2 comments about The Emu Farmer's Handbook: Volumue 2: Commercial Farming Methods for Emus, Ostriches and Rheas.

1. This book contains a wide variety of topics on emus, but does not give enough useful detailed information. It is too generalized and seems afraid to mention actual brand names of feed and equipment.This is not a book for those looking for a step-by-step, detailed "how-to" reference guide.



2. This is a thorough treatment on a hard-to-find subject. The book covers all aspects of raising emus, including: housing, health, breeding, incubation, raising chicks, and marketing emu products. The author, Maria Minnaar, has been raising emus commercially since the mid-1980s. This book is aimed at the commercial emu farmer, with detailed information on veterinary care, breeding, meat cuts and emu oil processing. The author provides one chapter on raising Ostrich and Rhea, highlighting the differences between these birds and emus. There is an interesting section covering other ratites, the Cassowary, Kiwi, Moa and Elephant Bird, and a good bibliography of ratite information sources. The drawings and photographs are high-quality.

5 comments about Nest: An Artist's Sketchbook.

1. 
   As an avid Birder,I get as much enjoyment from books about birds as the birds themselves. With about 1200 bird books in my library,you would wonder if there is any book that could excite me at this point. Not so,this book stands out as much a work of art as does a bird's nest. Maryjo Koch's art shows her great love for art,nature and the fascinating world of birds.It is pure pleasure to turn the pages and enjoy her work.
   This is a large coffee table size book,15 by 11 1/2 inches,beautifully constructed with fine paper ,excellent printing and color rendition.To top it off,it has a beautiful cover displaying her work.
   It has always amazed me,with all the birds we see in our travels,how relatively few nests we actually see.This usually only happens in the winter after the leaves have fallen.Of course,if one pays attention during nest building and nesting,the birds themselves will lead you to their nests.Whenever I come across one,I try to figure out what species of bird built it.Usually,because one is familiar with the habitat and the birds that nest there,it is quite easy to determine which bird built it.What also amazes me is how each species builds a different nest;and within that species each nest is basically identical.
   Anyone who enjoys an artist who puts her heart,soul and skills into her work will be enthralled with this fine book.



2. I ordered this item on June 13 and still have not received it, two and a half months later. What's going on?



3. The Nest, by Maryjo Koch is a delightful work revealing the spirit of her subject (birds/nests/eggs) with remarkable attention to artistic detail. The text (except publisher notes and the forward) are handwritten or hand-lettered . . . all with charming variety of style and movement.

   On some of her drawings, she has left portions without color; thus, revealing the architecture of her black and white line art. At the side of several illustrations, she provides "brush smears" of colors with the name of the base paint colors used in the blends.

   The book is a fascinating blend of ornithology and beautifully executed art.




4. This is a gorgeous book, a rare combination of art and information. It's the sort of book that people love but rarely buy for themselves. It makes a wonderful and unusual new-home gift.



5. This exquisite book is perfect for those days when one can just lull in a hammock and enjoy nature. Maryjo Koch is a wonderful artist and naturalist. Her drawings are so lifelike you feel you could just reach down and pick up one of the beautiful bird's eggs that are in the book. The poems and quotations are an added plus. Wonderful book to have in a classroom to teach children about birds, their remarkable homes and nature.

1 comments about Wild about Birds: The Dnr Bird Feeding Guide.

1. This book is an excellent resource for learning about what to feed most birds that will visit your garden. There are also ideas and instructions on how to build birdfeeders - from simple to more complex. A must-have for anyone who enjoys back-yard birdwatching.

3 comments about The Zebra Finch: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet.

1. We got this book to help us with our finches and it's a good book with nice illustrations too. It's not real technical but it is adequate for a first book on finches and as it turned out the only book we needed.



2. Excellent book in great condition ordered on Thursday recieved it the following Monday.



3. This book is extrememly helpful, with great insight into the basics of Zebra care. I purchased most books available on Zebra finches, and this one by far stood out on top. I would strongly recommend any beginner purchase this book.

4 comments about The Backyard Birdhouse Book.

1. excellent for the backyard birder. It offers really useful ideas for attracting birds and keeping them coming to your yard.



2. I was sent this then-new book seven or eight years ago to review for my newspaper column on birds, and found it to be an excellent guide, not only on how to build boxes for all sorts of cavity-nesting birds, but also how to deal with problems like predators and pests. I built one of the boxes; it went together well and has served quite a few feathered families over the past five or six years.



3. I was interested in putting up some birdhouses (nestboxes) in my backyard and trying to attract some of the more exotic birds, etc... I checked out about a dozen books form the library.. Well, this one hands down was the best...
   
   Book starts out by going over the birds you would want to attract to your nestboxes, with pictures and bios on all the birds, such as bluebirds, chickadees, titmouses, etc.... Then it goes into the nestboxes, pro and cons of certain nestboxes.. and tells you how to alter each nestbox to attract the birds at the beginning of the book (mainly you just drill a size hole)....
   While watching birds in my backyard or building a nestbox, I have consulted this book over and over.. It's a great book, and I have no idea why the other reviewer gave it such a bad review..



4. This book was terrible. I couldn't believe how bad it was. It was very out of date and made no sense. The directions are very hard to follow and it doesn't give nearly enough details. This didn't work for me at all. My birdhouses kept falling apart!!! I would highly suggest another book to replace this one, or better yet, you can have mine because I won't be using it!

No comments about All About Breeding Cockatiels.

2 comments about Attracting and Feeding Backyard Birds (Animal Planet Pet Care Library).

1. I really enjoyed reading this book.
   
   The author, Carol Frischmann has a great way of dividing the birds by habits or activities, which makes it easy to find the bird by watching what it is doing such as clinging to a tree or mostly on the ground.
   
