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Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches?: And Other Bird Questions You Know You Want to Ask
In 1983, Mike O'Connor opened the Bird Watcher's General Store on Cape Cod, which might well have been the first store devoted solely to birding in the United States. Since that time he has answered thousands of questions about birds, both at his store and while walking down the aisles of the supermarket. The questions have ranged from inquiries about individual species ("Are flamingos really real?") to what and when to feed birds ("Should I bring in my feeders for the summer?") to the down-and-dirty specifics of backyard birding ("Why are the birds dropping poop in my pool?"). Answering the questions has been easy; keeping a straight face has been hard.
Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches? is the solution for the beginning birder who already has a book that explains the slight variation between Common Ground-Doves and Ruddy Ground-Doves but who is really much more interested in why birds sing at 4:30 A.M. instead of 7:00 A.M., or whether it's okay to feed bread to birds, or how birds rediscover your feeders so quickly when you've just filled them after a long vacation. Or, for that matter, whether flamingos are really real.
Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches? is the solution for the beginning birder who already has a book that explains the slight variation between Common Ground-Doves and Ruddy Ground-Doves but who is really much more interested in why birds sing at 4:30 A.M. instead of 7:00 A.M., or whether it's okay to feed bread to birds, or how birds rediscover your feeders so quickly when you've just filled them after a long vacation. Or, for that matter, whether flamingos are really real.
224 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2007
9 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
July 6, 2017
This was the one book that I actually did buy from Eagle Day that we had here in Lawrence in January. I love trivia books and although I knew a bit why woodpeckers didn't get headaches I wanted to check out some of the other questions within this book while the formatting intrigued me.
The book is wonderful, especially with the humor (especially the sarcasm) that is incorporated into the answers by the author Mike O'Connor. He does a great job in balancing out the actual scientific knowledge with a bit of humor to ease it and puts a wonderfully fresh spin onto birding. He also helps to ease the subjects so you don't feel as stupid as you may such as when you are trying to compare various similar-seeming birds against each other or even the different morphs found within a species.
There were a few small illustrations that were also peppered throughout the book. Many weren't related to the question or answer they were underneath but were just an end to a chapter. There were a few actual illustration that did belong but they were like the remaining - mostly sketches done in grayscale with his ever-favorite chickadee throughout the pages.
All in all I do recommend this book for beginning birders and maybe even some of the older birders out there. The book has some wonderful information, definitely a lot of good tips to improve one's birding experiences and answers to questions that may occasionally appear in one's head. If there can be any problem found at all it is just the fact that the author is from Cape Cod so most of his birds contained within or their experiences are focused around that area so for an actual guide to your own area then you may have to get an actual birding book but otherwise the book will be a comedic treasure to add to your birding collection.
The book is wonderful, especially with the humor (especially the sarcasm) that is incorporated into the answers by the author Mike O'Connor. He does a great job in balancing out the actual scientific knowledge with a bit of humor to ease it and puts a wonderfully fresh spin onto birding. He also helps to ease the subjects so you don't feel as stupid as you may such as when you are trying to compare various similar-seeming birds against each other or even the different morphs found within a species.
There were a few small illustrations that were also peppered throughout the book. Many weren't related to the question or answer they were underneath but were just an end to a chapter. There were a few actual illustration that did belong but they were like the remaining - mostly sketches done in grayscale with his ever-favorite chickadee throughout the pages.
All in all I do recommend this book for beginning birders and maybe even some of the older birders out there. The book has some wonderful information, definitely a lot of good tips to improve one's birding experiences and answers to questions that may occasionally appear in one's head. If there can be any problem found at all it is just the fact that the author is from Cape Cod so most of his birds contained within or their experiences are focused around that area so for an actual guide to your own area then you may have to get an actual birding book but otherwise the book will be a comedic treasure to add to your birding collection.
March 17, 2009
Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches? by Mike O'Connor is one fun book. If you're a bird lover, it's a must. Since 1983, O'Connor has been the owner of Bird Watcher's General Store on Cape Cod and though I've been there I never realized he wrote. He really knows his birds and has answered thousands of questions about our feathered friends Cape Codder column "Ask the Bird Folks" What makes his answers shine is his unbeatable sense of humor and an all out passion for all things bird.
