Soar
by Tracy Edward Wymer
From Aladdin (Simon & Schuster):
Seventh grader Eddie is determined to honor his father’s legacy and win the school science fair in this fun and quirky debut novel.
Eddie learned everything there is to know about birding from his dad, including the legend of the Golden Eagle, which Dad claimed he saw once down near Miss Dorothy’s pond. According to his dad, the Golden Eagle had wings wider than a creek and talons the size of bulldozer claws. But when Eddie was in sixth grade, Dad “flew away” for good, leaving Eddie on his own to await the return of the elusive raptor.
Now Eddie is starting seventh grade and trying to impress Gabriella, the new girl in town. The annual seventh grade Science Symposium (which Dad famously won) is looming, and Eddie is determined to claim the blue ribbon for himself. With Mr. Dover, the science teacher who was Dad’s birding rival, seemingly against him, and with Mouton, the class bully, making his life miserable on all fronts, Eddie is determined to overcome everything and live up to Dad’s memory. Can Eddie soar and make his dream take flight?
This is a rare birding-related novel for elementary to middle schoolers (approximately 8-12 year olds).
Soar
by Tracy Edward Wymer
Hardcover; 288 pages
Aladdin; July 5, 2016
ISBN: 9781481447119
$17.99
Lost Among the Birds: Accidentally Finding Myself in One Very Big Year
by Neil Hayward
From Bloomsbury:
Early in 2013 Neil Hayward was at a crossroads. He didn’t want to open a bakery or whatever else executives do when they quit a lucrative but unfulfilling job. He didn’t want to think about his failed relationship with “the one” or his potential for ruining a new relationship with “the next one.” And he almost certainly didn’t want to think about turning forty. And so instead he went birding.
Birding was a lifelong passion. It was only among the birds that Neil found a calm that had eluded him in the confusing world of humans. But this time he also found competition. His growing list of species reluctantly catapulted him into a Big Year–a race to find the most birds in one year. His peregrinations across twenty-eight states and six provinces in search of exotic species took him to a hoarfrost-covered forest in Massachusetts to find a Fieldfare; to Lake Havasu, Arizona, to see a rare Nutting’s Flycatcher; and to Vancouver for the Red-flanked Bluetail. Neil’s Big Year was as unplanned as it was accidental: It was the perfect distraction to life.
Neil shocked the birding world by finding 749 species of bird and breaking the long-standing Big Year record. He also surprised himself: During his time among the hummingbirds, tanagers, and boobies, he found a renewed sense of confidence and hope about the world and his place in it.
Yes, another big year book. This one has plenty of birds, Hayward did break the ABA record after all (sorry, but I don’t consider that a spoiler since the publisher mentions it above). But it also has a great story outside of the birds, which makes this a good read even if you aren’t a fan of the big-year-type book.
Lost Among the Birds: Accidentally Finding Myself in One Very Big Year
by Neil Hayward
Hardcover; 416 pages
Bloomsbury; June 7, 2016
ISBN: 9781632865793
$28.00
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(based in the U.K.)
Wildlife Conservation Society Birds of Brazil: The Atlantic Forest of Southeast Brazil, including São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
by Robert S. Ridgely, John A. Gwynne, Guy Tudor, and Martha Argel
From Cornell University Press:
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and is one of the planet’s richest places for bird diversity, especially when it comes to the number of endemic species. Brazil’s Atlantic Forest region is one of the most dazzling of all. Immediately surrounding São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, this area of Brazil is also a relatively accessible area to birders from around the world.
In the Birds of Brazil Field Guides, the Wildlife Conservation Society brings together a top international team to do justice to the incredible diversity of Brazilian birds. This second guide presents 927 bird species, 863 illustrated, that occur in just the southeastern Atlantic Forest biome (Mata Atlântica in Portuguese). Of these species, 140 are endemic and 105 near endemic to just this region; 83 of these are threatened. Modern and compact, this field guide provides illustrations of unparalleled quality, key field marks, and regional range maps to facilitate easy recognition of all species normally occurring in this vibrant and critically important area of Brazil.
The first field guide in this series – for The Pantanal and Cerrado of Central Brazil – was published six years ago, so I’ve been concerned that the series wouldn’t continue. That would’ve been a shame, as these guides highlight regions and ecosystems in great peril. The Atlantic Forest covered here is one of the most endangered ecosystems on the planet. For that reason alone, I’m happy to see this published. Plus, even though I’ve yet to see this guide in person, I have every expectation that it is just as good as the previous WCS Birds of Brazil guide.
Wildlife Conservation Society Birds of Brazil: The Atlantic Forest of Southeast Brazil, including São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
by Robert S. Ridgely, John A. Gwynne, Guy Tudor, and Martha Argel
Paperback; 432 pages
Cornell University Press (Comstock Publishing Associates); June 14, 2016
ISBN: 9781501704536
$35.00
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(based in the U.S.)
