Look at That Bird!: A Young Naturalist's Guide to Pacific Northwest Birding

by Karen DeWitz

Overview

Kids will love learning more about birds they spot in the outdoors—in their backyards and beyond—with this fun fact-filled full-color guidebook of over 50 common Pacific Northwest birds.

Filled with fun and interesting kid-friendly facts and full-color photographs of over 50 birds that Northwesterners are most likely to see every day, this book encourages curious kids and their adults to go outside and learn more about nature. Kids will learn basic information about what makes a bird a bird, and specific information about each bird species, all of which can be used to help identify birds. Look at That Bird! also includes projects kids can do to attract birds to their backyards.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632173171
Publisher:	Blue Star Press
Publication date:	04/06/2021
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	293,593
Product dimensions:	6.03(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.55(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

KAREN DeWITZ is a nature-loving bird nerd. Her happy place is a nest of blankets on her porch in a small woods outside of Oregon City where she can watch and photograph the almost 50 species of birds that visit her backyard. Karen has a rich background in instruction, outdoor education, and photography. As a former teacher with a master's degree in education, she understands how to intrigue and inspire young people. She has experience both in the classroom and in Northwest forests—teaching, writing, exploring, and marveling in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Read an Excerpt

How to Use This Book
This guide is written specially for beginning birders in the Pacific Northwest. Every bird included is one you might see in your own yard or during your adventures in nearby natural areas (or even cities in some cases). The book is divided into two parts. The first section tells you about birds in general and shows you things you can look for to help find and identify different species. Read it to learn about the cool features that make birds different from every other animal. The second section is a field guide to many of the common birds living in the Pacific Northwest. A field guide is a type of book you can take with you to identify plants, animals, and natural features out in the field—in nature.
Birdwatchers (birders) are called ornithologists when they’re studying birds for science. Both hobby birders and ornithologists often keep lists of all the different birds they’ve spotted in their lifetime. These lists are known as life lists (or lifer lists). As you look through the birds in this book, think about starting your own life list. How many of these birds have you already seen? Think of the birds here as your starter set. Adding more is part of the fun! As you learn to tell bird species apart, keep an eye out for a few individuals that come back to visit you over a summer or even over several seasons. There are crows, for example, who come back to visit their favorite people year after year. Some even bring gifts to their human friends—everything from cones to pebbles to sparkly trash they find in their daily wandering.

Table of Contents

Welcome to the World of Birding! 1

How to Use This Book 2

How to Be a Birder 3

What Makes a Bird a Bird? 5

Bird Talk 26

Where to Find Birds in Your Area 31

How to Attract Birds to Your Yard 31

Migration 38

Choosing and Using Binoculars for Birding 40

A Birder's Pledge 43

Common Birds of the Pacific Northwest 44

American Robin 47

Bald Eagle 50

Belted Kingfisher 54

Bewick's Wren 56

Blackbird 59

Brewer's Blackbird 59

Brown-headed Cowbird 62

Red-winged Blackbird 65

Black-capped Chickadee 68

Brown Creeper 71

Bushtit 74

California Quail 77

Cedar waxwing 80

Crow and Reven 83

Dark-eyed Junco 90

Duck 94

Hooded Merganser 95

Mallard 97

Wood Duck 99

Falcon 102

American Kestrel 102

Peregrine Falcon 104

Finch 107

American Goldfinch 107

House Finch 110

Goose 112

Canada Goose 112

Snow Goose 115

Great Blue Heron 117

Grosbeak 120

Black-headed Grosbeak 120

Evening Grosbeak 123

Gull 125

Hawk 128

Cooper's Hawk 128

Red-tailed Hawk 130

Hummingbird 132

Anna's Hummingbird 132

Rufous Hummingbird 135

Killdeer 140

Lazuli Bunting 142

Mourning Dove 144

Osprey 148

Owl 151

Barred Owl 152

Western Screech-owl 154

Red-breasted Nuthatch 160

Rock Pigeon 163

Sparrow 166

Song Sparrow 166

White-crowned Sparrow 168

Spotted Towhee 170

Starling 172

Steller's Jay 176

Swallow 180

Barn Swallow 180

Cliff Swallow 182

Violet-green Swallow 185

Turkey Vulture 187

Woodpecker 190

Downy Woodpecker 191

Hairy Woodpecker 193

Northern Flicker 196

Pileated Woodpecker 199

Red-breasted Sapsucker 201

Acknowledgments 207

Glossary 208

Index 212

Editorial Reviews

"Crisp, full-color photos helpfully show the birds in various poses, colorations and stages of life."—Portland Oregonian

"Have you ever discovered a book that you were so thrilled had come into the world that you wanted to share it with EVERYONE? Look at That Bird!: A Young Naturalist’s Guide to Pacific Northwest Birding is that book for me."—KeelyWrites

"Look at That Bird! is a super fun guide that's easy to use for new birders, and specific to the Pacific Northwest, so PNW kids can find, identify, and learn about birds in their own environment. Full of great pictures, fascinating facts, and projects they can perform themselves!" Recommended By Gigi L., Powells.com

"Very highly recommended for family, elementary school, middle school, and community library Aviary Wildlife collections"—Midwest Book Review

"This fun and easy-to-read beginner’s bird guide begins with a “birder’s pledge” to respect the birds and the places you find them"—Brightly

From the Publisher