Through the Kitchen Window

Many books about garden birds cater to all gardens, big and small, manicured or wild. This book is not one of them. I don't believe there is such a thing as a typical garden, and I don't believe there is such a thing as a 'garden bird'.

Birds use gardens for their own purposes and the more resources they can secure in a garden, the more frequently they will visit it.

This is not a professional ornithologist's, or even an avid 'twitcher's', book. It is written for anyone who enjoys nature and revolves around the type of casual observations that everyone can make when looking out the windows of their home while sipping a cup of tea.

In this book, you will find:

• Individual biographies of each bird that, typically, can be found in most gardens.
• Illustrations and photographs of 31 garden bird species recorded in one small, fairly typical, garden from January 1999 up to Spring 2022.
• Notes to help distinguish between the birds that frequent most gardens, including the relative size of the bird, the colour of its plumage, shape and colour of its beak, as well as a description of its behaviour.
• Notes recounting the role of some of these birds in mythology, history and literature.
• Information on how to attract birds to the garden by addressing food, shelter and nesting areas.

Dr Dermot Douglas is a lifelong naturalist and zoologist by qualification. He spent his professional career in Higher Education and environmental research. His love of nature and everything it stands for is evident in his work. Other publications by Dermot are The Birds of Louth, Mariculture and Environment, Woggins for Supper and Other Tasty Tales and Boobies, Baobabs and Bot Flies: Experiences of a 'foreigner.'