People from all over the world come to Maine in search of what those of us who live here year-round have the opportunity to enjoy every day: nature. Yes, one of the best things about living in Maine, and specifically rural Maine, is that it’s nearly impossible not to interact with nature on one level or another.

One indigenous natural treasure is our birds. Sit quietly in your back yard and you’ll hear their chorus. Finches, blue jays and swallows chirp before dawn until dusk. Look to the sky and you’ll see more. Large birds such as hawks, ravens and the occasional bald eagle circle high in the air, looking for mice in the hayfields and woods. On the ground blue herons frequent our farm ponds and rivers.

According to Jan Mahnken, author of “The Backyard Bird-Lover’s Guide,” some estimates show that 21 million people enjoy bird-watching, a national pastime second in popularity only to gardening. The two can be combined as a pastime. For those who want to learn more about birding, attracting birds to the landscape and keeping them, year after year, Mahnken’s new release is worthy of wintertime attention.

Mahnken says just about anybody can attract birds to the back yard. Of more than 8,500 living bird species globally, 950 of them may be found on our continent alone. Whether migrating or local, birds come to landscapes with one or more of three vital elements: food, shelter and water.

Mahnken’s new book takes the reader step by step through the attraction process. Hints on how to deter predators from the area, a guide to feeder types and food, and a section on gardening to attract birds are included. There’s a comprehensive chapter on building nesting boxes, with directions and diagrams, for various types of birds. This chapter includes hints on how to keep undesirable critters, such as mice and squirrels, from overtaking nesting boxes.

This new release includes more than 150 pages of annotated listings of bird species common in North America. Each listing gives a brief description of the species, its size, breeding range, winter range, preferred habitat, nesting sites, life cycle and preferred food. Mahnken’s appendices are helpful references that tell what foods attract which birds, a reference to habitat requirements, and a descriptive listing for identifying species by unhatched eggs.

Aside from the beauty and enjoyment of attracting birds to the back yard, birds have a function in the landscape. They feed on garden pests, especially insects. According to Mahnken, starlings parading around the lawn will eat Japanese beetle larvae. By attracting birds to the landscape, therefore, we are investing in biological insect controls for our garden crops.

Mahnken has written for Country Journal, Farmstead, Countryside and New England Farm Journal. To learn a bit more about a very interesting topic, pick up her new book. You’ll enjoy her expertise and style during the long winter months ahead.

Diana George Chapin is the NEWS garden columnist. Send horticulture questions to Gardening Questions, c/o MaineWeekend, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329. Selected questions will be answered in future columns. Include name, address and telephone number.