Books, Birding and Mindfulness

Migration Celebration release now available with QR codes!

FREE COPY OF FOCUS ON, SEEKING READER FEEDBACK

Use contact form below to request your copy

Purchase Lessons from a Birdbrain books directly from the author or from Amazon. Kindle and Apple eBooks are also available.

Available now on this site and Amazon! Focus On, a rom com featuring characters struggling with ADHD

Sophia Blanchard struggles with focus. She struggles to get her work done while balancing her life in tiny Lyndville, Virginia on the shores of the Atlantic.

When her dad goes through some medical issues, things at work only get tougher. Sophia enjoys her project, designing a website for a coffee producer but she keeps getting sidetracked before getting her work done.

Sophia’s friend, Ethan has ADHD and she starts to wonder if some of her problems at work might suggest she does too. She’s always dreamed of opening a coffee shop and Ethan offers to help her make that dream come true.

Then she meets Bryan, a handsome newcomer to town who takes her out birdwatching, dancing and dining. She grapples with her feelings toward both men and decides once again she needs to focus.

Mindful Birding book cover

Mindful Birding: A Beginner’s Guide

Mindful Birding: A Beginner’s Guide features birds of Seattle, Washington. It’s the first of its kind—a “you choose” book.

You choose! books

Laura will write a book or books on your home area or your favorite bird or bird species. Use the contact form if interested!

Books about Ohio Birds

These books make a great gift for residents of Ohio and the Midwest! Featuring 21 birds found in each season along with “Birdbrain Lessons.” All seasons available directly from the author with a “shop” feature on the website. Also available on Amazon and Apple, including eBooks.

photo of Laura McDermott

Author

Laura McDermott

Laura published her first book, Lessons from a Birdbrain: Summer, Ohio in November, 2020. She is a beginning birder, photographer and student of mindfulness in her free time. Check out updates on Tiktok, Insta, and even LinkedIn for news!


Birdbrain Blog

TikTok logo @LauraBird57

Trumpeter Swans Take Off

Synchronized swan swim team? Trumpeter Swans bob their heads for a synchronized take off. This mesmerizing video has gone viral! Watch on TikTok.

Trumpeter Swans
Click image to watch on TikTok

Birding Applications Tip

eBird has a cool feature to look at ‘hotspots’. I use the feature to prepare to bird in a new location. I knew before I went to Seattle, for example, some of the gulls that would be new to me, like this one.

Glaucous-winged Gull considers its reflection

Photography Tip

YouTube offers great videos on a wide variety of cameras. I’ve been watching them in small chunks so I can try a new method, such as how to get better focus and then giving it a go for a few days before I move on. The link below is for my current camera, as an example. Just search for yours and I hope you find helpful stuff.

Nicely focused bird with blurred background

Lights Out – Fall Migration is in the books

A group of dedicated volunteers was back on the streets this spring. Our spring season resulted in the highest number of birds ever. Lights Out team members gather data to support efforts toward reducing lights in large cities to minimize bird collisions during migration. Check out the Columbus Lights Out website for more details. Downtown Columbus is lovely at 6am!

“Every spring and fall, millions of birds migrate through Ohio on their way between their breeding and overwintering grounds. Most species of songbirds migrate at night, and lights on tall buildings or aimed at the sky can disorient them and draw them into buildings. This causes many birds…to strike windows or circle buildings until they fall from exhaustion. A recent study estimated that as many as 1 billion birds die each year in the United States from building collisions.”

Ohio Lights Out
Lights Out Columbus

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