Book Review: Hand-Feeding Backyard Birds
A few days ago I picked up an excellent little book titled “Hand-Feeding Backyard Birds: A Step By Step Guide” by Hugh Wiberg. What a gem! The thing that caught my attention when I first paged through it were all the beautiful photographs of various species perched on the author’s hand, seemingly without hesitation, feasting on the bits of food laid out before them. Based on these photos, I took the book home. Once I started to read it I literally couldn’t put it down. First of all, the author has a way with words using a story-telling technique often missing in non-fiction books. But it is also a how-to guide, giving step by step instructions for getting wild birds to “eat from the palm of your hand”…literally.
The book is geared towards readers in the North East, but the techniques could be used in any region. Starting with the Black Capped Chickadee, the author focuses on 8 species that can be easily hand tamed: the Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, White-throated Sparrow, Mockingbird, and the Northern Cardinal. Other species mentioned are the Catbird, Cedar Waxwing, Evening Grosbeak, Pine Grosbeak, Purple Finch, Redpoll, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Blue Jay, Scrub Jay, Gray Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, and the Boat-tailed Grackle.
Wiberg also includes a list of what to feed, when to start, species facts, tips for photographing the birds, and a section for field notes. My favorite part though, were the personal experiences of the author with “his” birds. Perhaps the best one was a little story about a Chickadee named “Peg Leg”. This particular individual, although handicapped, developed a bond with Wiberg refusing to come to anyone else. He even describes how the little fellow would sit on his shoulder while he walked around the nature reserve!
So I give this interesting read five stars, it really keeps your attention till the very end!
Tips for hand-feeding:
- Start with chickadees because they are the least timid.
- Use hulled sunflower seeds, or even better crushed walnut bits as these are number one on the bird’s “desirable” list.
- Stand perfectly still, about 10 or so feet away from the designated feeding area. Every day get a few feet closer.
- On the final “training day”, hold the feeder with your arms outstretched. Remember, be still.
- Lastly, place the nuts on your outstretched hand and wait. Voila!
Once the Chickadee’s start coming to you, other curious birds will follow. These are just the basic steps - in the book Wiberg describes the process in greater detail, and adds a varied process for each species.
*please click on photos for source.
November 27, 2007 at 8:57 pm
Sounds like a great book and love seeing the many pictures from those who get the birds to land on their hand like that!
November 27, 2007 at 10:36 pm
It really is an interesting book. I get bored easy when reading, so I need lots of pictures and good content. This one isn’t too long, but long enough to make it worth the price.
November 29, 2007 at 2:29 pm
I’ll have to see if our library has this book–if not, I’ll get them to order it. Thanks for the tip, Mon@rch!
November 30, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Yeah, you should be able to find it at the library.
December 2, 2007 at 12:32 pm
That is interesting! I try to get them to land into my hands and have a hard time. I don’t have the patients to do that for a long time, but would be happy if I did!
December 2, 2007 at 2:33 pm
I know what you mean about not having the patience, but I imagine you’d feel pretty good once it finally happened.
December 2, 2007 at 3:02 pm
That is one of the reasons I like bird banding so much!