Do you plan to come to the next Handmade Crafternoon on March 5th to make your own tiny avian sculpture with artist Abby Glassenberg, author of The Artful Bird? Want to brush up on bird characteristics in advance?  Then the Library's Digital Gallery is a great place to spend some time.  Here are a few of my favorite bird books and bird images. (Click on the heading or title link for each category to see all bird images from it.)

Want to stick local? Then how about Birds of New York?

Maybe you'd like to consider birds from distant spots? How about this set of cigarette cards depicting Birds of the East?

Looking for Birds of Brilliant Plumage, perhaps? This set of cards might suit your needs:

There are also books that focus on just one sort of bird at a time, like Pheasants:

Even lowly pigeons get proper attention in the Digital Gallery (and seem somehow nicer on these pages than in real life):

I hope that after you've considered your plumage options you'll join us and stitch up your own little bird creation on Saturday.  Here are the details:

• This is a FREE event and there's no advance registration required.  The seating will be first-come-first-served. We have spaces for 96 crafters, and we'll open the doors at 1:45pm.
• Where: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Margaret Liebman Berger Forum (on the Second Floor, Room 227)
• When: Saturday, March 5th, 2011, from 2:00 to 4:00pm (doors open at 1:45pm)
• What to bring? We'll have some supplies on hand to share, as usual, but feel free to bring the following if you wish: small scraps of fabric from your own stash that you'd like to incorporate into your bird sculpture (perhaps as wing feathers, or head plumage), and your own favorite sewing needle, scissors, and other sewing kit essentials.

To learn more about our guest artist Abby Glassenberg and her avian sculptures, visit Hand-Made again on Thursday the 3rd, when Abby will answer a few questions about the project, her artwork, and her new book (available online and in person via the Library Shop).