The Joy of Bird Feeding

In this book, Jim Carpenter, founder and president of Wild Birds Unlimited, answers common hobby problems and provides fun bird feeding activities to share with family and friends. The ultimate reference for backyard bird watchers and bird feeders. It offers practical tips and solutions to attracting and identifying birds, offering the best foods for the birds you want to see, and how to deter those unwanted guests to feeding stations. Each chapter focuses on an important aspect of the hobby and guides readers to the essential steps of bird feeding mastery. 

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Feed the Birds

This great resource offers detail on 196 bird species that are attracted to backyard feeders. Learn about attracting birds to your backyard, bird behaviour & adaptations to the environment. Wonderful photographs help guide both the beginner and more experienced birdwatcher and backyard bird feeder. Written by Chris Earley - zoologist & environmental biologist. He is the Interpretative Biologist & Education Coordinator at The Arboretum, University of Guelph. Add this book to your birding resource library! Would make a great gift for the bird enthusiast in your life too! 

Sibley Birds East

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds or Eastern North America, 2nd edition: This compact, comprehensive guide includes 650 species found east of the Rocky mountains.  Entries include more than 4,600 illustrations with descriptive captions pointing out the most important field markings. Each entry has been updated to include the most current information concerning frequency, nesting, behaviour, food and feeding, voice description, and key identification features. More than 600 updated maps drawn from information contributed by 110 regional experts across the continent, and showing winter, summer, year-round, migration and rare ranges. 

Sibley's Guide to Birds

A completely new edition of the most respected field guide to birds of North America. This new and unique design arranges each species in a vertical column on the page. Most two-page spreads show four species, with the images of birds in flight lined up across the top of the pages, birds at rest below that are arranged from the drabbest plumage at the top to the brightest at the bottom. Beneath that is the voice description and then the range map. The book can be thought of as a continuous strip to be scanned horizontally, with birds in flight across the top and range maps across the bottom.

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America

A popular and trusted guide for birders of all levels for decades. Contains more than 150 full-colour plates, this guide features updated text and range maps and art to reflect current knowledge in ornithology. 7th Edition.

Nature's Best Hope

In this new book, Douglas W. Tallamy outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation. Nature’s Best Hope shows how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats. Because this approach relies on the initiatives of private individuals, it is immune from the whims of government policy. Even more important, it’s practical, effective, and easy—you will walk away with specific suggestions you can incorporate into your own yard.

If you’re concerned about doing something good for the environment, Nature’s Best Hope is the blueprint you need. By acting now, you can help preserve our precious wildlife—and the planet—for future generations.

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Guides by Chris Earley

Four bird field guides that focus not only on identifying these birds but also cover aspects of their natural history. These books help beginners and advanced birders with bird identification from in-flight hawks to fall plumage of warblers! Each book focuses on specific birds: 

1. Hawks & Owls of Eastern North America
2. Sparrows & Finches of the Great Lakes Region & Eastern North America
3. Warblers of the Great Lakes Region & Eastern North America
4. Waterfowl of Eastern North America

Loops & Lattes Hiking Guides

Nicola Ross Loops & Lattes hiking guides offer a great way to escape into nature. There are 6 guides available. Enjoy nature and share a walk with someone in the great outdoors! Books available: 

1. Caledon
2. Hamilton and Area
3. Dufferin
4. Collingwood, the Blue Mountains & Beaver Valley
5. Waterloo Wellington & Guelph (a staff favourite!!)

Birds of Ontario

This illustrated field guide helps readers identify, understand and appreciate the birds of Ontario. Full-colour illustrations and descriptions of 318 species. Includes information on: size, status, habitat, nesting, feeding and range maps showing seasonal occurrences of the bird and migration routes. Colour-coded header bars and quick reference guide.

Compact Guide to Ontario Birds

Over 80 species of birds common to Ontario are featured in this easy-to-use introductory field guide. Colour illustrations and extensive natural history are featured in each two-page account. Includes range maps, information on nesting, size, voice and habitat. 

Fold-out 12 panel guide featuring 83 of Ontario's most common and interesting birds; includes size information, habitat and maps, along with basic birdwatching tips.

Lightweight, durable and weatherproof with English common names and scientific names of 112 species (common and rare). Measures ~ 4"x10" when folded, opens to ~28"x10".

Best Places to Bird in Ontario

Mike & Ken Burrell have over 40 years of combined birding experience. Ken is a lifelong birder & naturalists based in Waterloo, Ontario, an active member of the Ontario Field Ornithologists, volunteers extensively with eBird and other non-profit organizations. Mike, resides in Peterborough, Ontario and has conducted fieldwork around the province with private industries, Bird Studies Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry. Together, the brothers also operate their own guiding service - Burrell Birding!
‘The Best Birding Spots in Ontario’ outlines 30 of their personal favourite locations to enjoy Ontario’s birds! From Point Pelee to Moosonee, Rainy River to Cornwall they offer tips for spotting unique species, when & where to go for the best results & more! The book includes maps, colour photos and lots of useful information perfect for both the first-time and experienced birder!

How to Feed Backyard Birds: A Step-by-step Guide for Kids

A perfect guide for young(and n ot-so young) beginners to the wonderful world of backyard bird feeding. This easy to read book helps readers not only attract and identify birds but also understand bird behaviour and their relationship to the environment. Written by bird lover and expert Chris Earley. Chris is a zoologist and environmental biologist. He is the Interpretive Biologist and Education Coordinator at The Arboretum, University of Guelph. 

Other books for the young by Chris Earley: 

• Birds A to Z - by Chris G. Earley & Robert McCaw
• Caterpillars: Find, Identify, Raise Your Own
• DragonFlies: Catching, Identifying, How and Where They Live
• Falcons in the City - text by Chris Earley, Photography by Luke Massey
• Weird Birds
• Weird Frogs

This KidsWorld book for kids ages 5 - 9. Get to know some of the birds you can find in your backyard. 95 pages of colourful images and bird facts.of 44 birds.

Written by local author Pamela Cooley and beautifully illustrated by Eleanor Bailey. This new children's book is all about the goldfinch and his many backyard bird friends who come in to visit the feeders! Told through rhymes covers the basics of birds that might visit your backyard bird feeders or at your local park. A heartwarming children's book.