Stranger than Fiction

The book I read for the 2021 NONFICTION READER CHALLENGE in the category Hobbies is Garden Bird Behaviour: How to recognize and interpret everyday bird activities, by Robert Burton, 2005. I originally bought this book to learn more about the habits of some common birds in my garden – coal & marsh tits, sparrows, blackbirds, crows, (European) robin, and occasional newcomers. This book, however, gives information in areas common to all birds (e.g., “Birds try to choose food that gives a good return of energy for time spent gathering it. The basic rule is: not too big, not too small, but just right. For instance, Spotted Flycatchers prefer to hawk for medium-sized insects, such as hoverflies and blue-bottles.”). This guides readers to find out information by observing birds themselves. So it’s a beginner’s guide to bird-watching. Burton writes from a very personal viewpoint – the birds he observes, the seasonal changes that affect the birds’ behavior, and the memories he has of ...