I pride myself on my bird savvy but Mike has me beat by a mile. Take for instance my belief, one shared by many, that baby birds that have fallen from a nest should not be touched by human hands in the belief the mother will abandon the baby. O'Connor maintains songbirds aren't in the habit of sniffing their nestling's. As for the one that cardinals mate for life, he dispels this myth, stating they might spend a year with the same partner, but life, this "gives us the impression that they spend years of bliss together until they retire to a cardinal condo in Ft. Lauderdale" (pg. 53).
I've got to give Mike credit as he defends some birds like the Blue Jay, who tend to get a bad, undeserved, he feels, rap. Complaints about them heard are that they are pigs at the feeder, they scare the cute little birds away, and that they eat other bird's eggs. Mike comes to their defense with lots of facts, and a laugh with this line "apparently some other birds have better PR agents".
From feed to feeder, birdhouses, birdbaths, and binoculars, identification, migration, fact and myth, this gem of a book will brighten any back yard birders' day. Read it and cheep!
I pride myself on my bird savvy but Mike has me beat by a mile. Take for instance my belief, one shared by many, that baby birds that have fallen from a nest should not be touched by human hands in the belief the mother will abandon the baby. O'Connor maintains songbirds aren't in the habit of sniffing their nestling's. As for the one that cardinals mate for life, he dispels this myth, stating they might spend a year with the same partner, but life, this "gives us the impression that they spend years of bliss together until they retire to a cardinal condo in Ft. Lauderdale" (pg. 53).
I've got to give Mike credit as he defends some birds like the Blue Jay, who tend to get a bad, undeserved, he feels, rap. Complaints about them heard are that they are pigs at the feeder, they scare the cute little birds away, and that they eat other bird's eggs. Mike comes to their defense with lots of facts, and a laugh with this line "apparently some other birds have better PR agents".
From feed to feeder, birdhouses, birdbaths, and binoculars, identification, migration, fact and myth, this gem of a book will brighten any back yard birders' day. Read it and cheep!
March 3, 2015
A fun book if you enjoy facts mixed in with your humor. Something about birds, I think.
Nonetheless, I laughed out loud on several occasions and even remember a fact or two. Someday I may go back and reread parts to see if I remembered any of them correctly.
Nonetheless, I laughed out loud on several occasions and even remember a fact or two. Someday I may go back and reread parts to see if I remembered any of them correctly.
December 4, 2018
Have you ever wondered if backyard birds can choke on peanut butter? If robins really are the first birds of spring? Where should you hang your new bird feeder? Whether there is such a bird as a horned House Finch? If the white Aflack bird a duck or a goose? What birds do when the temperatures and wind chill fall below zero? If penguins have knees? The answers to all these questions and more can be found in a delightful little book,
Why Don’t Woodpeckers Get Headaches? And Other Bird Questions You Know You Want To Ask
by Mike O’Connor (Beacon Press, Boston, MA: 2007).
The author has owned the Bird Watcher’s General Store on Cape Cod and written the newspaper column, Ask the Bird Folks, for more than 20 years. During that time, he has answered thousands of questions about birds, especially about their behavior. This book is a compilation of the most popular of his Dear Abby-like question-and-answer columns that were published throughout the years. However, the resemblance to Dear Abby stops there because unlike Abby, the author uses a sarcastic and sometimes warped sense of humor to entertain while presenting scientific and practical information to his audience. As Publisher’s Weekly stated in their review, O’Connor is “the avian equivalent .. to NPR’s “Car Talk” Magliozzi brothers.
For an example of what to expect, here O’Connor responds to a reader’s complaint about grackles;
And here’s what he says about the extinction of the Auk;
Included among O’Connor’s witty answers to the many questions posed by his readers, he explains why birdseed is healthier for birds than white bread, how to clean your bird feeders properly and describes a few ways to avoid feeding the neighborhood squirrels instead of the birds. He answers whether flamingos are real birds, explains how the hairy woodpecker got its name and how you can identify this species. He discusses whether to throw rice or birdseed at weddings and, as for why woodpecker don’t get headaches, well .. you’ll just have to read the book to learn the answer to that question along with all the others that he tackles.
