Books with author Robert Bateman

"Of all wild creatures, birds are the most colorful and easiest to see. You don't need to travel to distant jungles or faraway islands. They live in our own backyards.... Birds are our neighbors. We should get to know them." -- Robert Bateman Internationally acclaimed wildlife artist and naturalist Robert Bateman has painted, sketched and enjoyed birds since he was a young boy. He shares his passion for birds and his unique talents as artist and storyteller in this informative introduction to birds for young readers and beginners at bird watching. Backyard Birds abounds with Bateman's detailed sketches and full-color paintings of robins, chickadees, woodpeckers, blue jays, finches and many other familiar birds -- capturing their antics and beauty in a way that no photograph can. The book includes brief facts about the different species, noted below, including their length, wingspan, weight, food, range, habitat and common calls. Bateman also provides his personal tips on identifying, feeding and finding birds. The 36 bird families are: Red-winged Blackbirds and American Crows Baltimore Orioles and American Redstarts Mallards and Canada Geese Great Blue Herons and Belted Kingfishers Red-tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls Mourning Doves and Wild Turkeys Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Rufous Hummingbirds Barn Swallows and Chimney Swifts Hairy Woodpeckers and Downy Woodpeckers Dark-eyed Juncos and White-breasted Nuthatches American Robins and Bluebirds Blue Jays and Gray Jays Northern Cardinals and Cedar Waxwings Indigo Buntings and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks American Goldfinches and House Finches Sparrows: Song Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, and House Sparrow. Spreads on Migration; Attracting Birds to Your Backyard; The Cycle of Family Life; and Bird Senses (Eyes, Ears, Voice, Brain, Feathers) round out this beautiful book.

Featuring dramatic, detailed, and scientifically accurate color illustrations by the acclaimed wildlife artist Robert Bateman, this beautiful book is written on a level that can be enjoyed by older children as well as by adults who are newcomers to bird watching. The book opens on an autobiographical note, describing how, at the age of eight, the author stopped to watch a chickadee's gymnastics in a hedge. As an adult, Bateman has sketched and painted birds in every corner of the world, and has developed deep insights into bird habitats, behavior, and survival skills. This book's stunning illustrations, supplemented with descriptive notes, show a variety of familiar birds in their natural settings. Readers who study these vivid illustrations of the black-capped chickadee, the nuthatch, the downy woodpecker, the sparrow, the cardinal, the robin, and other species will come to see these fascinating birds in a new light. The more than 65 color illustrations, supplemented with simple, direct text and interesting sidebars, make this unusual volume the perfect introduction to birding for nature lovers of all ages.