Birding the Hudson Valley [Paperback]

Although an estimated four hundred thousand Hudson Valley residents feed, observe, or photograph birds, the vast majority of New Yorkers enjoy their birdwatching activities mostly around the home. Kathryn J. Schneiders engaging site guide provides encouragement for bird enthusiasts to expand their horizons. More than just a collection of bird-finding tips, this book explores Hudson Valley history, ecology, bird biology, and tourism. It describes sites in every county in the region, including farms, grasslands, old fields, wetlands, orchards, city parks, rocky summits, forests, rivers, lakes, and salt marshes. Designed for birders of all levels of skill and interest, this beautifully illustrated book contains explicit directions to more than eighty locations, as well as useful species accounts and hints for finding the valleys most sought-after birds.

KATHRYN J. SCHNEIDER, a Hudson Valley native, has spent decades studying the behavior, ecology, and distribution of birds. An award-winning author, teacher, and conservationist, she is a past president of the New York State Ornithological Association.

Preface Acknowledgments THE HUDSON VALLEY LANDSCAPE A Land Shaped by Glaciers A Land Changed by Humans The River, Its Tributaries and Shoreline The Uplands The Physical Setting of Todays Hudson Valley The River The Land IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS BIRDWATCHING Tools for Getting Started Binoculars for Birding Field Guides Bird Feeders as a Stepping-Stone to Birding Feeding Birds Responsibly Learning to Bird at a Feeder FROM BIRDWATCHER TO BIRDER Before You GoStaying Safe While Birding the Hudson Valley The Annual Cycle Find the Food, Find the Bird Birds, Migration, and Weather Some Important Bird Habitats in the Hudson Valley Forests Grasslands, Pastures, and Agricultural Lands Scrublands and Successional Old Fields Wetlands Open Waters and Mudflats Coastal Habitats A Monthly Guide to Bl£.