The book also includes cartoon illustrations that will delight and humor readers. My favorite cartoon accompanied the response to the question about whether one should throw rice or birdseed at a wedding.
This book presents a good balance of factual material and arcane titbits with humor and a conversational writing style. Even though I didn’t expect much from this book initially, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I completely enjoyed reading it. This is an excellent book for beginning birders as well as those who are expert ornithologists. Even people with only a casual interest in birds will enjoy this book. When I read it, I couldn’t put the book down, but this book is also excellent for short reading opportunities, such as riding the bus or subway or hiding from your boss in the bathroom.
NOTE: Originally published at scienceblogs.com on 14 June 2007.
The author has owned the Bird Watcher’s General Store on Cape Cod and written the newspaper column, Ask the Bird Folks, for more than 20 years. During that time, he has answered thousands of questions about birds, especially about their behavior. This book is a compilation of the most popular of his Dear Abby-like question-and-answer columns that were published throughout the years. However, the resemblance to Dear Abby stops there because unlike Abby, the author uses a sarcastic and sometimes warped sense of humor to entertain while presenting scientific and practical information to his audience. As Publisher’s Weekly stated in their review, O’Connor is “the avian equivalent .. to NPR’s “Car Talk” Magliozzi brothers.
For an example of what to expect, here O’Connor responds to a reader’s complaint about grackles;
So grackles raise your hackles, eh? Cute phrasing. Do you read a lot of Dr. Seuss? As usual, the reason why grackles are a problem is because people have messed things up. A couple hundred years ago, we had few, if any, grackles in this area. But then along came the Europeans with their axes and tea bags. The new farms that quickly engulfed the Northeast provided the perfect habitat for hungry grackles. Over the next few centuries, the grackle population grew to the lovable millions we have today. And you are not alone; many angry grain farmers also have grackle issues.
And here’s what he says about the extinction of the Auk;
Years ago, when Europeans had more on their minds than worrying about the price of the euro, they would explore the world looking for things to eat. Early European fishermen (I think it really was all men in those days) took advantage of the juicy, flightless auks. They would simply pull up to a nesting colony, herd thousands of defenseless birds onto the ship, and turn them into auk cutlets. In a sad but typical show of shortsightedness, adult birds were eaten, their young were used as fish bait, and their eggs were scrambled or thrown at passing Viking ships on Halloween.
Included among O’Connor’s witty answers to the many questions posed by his readers, he explains why birdseed is healthier for birds than white bread, how to clean your bird feeders properly and describes a few ways to avoid feeding the neighborhood squirrels instead of the birds. He answers whether flamingos are real birds, explains how the hairy woodpecker got its name and how you can identify this species. He discusses whether to throw rice or birdseed at weddings and, as for why woodpecker don’t get headaches, well .. you’ll just have to read the book to learn the answer to that question along with all the others that he tackles.
The book also includes cartoon illustrations that will delight and humor readers. My favorite cartoon accompanied the response to the question about whether one should throw rice or birdseed at a wedding.
This book presents a good balance of factual material and arcane titbits with humor and a conversational writing style. Even though I didn’t expect much from this book initially, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I completely enjoyed reading it. This is an excellent book for beginning birders as well as those who are expert ornithologists. Even people with only a casual interest in birds will enjoy this book. When I read it, I couldn’t put the book down, but this book is also excellent for short reading opportunities, such as riding the bus or subway or hiding from your boss in the bathroom.
NOTE: Originally published at scienceblogs.com on 14 June 2007.
January 15, 2022
Infotainment done well. Tickled by the prospect of becoming a birdwatcher? Explore your curiosity with this book.
Incredibly entertaining in its excesses- over-the-top descriptions, an over-familiar tone and pointedly leisurely answers. Easy to pick up and read in short bursts due to its Q&A format.
