Reviewed By Terri Schlichenmeyer
According to an online search, bird watching is one of
America’s top five favorite hobbies. And why not? It’s
inexpensive — you only need your eyes and maybe a set
of binoculars — it’s something you can do anywhere,
and it’s easy for anyone of any age or skill level.
But when it comes to all things avian, do you feel a little
like a bird brain? Then learn more about your fine
feathered friends in the new book Why Don’t
Woodpeckers Get Headaches? And Other Bird
Questions You Know You Want to Ask by Mike O’Connor.
As the owner of Bird Watcher’s General Store on Cape Cod, Mike O’Connor gets his
unfair share of questions about winged critters. He says in his introduction that he
started writing a birding column for a local newspaper in the spring of 2000. The
columns were very popular, and O’Connor found himself photocopying the most popular
of them. Pretty soon, bird lovers were asking for all the columns. That’s when he decided
that he had spent too much time at the copier and his customers were right: a basic bird
watcher’s book, filled with answers to the most-asked questions, was exactly what every
bird lover needed.
So, in order to be a backyard bird watcher, you have to have birds in your back yard, right?
O’Connor starts out by offering ideas on what to feed the birds that are in your yard now,
as well as the kinds of birds you want to attract; what kinds of birdhouses to put up and
where; and why you should clean your birdhouses out each year, even though it might be
illegal to do so.
O’Connor answers questions about weathers and feathers, field guide confusion and
squirrel baffling, birdbaths and electricity, how to clean (and how not to clean) your “stuff,”
and why some birds poop-bomb major water sources a few weeks each spring.
And just in case you were wondering about other birds of a feather, O’Connor includes
answers to questions about penguins, auks, roadrunners, flamingoes, storks, and, yes,
the woodpecker in bad need of a bottle of aspirin. As both a casual bird watcher and a
lover of little-known tidbits, I was eager to read this book when I got it. I expected to learn
a few things. I didn’t expect to laugh so hard doing it.
Author Mike O’Connor’s answers are entertaining and educational at the same time, kind
of like getting answers from that smart guy in high school who was always goofing
around. O’Connor doesn’t take himself seriously, but his answers are. They’re common-
sense and easy to understand no matter what your bird watching skill level. They’re also
easy for most birders to carry out, even though some of them are kind of no-(bird)-
brainers.
If you’re itching to fly out of the house to watch your fine feathered friends, take a couple
hours to read this book first. For neophyte bird lovers and veteran birders alike, Why Don’t
Woodpeckers Get Headaches? is a book worth crowing over.
unfair share of questions about winged critters. He says in his introduction that he
started writing a birding column for a local newspaper in the spring of 2000. The
columns were very popular, and O’Connor found himself photocopying the most popular
of them. Pretty soon, bird lovers were asking for all the columns. That’s when he decided
that he had spent too much time at the copier and his customers were right: a basic bird
watcher’s book, filled with answers to the most-asked questions, was exactly what every
bird lover needed.
So, in order to be a backyard bird watcher, you have to have birds in your back yard, right?
O’Connor starts out by offering ideas on what to feed the birds that are in your yard now,
as well as the kinds of birds you want to attract; what kinds of birdhouses to put up and
where; and why you should clean your birdhouses out each year, even though it might be
illegal to do so.
O’Connor answers questions about weathers and feathers, field guide confusion and
squirrel baffling, birdbaths and electricity, how to clean (and how not to clean) your “stuff,”
and why some birds poop-bomb major water sources a few weeks each spring.
And just in case you were wondering about other birds of a feather, O’Connor includes
answers to questions about penguins, auks, roadrunners, flamingoes, storks, and, yes,
the woodpecker in bad need of a bottle of aspirin. As both a casual bird watcher and a
lover of little-known tidbits, I was eager to read this book when I got it. I expected to learn
a few things. I didn’t expect to laugh so hard doing it.
Author Mike O’Connor’s answers are entertaining and educational at the same time, kind
of like getting answers from that smart guy in high school who was always goofing
around. O’Connor doesn’t take himself seriously, but his answers are. They’re common-
sense and easy to understand no matter what your bird watching skill level. They’re also
easy for most birders to carry out, even though some of them are kind of no-(bird)-
brainers.
If you’re itching to fly out of the house to watch your fine feathered friends, take a couple
hours to read this book first. For neophyte bird lovers and veteran birders alike, Why Don’t
Woodpeckers Get Headaches? is a book worth crowing over.
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