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This page lists the books about birds, or which include sections on birds, published by Dundurn. The books are arranged by publication date with the most recent at the top.

More Than Birds: Adventurous Lives of North American Naturalists

Val Shushkewich

2012

"The fascinating development of natural history studies in North America is portrayed through the life stories of 22 naturalists. The 19th century saw early North American naturalists such as Alexander Wilson, the "Father of American Ornithology," John James Audubon, and Thomas Nuttall describing and illustrating the spectacular flora and fauna they found in the New World.Scientists of the Smithsonian Institution and the Canadian Museum of Nature worked feverishly to describe and catalogue the species that exist on the continent. Great nature writers such as Florence Merriam Bailey, Cordelia Stanwood, Margaret Morse Nice, Louise de Kiriline Lawrence, and Roger Tory Peterson wrote in depth about the lives and behaviours of birds. Early conservationists such as Jack Miner, the "Father of Conservation," created nature preserves.Today, noted naturalists such as Robert Nero, Robert Bateman, Kenn Kaufman, and David Allen Sibley do everything they can to encourage people to experience nature directly in their lives and to care about its protection and preservation."

Nature's Year: Changing Seasons in Central and Eastern Ontario

Drew Monkman

2012

"Nature's Year is an almanac of key events in nature occurring in Central and Eastern Ontario, a region that extends from the Bruce Peninsula and Georgian Bay in the west to Ottawa and Cornwall in the east. The book is a chronicle of the passing seasons designed to inform cottagers, gardeners, photographers, suburban backyard birders, and nature enthusiasts alike as to what events in nature to expect each month of the year. Whatever your interest may be – birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, invertebrates, plants, fungi, weather, or the night sky – just turn to a given month and you'll find a list of what's happening, often right in your own backyard. This book will also provide a reassuring measure of order and predictability to nature and help the reader become more attentive to and appreciative of the many wonders of the natural world that surround us in this exceptional region of Ontario."

Nature in the Kawarthas

Peterborough Field Naturalists

2011

"The Kawarthas are the fertile lands of Southern Ontario that sit astride the Canadian Shield. This is cottage country - a place where people are closer & where children & adults remark on the sightings of animals, birds, & butterflies from windows & lakeside chairs & ask questions about what they see. This book is a valuable asset to answer many of those questions. It offers an alternative to a shelf of field guides & deals with what can be expected in a relatively small, but uniquely rich, environment close to home. This book presents a wealth of information on the birds, mammals, insects, flowers, reptiles, & amphibians of this special area. It discusses rare habitats & the behaviours of animals ranging from frogs to birds of prey."

Encountering the Wild

Carol Bennett McCuaig

2011

"Poison Ivy Acres, 250 acres of wilderness in Renfrew County, Ontario, long dedicated to the preservation of natural habitat, has been home to nature writer Carol Bennett McCuaig for many years. Her keen powers of observation, coupled with her insights into wildlife behaviour and her evocative writing style, have produced this captivating collection of stories. Whether noting the courtship rituals of turkey vultures and red foxes or finding a black bear on her roof, an ermine in her bedroom, and a cougar on her lawn, Carol is always surrounded by the delights and challenges of living in a wilderness setting. Even night visitors bring joy, including flying squirrels at the bird feeder, a whippoorwill peering in a window, and a midnight standoff between a porcupine and a skunk. Encountering the Wild is a delightful book that will appeal to country lovers in Canada and beyond."

Arctic Naturalist: The Life of J. Dewey Soper

Anthony Dalton

2011

"Dewey Soper first travelled to the Arctic in 1923. During the next seven years he accepted three research postings on Baffin Island, each of which lasted between one and two years. In 1929 he discovered the breeding grounds of the blue goose in the south-west corner of Baffin Island. He also charted the final unknown region of Baffin Island's coastline. Later in life he worked in the western Arctic. Outside the Far North, Soper studied bison in Wood Buffalo National Park, documented bird life on the Prairies, and made a detailed study of small mammals in Alberta. Soper was the last of the great pioneer naturalists in Canada. He was also a skilled and meticulous explorer. As a naturalist, he was a major contributor to the National Museum of Canada, as well as to the University of Alberta and other museums across the country."

The Reluctant Twitcher: A Quite Truthful Account of My Big Birding Year

Richard Pope

2009

"The human side of birding comes to the fore in this book, a serious yet humorous account of birds and birding and the art of chasing rarities. Richard Pope, a lifelong birder, had successfully avoided this latter pursuit for many years but capitulated in 2007 when he embarked on his "Big Year", the object being to record at least three hundred birds in Ontario within that calendar period. Almost instantly, a relatively normal birdwatcher morphed into a 'twitcher', albeit reluctantly, pursuing rare species of birds from Rainy River to the Ottawa and well beyond his wildest expectations. Though it was a challenge that was not without trials and disappointments, Pope describes all his adventures with self-deprecating humour. Not just another book on birding, Pope's unique approach is supported by an array of exceptional colour photographs."