What really drew me in however was the breadth of topics covered and that the facts were stitched into insights for specifics concerns. I wasn't partial to birds before the book but feel like I am walking away with a holistic appreciation of all dimensions relevant to watching, attracting and feeding them, enough that I would know which questions to ask Google the next time an avian situation presents itself.
Two reasons I withheld a star:
1. The geographical scope is (forgivably) narrow and covers the US only (with especial focus on the New England region)
2. The book felt lighter than it could have been, both in length as well as as depth (forgivably, once again, since it adapts a newspaper column but addendums, footnotes and revisions are always possible)
Incredibly entertaining in its excesses- over-the-top descriptions, an over-familiar tone and pointedly leisurely answers. Easy to pick up and read in short bursts due to its Q&A format.
What really drew me in however was the breadth of topics covered and that the facts were stitched into insights for specifics concerns. I wasn't partial to birds before the book but feel like I am walking away with a holistic appreciation of all dimensions relevant to watching, attracting and feeding them, enough that I would know which questions to ask Google the next time an avian situation presents itself.
Two reasons I withheld a star:
1. The geographical scope is (forgivably) narrow and covers the US only (with especial focus on the New England region)
2. The book felt lighter than it could have been, both in length as well as as depth (forgivably, once again, since it adapts a newspaper column but addendums, footnotes and revisions are always possible)
February 18, 2024
Funny and informative. I might have rated it four stars but to be honest, it became a little less funny the longer I read. I think that picking fun at the people who wrote in, which was part of the fun in the beginning, got old for me. In hindsight, I probably should have set this book to read in fits and starts and not as a marathon. So, that's my suggestion for you, dear reader. Read this book as a comic relief after reading something heavy. After all...the book is a compilation of letters written to a newspaper, so there would have been a little time having passed between snippets that probably kept the humor fresh.
July 11, 2019
I was honestly really surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I laughed on almost every page of this book. O'Connor's wit combined with some unlikely scenarios while remaining informative and interesting made for a killer combo.
I originally checked this book out just to learn a little about the geese and ducks that are annoying in my area. I am still annoyed by geese, but now I have context for their behavior and many other avian annoyances.
I originally checked this book out just to learn a little about the geese and ducks that are annoying in my area. I am still annoyed by geese, but now I have context for their behavior and many other avian annoyances.
April 1, 2021
Content is more entertaining than informative
Was entertained for the first third. Martin lots of hope for a little tips. Started getting annoyed with the format for the last half. I would have loved this in a weekly newspaper, but as a book it can be obnoxious.
Was entertained for the first third. Martin lots of hope for a little tips. Started getting annoyed with the format for the last half. I would have loved this in a weekly newspaper, but as a book it can be obnoxious.
June 9, 2021
Funny. Also, many interesting facts about birds I didn’t learn during three birding courses. The question and answer format was fun because the questions came from people who are not experts and are curious about things they notice about birds—people like me. Fun read.
January 18, 2019
Hilarious & educational. My favorite combination.
October 16, 2019
Lots of bird knowledge delivered with a sense of humor.
April 21, 2021
Fun and factual - easy read. It is answers to questions about birds of Northeast US. Loved it!
June 6, 2022
Hilarious and informative
January 3, 2023
Informative and entertaining. An enjoyable read about our feathered friends.
December 29, 2013
Mike O'Conner lives in Cape Code where he owns the Bird Watcher's General Store an writes a column called Ask the Bird Folks. The book is actually the most commonly asked questions about birds and birding that he has received from his column and the answer that he wrote for the column. There is a lot of good information in this book especially for beginning birders.
My only problem with this book is that I think it reads better as a weekly newspaper column than an actual book. Mr. O'Connor has a rather snarky sense of humor, which is fine and quit funny, but in small, weekly doses. Reading the flippant responses back to back can be rather tiresome. My advice would be to read a few questions/answers and come back to it later. It is well worth reading and has answered some of my birding questions.
