In this episode of the Bird Nerd Book Club, Hannah chats with Tim Beatley, a longtime advocate for intertwining the built and natural environments, about his 2020 book, The Bird-Friendly City, which takes readers on a global tour of cities that are reinventing the status quo with birds in mind. Efforts span a fascinating breadth of approaches: public education, urban planning and design, habitat restoration, architecture, art, civil disobedience, and more. Beatley shares empowering examples, including: advocates for “catios,” enclosed outdoor spaces that allow cats to enjoy backyards without being able to catch birds; a public relations campaign for vultures; and innovations in building design that balance aesthetics with preventing bird strikes. Through these changes and the others Beatley describes, it is possible to make our urban environments more welcoming to many bird species.

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Many birders line their shelves with field guides from across the world, travel tales from explorers, and scientific studies both recent and historical. The Bird Nerd Book Club takes a look at all genres of books from romantic fiction to biographies and memoirs to species guides. Join Hannah as she talks with authors about their beloved and new books all related to birds.