   For each of the 50 birds listed, she lists birds that it might be confused with due to similarities and indicates the differences that will help you identify the bird you are watching. She has also included pictures of these birds and lets the readers know where in North America that these birds can be found.
   
   The author gives ideas on making your yard bird friendly and how to attract the species of birds you are interested in.
   
   This is a great book for someone just starting out in birdwatching or birdfeeding that can get the whole family involved.



2. Great book for anyone wanting to know what the heck kind of bird is sitting at your feeder, OR for anyone simply wanting to attract as many birds to their yard as possible. Great pictures, easy to read -- terrific for the family.
   
   From the Everette Harald --
   
   Portland, Ore.'s Carol Frischmann has written a new book that's good for the family with children or beginner birders because it takes an ultra-basic approach.
   "Attracting and Feeding Backyard Birds" ($10, TFH/Animal Planet) is a primer that includes the top 50 feeder species, how to bring birds to your yard, experimenting with feeders, bird behavior, and birders' backyard bird activities.
   Colorfully and heavily illustrated, "Attracting" offers nest box dimensions for five species, the meaning of binocular numbers, feather basics, bird food information, seasonal behaviors, nuisance birds and more, all in small bites for a solid general introduction.

2 comments about Long-Tailed Parakeets (Complete Pet Owner's Manual).

1. Until I began reading about parakeets, I did not know LONG-TAILED PARAKEETS existed in the wild. I also thought all parakeets looked like my granddaughters budgies (blue or yellow with undulating stripes on their backs). The `Manual' on Long-Tailed Parakeets by Annette Wolter includes sections on everything from diet and health maintenance to 'how-to' brooding of parakeets. I especially like the many photos of the various wild parakeets from around the world (many taken in their native habitat) including a shot of a Quaker parrot like mine, which is apparently really a Quaker Parakeet. A number of the birds I think of as Conures are also parakeets.
   
   Wolter's book is an accessible easy-to-read volume with much of the material about companion bird keeping also found in other "bird" books (especially those by Vriends, who was her consulting editor) as well as relatively exclusive photos of various parakeets she describes as 'long-tailed'. The only thing I dislike about the photos in this book and many other bird books is that they often show birds biting on plants and almost always fail to identify the plant involved. As a gardener, I would like to know just exactly what that bird is chewing on so that I can grow it in my house (there are plenty of "do" or "don't" plant lists, but I know some of the plants shown in photos are not on those lists.



2. Not worth much more than that in my opinion. I feel it was a waste of my money actually. The book has some nice photo's but as far as information goes, I can learn more from 1 website than I did from this book..

No comments about The Complete Book of Macaws.

5 comments about Budgie: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet.

1. Julie Rach's BUDGIE is an informative and useful guide for the care and preservation of your new Budgie pet, and probably the only book you will need for Budgie pet care. Rach has included a short history of this little Australian parrot including a discussion of the variants bred in England and America. Budgies in the wild come in a few colors, but the colors of the varieties are numerous. Apparently, Budgies are like popcorn, its hard to have only one, so if you are thinking of building an aviary full of Budgies, get THE PROPER CARE OF BUDGIES -- a more comprehensive book than Rach's --- that includes a more in-depth discussion of genetics and breeding.
   
   Rach offers much practical information on the caging, feeding and care of "pet" budgies, including a few medical tricks, such as how to give your bird an oral medicine. Speaking of the photographs (there is one showing a Budgie receiving medication from an oral syringe), many were produced by Renee Stockdale, whose photos show up in other books on Budgies and Parakeets. Although Rach says Budgies should be housed in cages with bar spacing 7/16" or less, I noticed the same cage with bars ½" apart are shown in many of the photos, so either the photo editor was careless or Rach did not edit the book.
   
   I enjoyed reading the text and looking at the photos, and recommend this book as the one you will need unless you are becoming a breeder. The photos( taken in 1997) appear in other books on this topic, but Rach has covered all the bases for most Budgie owners.



2. This guide to budgies was published in 1997. Its author is Julie Rach. It totals 126 pages. There are ten chapters. Numerous color photos are contained--they are helpful. Also, informative sidebars are included. Examples of topics covered are the budgie's ancestry, budgie selection, care, cage selection, toys for the budgie, feeding, grooming, health, feathers, senses, teaching the budgie how to talk, and taming the budgie. No information on breeding is provided. A page is set aside to demonstrate--with a color illustration and lines pointing to the corresponding anatomical parts--the external features of the budgie, which is useful. This guide to budgies is recommendable.



3. I can't think of a better, more accessible book for first time budgie (parakeet) owners. In 123 pages, Rach, a former editor of BIRD TALK, covers a wide range of topics, from the history of the budgie as a pet to teaching it to talk. She covers health problems and how to prevent them, proper nutrition, cage size, taming a new bird, and grooming. The section on parakeet behavior was, for me, the most entertaining, as Rach describes the gestures and habits common to most budgies and what each means. The color photographs scattered throughout are mostly unneccessary, but they break up the text. (Most people aren't interested in seeing a person covering a cage.) The pictures of budgies themselves are worth it, however, especially since most people reading the book will already be enamored of this acrobatic pet.

   Well-seasoned budgie owners and breeders won't find much new here, but newcomers to bird ownership will be delighted. Even if you are only thinking of purchasing a bird, read this book to understand what will be required of you to give a new parakeet a safe and healthy home.




4. This book covers Budgie basics,and just the basics. I was left feeling like I only had about half of the information that I needed to know.

   The good news is that it is very easy to read, however if you're only buying one budgie book, I suggest picking one with a bit more substance.




5. This is a very detailed little book with plenty of info on parakeet care. It guides the reader from bird purchase to pet care, even to the death of your pet. Great layout and great pictures. It will also make a great gift for children who keep budgies as pets.