My only problem with this book is that I think it reads better as a weekly newspaper column than an actual book. Mr. O'Connor has a rather snarky sense of humor, which is fine and quit funny, but in small, weekly doses. Reading the flippant responses back to back can be rather tiresome. My advice would be to read a few questions/answers and come back to it later. It is well worth reading and has answered some of my birding questions.
June 19, 2007
This book has tons of great information about birds and bird behavior that you'd actually be interested to know. I didn't even know I wanted to know this stuff, but once someone asks the question - you're like... hmm... what is the answer to that??? The author is completely hilarious. Even if I didn't want to know anything about birds, I'd still keep reading this book because I love to hear this guy's voice in my head saying this stuff... he's kind of sarcastic - which I appreciate thoroughly as a sense of humor. So, I dig it - you'll dig it too.
May 14, 2010
The book is a series of questions and answers taken from the author's column "Ask The Bird Folks". They cover a vast array of topics such as how to attract birds to your yard, putting up bird feeders and nestboxes, choosing binoculars, explaining bird behavior, and answering questions that only his readers could possibly come up with! Questions such as, "Why do birds poop in the birdbath?". There really is an answer.
It was witty and humorous and a good book for new birders who want to learn more about the behavior of the birds that inhabit their yards.
It was witty and humorous and a good book for new birders who want to learn more about the behavior of the birds that inhabit their yards.
April 10, 2008
This book has the Q & A format, ask a question and the author gives a smartass answer and then a serious one. I found it all very amusing and informative. I actually did learn some things about birdfeeders and birds that I didn't know. Since I'm an avid birdwatcher of the backyard variety, I'm sure I'll find this all very useful.
November 19, 2009
This is a fun book and would be a great gift for anyone who likes birds - not a crazy list-driven birder, but someone who has a backyard feeder and a general curiosity about birds. The author is a real goofball who loves bad puns as much as he loves birds. In the midst of the guffaws and groans, you actually learn some pretty interesting things, like: is that Aflac critter a goose or a duck?
March 7, 2011
A tough call: on the plus side, there's a lot of good information mostly for people who feed birds (although some of it does not square with my many years of experience). On the minus side, O'Connor's penchant for Don Rickles-esque humor became highly offputting. That's the price, I suppose, for turning newspaper-column format into book form. It doesn't always work well.
November 19, 2013
A hoot of a book, this one made me laugh out loud regularly. Mike writes an "Ask the Bird Folks" column which has been compiled into this volume. He intersperses helpful information on how to attract certain birds, what to feed hummingbirds, and bird identification with hysterical questions that people have asked him (hence the title).
June 11, 2008
Fun book that is both informative and a good read with gentle but lively humor.
The book is a compilation of letters and responses on birds that were sent in to the "Cape Codder" newspaper's column,
"Ask the Bird Folks".
You don't have to be a birder to enjoy this one.
The book is a compilation of letters and responses on birds that were sent in to the "Cape Codder" newspaper's column,
"Ask the Bird Folks".
You don't have to be a birder to enjoy this one.
August 10, 2015
My only problem with this book is that I could not put it down. Thankfully I have a couple more vacation days to spend node deep in these super fun birding books. I can't wait til it cools off and our local birding spots are lots of fun again.
February 29, 2008
Skip the first sarcastic paragraph of each entry, and it's actually entertaining and informative. And the author's favorite bird is a Chickadee...you gotta just love that.
August 2, 2008
Sometimes a bit corny, but sometimes made me laugh out loud. A collection of answers to bird-related questions by a knowledgeable and funny guy.
October 21, 2008
A compilation of newspaper columns on birds. There are lots of great information wrapped up in these hilarious articles.
Want to read
September 20, 2009My friend said she literally laughed out loud with this book, but also got some good, useful advice about birds
November 12, 2012
This book has answered many questions for me and prompted many more. It's truly fascinating and well written.
October 5, 2011
This guy's hilarious! And I love his store in Orleans which has every imaginable bird-related item you could possibly want. I like the t-shirts, mugs and notecards.
December 12, 2011
This book was a lot of fun and made me laugh out loud more than once. I read it on the exercise bike and it helped make the miles fly by.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews