Birds Of The Backyard; Common Birds Of Your Backyard

George Harrison, author of The Backyard Bird Watcher, is the narrator for Birds of the Backyard, a nicely filmed guide to common North American birds. Using a seasonal approach, Harrison shows some 26 different species, including the Northern Cardinal, White-Breasted Nuthatch, Dark-Eyed Junco, Mourning Dove, Cedar Waxwing and others, engaged in feeding, fighting, flying, and singing from winter into spring. All of the information is given during the first half hour, which is then repeated visually, without the narration. This "innovation never before presented in nature programming" has been done, and done better, in Peter Roberts' two bird videos Loons (1987) and Eagles (1989). Short on information, and long on fairly appealing visuals, Birds of the Backyard is an o.k. postcard type of production. Better is Boz Metzdorf's Common Birds of Your Backyard. Metzdorf covers only 16 species, but in much greater detail. The timeframe is also spread out over an entire year. While not as flashy as the first title, Metzdorf's nature photography is just as good and his anecdotal approach much more interesting. We learn, for instance, that the English Sparrow and European Starling are not indigent species, but rather were introduced in the 1850s and 1890s, respectively, and due to their aggressive behavior are considered the "scalawags of the bird world." The food preferences and nesting choices are clearly shown and discussed for each bird, making this program an excellent guide for creating a successful menagerie in one's own backyard, as well as a beautiful overview of the bird world. Birds of the Backyard is an optional purchase; Common Birds of Your Backyard is highly recommended. (Birds of the Backyard is available from: Eyelevel Videos, 43 West 27th St., New York, NY 10001; 1-800-268-6364. Common Birds of Your Backyard is available from: Birds Eye View Productions, 3060 So. St. Croix Trail, Apton, MN 55001.)