Bird Brains: Inside The Strange Minds Of Our Fine Feathered Friends

by Budd Titlow

Overview

Through a hundred short vignettes accompanied by stunning avian portraits, Bird Brains takes a look at the antics, behaviors, and idiosyncrasies of wild birds from the viewpoint of a professional wildlife biologist and award-winning wildlife photographer. Titlow understands the often wild and wacky lives of birders—those who are always ready and willing to drop everything at a moment’s notice and "twitch off" to some exotic locations just to add another checkmark to their life lists. His engaging stories, complemented by vivid images, provide a fascinating compendium of wild bird lore perfectly suited to the 65-million-plus birders across the United States. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762787555
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/03/2013
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	7.70(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

 Budd Titlow, a professional wildlife biologist and certified wetlands scientist, is an international award-winning nature photographer, writer, and national workshop and field trip leader. He has conducted more than one hundred surveys of wild bird habitats and breeding bird populations throughout the United States. He has authored two other books: Rocky Mountain National Park: Beyond Trail Ridge and Seashells: Jewels from the Ocean. A member of the board of directors for the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), Budd lives in Tallahassee, Florida. Visit him at buddtitlow.com.

 

Table of Contents

Introduction xiii

Section 1 Rocky Mountain Ramblings 1

From the Purple Mountains' Majesty 3

Sage Grouse-Happy Hour on the High Plains 3

White-Tailed Ptarmigan-Making the Snow Come Alive 5

Whooping Cranes-America's Favorite Foster Children 7

Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers-Yes, They Really Do Exist! 9

Golden Eagles-Colorado's Perfect Bird 11

Trumpeter Swans-Saved by Yellowstone 13

American Dippers-Strolling along Stream Bottoms 15

Stilts and Avocets-Avian Elegance on Formal Display 17

Common Snipe-Not Just for Boy Scouts 19

Willow Ptarmigan-Alaska's Houdini 21

Gray Jays-Rocky Mountain Robbers 23

To the Spacious Prairie Skies 25

Prairie Chickens-Shortgrass Prancers 25

White Pelicans-Inland Surprise 27

Sandhill Cranes-Blanketing the Sky and the Land 29

Ring-Necked Pheasants-Disappearing into Thin Air 31

Meadowlarks-A Tale of Two Songs 33

Greater Roadrunners-Watch Out, Wile E.! 35

Canada Geese-Water Fouling 37

Yellow-Headed Blackbirds-Foggy Surprise 39

Loggerhead Shrikes-Cruel and Unusual Punishment? 41

Sharp-Shinned Hawks-Backyard Birds Beware! 43

Wood Ducks-Chicks Away: Watch Out Below! 45

Section 2 Northeastern Natterings 47

Wetland Wanderings 49

Marsh Wrens-Clown Princes of the Cattails 49

Green Herons and Belted Kingfishers-Squawk, Rattle, and Roll 51

Common Loons-Crazy Calls in the Wilderness 53

Red-Winged Blackbirds-Welcome Heralds of Spring 55

Hardwood Happenings 57

Barred Owls-Who Cooks the Soup? 57

Ruffed Grouse-Woodland Drummer 59

Thrushes-Nature's Flutes 61

Red-Tailed Hawks-Hollywood's Favorite 63

American Woodcocks-Built by Committee 65

Peregrine Falcons-Hacked On 67

Town and Country Cavorts 69

Chickadees-Fearless Balls of Fluff 69

Waxwings-Irruption Kings 71

European Starlings-Schieffelin's List 73

Carolina Wrens-Year-Round Songsters 75

Killdeer-Dumb and Dumber 77

Mute Swans-Serene and Peaceful? Baloney! 79

Snowy Owls-Heroes amid the Runways 81

Brown-Headed Cowbirds-Ultimate Home-Wreckers 83

Shining Sea Sallies 85

Atlantic Puffins-A Landmark Success Story 85

Ruddy Turnstones-Beach Bullies 87

Warblers-Monhegan Island Jewels 89

Gulls-Rats with Wings 91

Dowitchers-All the Same to Me 93

Section 3 Tropical Tales 95

From the Oceans White with Foam 97

Storm-Petrels-A Life at Sea 97

Red-Billed Tropicbirds-Visions in White 99

Blue-Footed Boobies-Cerulean-Powered Missiles 101

Magnificent Frigatebirds-Magnificent? Not in the Galapagos! 103

Albatrosses-Sailors Beware: Heed the Ancient Mariner! 105

To the Shimmering Emerald Shores 107

American Oystercatchers-On the Half Shell, Please! 107

Scarlet Ibises-Caroni's Crimson Cascade 109

Turquoise-Browed Motmots-Just Another Costa Rican Bird 111

American Flamingos-Just Lawn Ornaments in the US 113

Section 4 Southern Soliloquies 115

Swamp and Pond Sagas 117

American Bitterns-Thumper-Pumpers of the Marsh Grass 117

Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers-Are They Still with Us? 119

Ruddy Ducks-Leading a Double Life 121

Mallards-Daffy Wants a Cracker 123

Backyard Yams 125

Hummingbirds-Miniature Feathered Fury 125

Northern Mockingbirds-Magical Mimics and Neighborhood Bullies 127

Blue Jays-Incorrigible Crooks 129

American Robins-Leaders of the Chorus 131

Northern Cardinals-Persistent Reflection Fighters 133

Gray Catbirds-Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty! 135

Farm and Field Fables 137

Mourning Doves-Ubiquitous Cooers 137

Red-Shouldered Hawks-Enough Already! 139

Eastern Bluebirds-Is Happiness on the Way? 141

Crows-Avian Einsteins 143

Turkey Vultures-Death from a Mile Away 145

Coastal Chronicles 147

Wilson's and Piping Plovers-Threatened Dune Lovers 147

Ospreys-What a Comeback: Nesting Platforms for All! 149

Snow Geese-Biological Blizzards 151

Willets-They're Everywhere! 153

Bald Eagles-Our Unfortunate National Emblem? 155

Oak-Hickory Histories 157

Wild Turkeys-Should Have Been Our National Emblem? 157

Great Horned Owls-Sleep Inducers and Killing Machines 159

Pileated Woodpeckers-Woody Lives! 161

Baltimore Orioles-Master Nest Crafters 163

Section 5 Florida Follies 165

From Ancient Bald Cypress Groves 167

Great Blue Herons-Snake Wranglers 167

Wood Storks-Still Delivering Babies? 169

Little Blue Herons-The Rodney Dangerfield of Birds 171

Great Egrets-Conservation Icons 173

To Marshy Spring-Fed Rivers 175

American Coots-Imitating Grandpaw 175

Limpkins-Mysterious Snail Gourmands 177

Double-Crested Cormorants-Using Boats as Tools? 179

Common Moorhens-Pecked to Death by Faux Ducks 181

From Lowland Pastures and Highland Hammocks 183

Cattle Egrets-An Assigned Host for Each Bird 183

White Ibises-Florida's Friendly Neighborhood Birds 185

Painted Buntings-Nature's Color Wheels 187

Brown Thrashers-Leaf-Dusting Mimics 189

Burrowing Owls-Stopping Development in Its Tracks! 191

To Mangrove Thickets and Sawgrass Prairies 193

Snowy Egrets-On Golden Slippers 193

Tri-Colored Herons-Teenage Terrors 195

Roseate Spoonbills-Visions in Rosy Pink 197

Black-Crowned Night Herons-Lost in Broad Daylight? 199

Clapper Rails-Typewriters Hidden in the Marsh 201

And Gulf Stream Waters with Sparkling White Sands 203

Terns-Typical Dysfunctional Families? 203

Bar-Tailed Godwits-Nature's Odysseus 205

Brown Pelicans-Playful Dive-Bombers 207

Black-Bellied Plovers-Showy and Swift 209

Afterword 211

Acknowledgments 213

References 216

Photo Credits 217

Index 219

About the Author 224