Quetico: Near to Nature's Heart

Joe Nelson

2009

"Quetico Park in northwestern Ontario celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2009. Long-recognized as a gem among parks, Quetico contains some of the largest stands of old-growth red and white pine in Canada, as well as a diversity of fascinating lichens, carnivorous plants in specialized habitats. The author presents an insightful look into Quetico's natural history as he examines the adapations that have allowed moose, white-tailed deer, wolves and other mammals to survive. The human history of the park is also explored, beginning with the Objiwa living there when the area was designated as a park, followed by accounts of trappers, loggers, miners, park rangers, and poachers. Beginning with the retreat of the glaciers, the author combines his thorough research into Quetico's long and varied history with the threads of his own extensive involvement with the park."

Birds of Ontario

J. Murray Speirs

2008

Originally published by Natural Heritage Books in 1985

"This extensive and long overdue work of reference covers all of the bird species, more than 400 of which have been recorded in the province of Ontario. Birds of Ontario contains an identification and description of all species, with 344 outstanding colour plates. Anyone with even a casual interest in birds will find the colour plates and informative text of considerable interest."

Birds of the Cottage Country

William C. Mansell

2008

Originally published by McBain Publications in 1985

"This is a virtual storybook account of the author's personalized observations throughout Ontario's cottage playground. It clearly illustrates the downright fun, vast beauty, and consuming involvement of bird watching -- even for the most sceptical of laymen. Bill Mansell's daily experiences at birding, spread over a period of sixty-five years, result in such a familiarity with his subject that the reader is drawn as a participant into a delicately beautiful intimacy with avian nature. Birds of the Cottage Country will be read by some solely for its humour and humanistic style; yet serious birdwatchers will also find it a refreshingly new guide and reference tool."

Algonquin Wildlife: Lessons in Survival

Norm Quinn

2002

"Algonquin Wildlife: Lessons in Survival is a celebration of the vast array of wildlife studies ongoing in Ontario's very first provincial park. Probably more research has been done in Algonquin than in any other protected landscape in the world. Norm Quinn, long-time Park Management Biologist in Algonquin, has been fortunate to know and to work with many of those dedicated and unique wildlife researchers who roam and probe the forests and lakes in search of Nature's secrets. His knowledge, experience and sense of humour combine to transform technical biological studies, on moose, wolves, fish and other creatures of the wild, into entertaining and inviting stories without losing the significance of the research."

Nature's Year in the Kawarthas: A Guide to the Unfolding Seasons

Drew Monkman

2002

"Nature's Year in the Kawarthas is an almanac of key events occurring in the natural world over the course of a year in the Kawartha Lakes district - and in cottage country in general. Covering all areas of our flora and fauna as well as weather and the night sky, the book is a month-by-month chronicle of the mileposts of the passing seasons. From the raucous Spring Peeper chorus of April - through the sweet scent of milkweed blossoms in July - and the early-morning mists of September - to the arrival of the first eagles in December - all are noted for your interest. Whenever you head out on your next walk or look up at the stars, Nature's Year will be your informative guide. For each month, an introductory essay captures the spirit of the season, while an "at a glance" summary lists the key natural events occurring. Each category in the natural world - from birds to the night sky - is then covered in more detail."

The Rouge River Valley: An Urban Wilderness

James E. Garratt

2000

"The Rouge River Valley, eleven thousand acres of urban wilderness, is a unique, yet very fragile and transient natural phenomenon existing within the confines of a major North American city, Toronto. Fed by the Oak Ridges Moraine, the Rouge river system has, over generations of time, cut its identity into the land, shaping the habitat for a multitude of lifeforms, many of which are now either threatened or gone. Author James E. Garratt, a seasoned environmentalist, shares two decades of personal observation and ecological study to reveal the richness and flow of seasonal changes in this exceptional urban park. This "portrait" of a year in the Rouge Valley explores not only the diversity of life in its natural habitat but also the impact of urban sprawl and the inevitable conflict with development."

Where the Water Lilies Grow

R.D. Lawrence

1999

Originally published in 1968

"The celebrated nature writer R.D. Lawrence tells the story of animals who inhabit the lakeside near his home in the backwoods of Canada. From the smallest water creature to wolves, deer and many, many birds, all are known to him. His sensitivity, enthusiasm and empathy for wildlife, coupled with his detailed understanding of their habits have created an engrossing publication. A sequel to The Place In the Forest, this authoritatively written book conjures up the sounds, smells and the very feel of lakeside life over every season."

The Place in the Forest: R. D. Lawrence's Best-Selling Account of Life in the Ontario Wilderness

R.D. Lawrence

1998

Originally published in 1967

"A number of years ago, R.D. Lawrence acquired a patch of Ontario wilderness, soon known as "The Place." Here Lawrence and his wife built a cabin and became immersed in studying the ways of the wild. "The Place" was home to a variety of wildlife, from black bears, wolves, beavers and raccoons through to hawks, snapping turtles and singing mice. Lawrence's desire to learn, fuelled by his keen observation, led to his writing about and photographing life within his small corner of the forest -- the result being a warm, witty account of change and survival in the natural world."