn't a book only for bird lovers. Conservationists and environmentalists will find meaningful actions that can be taken around the home and garden, at work and in their community.
Three cheers for Laura Erickson... Three cheers for Laura Erickson for doing a top-notch job in providing a comprehensive blueprint for actions we can take to help the birds. Birds need our help now more than ever before.
If everyone read this book... If everyone read this book and put into practice just a few of these suggestions, this world would be a much better place.
The Book You've Been Waiting For Laura Erickson sets out 100+ things we can do to ensure the survival of birds, from making our windows collision proof to choosing fuel-efficient cars to buying a duck stamp. Lively and well-researched, the book is a gold mine of information about the many hazards to birds and the things we can do about them.
A Superb Achievement! Laura’s book is filled with very practical ideas, thoughtful insights and solid solutions that are easy enough for all of us to do. Here are 101 personalized recipes for what to do to improve the lives of wild birds. .. There is no other book like this one. It’s unique. Buy several copies and put the contents to good use.
Avian Angel Erickson writes with a conservationist’s angle, educating readers on the many problems birds face and offering, as the title suggests, 101 practical ways to help keep bird species alive and healthy. It took Erickson three years to finish the book, a period of time she describes as “quite a downer” because of all the negative information she discovered while conducting her research. She found, for example, that, “A billion birds a year are killed just from flying into windows.” Millions more, her book reveals, are harmed or killed every year by herbicides, pesticides, dogs, cats, pollution, and human interference with birds’ supply of natural resources. Erickson’s book, however, does not leave readers feeling hopeless. On the contrary, chapters ranging from “Learn About Your Own Backyard” to “Take Political Action” empower readers at every level of interest with solutions to the problems birds face.
Book I Wish I Had Written If this book were just a collection of ideas on how to help birds, it would be well worth the cover price of $19.95. But happily, Laura Erickson draws upon her own experiences as a bird rehabilitator and educator to provide personal examples related to many of her tips. These range from the joys of providing food for a wintering Rufous Hummingbird--mealworms mixed in a blender with sugar water, to the heartbreak of dealing with songbirds injured by housecats. The author's experiences and gentle tone make this an easy read, and turns what could easily become a depressing subject (the numerous threats faced by birds) into a hopeful agenda for people wanting to do the right thing for their feathered neighbors.
Not-so-nice things people are saying about the book: So far the harshest words about the book were in this review (boldfaced here) by Randy Miranda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, August 16, 2006 (article not available online);
Fortunately for my ego as a writer, bootstrap analysis writes:
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