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(based in the U.K.)
Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America
by Stephen A. Shunk
From Houghton Mifflin Harcourt:
A complete guide to the natural history, ecology, and conservation of North America’s 23 woodpecker species.
From the iconic Woody Woodpecker to the ubiquitous Northern Flicker, woodpeckers have long captivated our attention. Their astonishing anatomy makes them one of the most specialized bird families in the world, and their keystone ecological roles in our forests and woodlands makes them some of the most important birds on the continent.
This comprehensive and authoritative guide to the natural history, ecology, and conservation of North America’s 23 woodpecker species goes far beyond identification. It explores their unique anatomy and their fascinating and often comical behaviors; it covers each species’ North American conservation status; and it showcases over 250 stunning photographs of woodpeckers in their natural habitats, plus easy-to-read figures and range maps. This reference guide is an essential addition to every birder’s library.
Woodpeckers are awesome. If you’d like to know more about them – or just see some incredible photos – this is an excellent place to start.
Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America
by Stephen A. Shunk
Hardcover; 320 pages
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; May 10, 2016
ISBN: 9780618739950
$35.00
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(based in the U.S.)
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(based in the U.K.)
Wild Notes: Observations over time about birds and other fleeting things
by Mike Lubow
From Mike Lubow:
Wild Notes chronicles several year’s worth of daily observations written in a logbook style by a regular guy who happens to be a bird watcher, among other things. In the tradition of wilderness junkies like Ed Abbey, Annie Dillard and even that odd old hermit, Thoreau, the author is hooked on the elemental kick that starts with an easy-going interest in birds and goes beyond to an interest in all fleeting things. Bird watching, once considered a gentle hobby, is now known to be a wilderness adventure enjoyed by rough and ready men and women of all ages. Hard-muscled, hard-bitten, bug-bitten explorers who bushwhack trackless wilds. Or ordinary folk who stalk neighborhood nature trails. Whichever kind you are, you’re out to find animals that are not only accessible, but entirely wild. They could be avian migrants newly arrived from a South American jungle to spend summer with you. Or winter vagrants that flew across a thousand-mile tundra to visit your neck of the woods. Birds, like uninhibited thoughts, go where they want. From them you can acquire a “life list” of sightings, but you can also get insights that would never have occurred if you hadn’t lost yourself in the woods for a bit to stalk things that fly in and out of your life. Throughout Wild Notes, the date shown on the left page indicates a true moment in time. The right page explains what happened then: what was seen, thought about and what was worth sharing with you.
Mike Lubow writes online at the Two-fisted Birdwatcher, where I’ve long enjoyed his missives. Check out his website and read a few entries (they’re short!). If you enjoy them, then get this book – you’ll enjoy it as well.
Wild Notes: Observations over time about birds and other fleeting things
by Mike Lubow
Paperback; 166 pages
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; September 14, 2015
ISBN: 9781499624465
$11.99
by Julie Zickefoose
Through art and words, the author follows 17 birds from newly hatched to fledged.
Read the full review »
Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Birds
by Julie Beer
From National Geographic:
This fun, photo-filled, and fact-packed bird guide will make kids Stop! Look! and Listen! to find the feathered friends right in their own backyards. From ducks to hawks, sparrows to sandpipers, kids will learn how, where, and when to spot birds all over the United States. With tons of info and interactivity prompts, it’s the perfect companion for backyard or field trip, camping or vacation. Durable and portable, it’s just right for pocket or backpack.
This is a small guide for kids to 175 North American birds. It has photos, illustrations from the “big” National Geographic field guide, and lots of information (although the sidebars labeled “Be a Bird Nerd!” rub me the wrong way).
Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Birds
by Julie Beer
Flexbound; 160 pages
National Geographic Children’s Books; February 9, 2016
ISBN: 9781426322990
$12.99
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(based in the U.S.)
by Sébastien Reeber
The definitive identification guide to these birds.
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Listening to a Continent Sing: Birdsong by Bicycle from the Atlantic to the Pacific
by Donald Kroodsma
From Princeton University Press:
Join birdsong expert Donald Kroodsma on a ten-week, ten-state bicycle journey as he travels with his son from the Atlantic to the Pacific, lingering and listening to our continent sing as no one has before. On remote country roads, over terrain vast and spectacular, from dawn to dusk and sometimes through the night, you will gain a deep appreciation for the natural symphony of birdsong many of us take for granted. Come along and marvel at how expressive these creatures are as Kroodsma leads you west across nearly five thousand miles–at a leisurely pace that enables a deep listen.
Listening to a Continent Sing is also a guided tour through the history of a young nation and the geology of an ancient landscape, and an invitation to set aside the bustle of everyday life to follow one’s dreams. It is a celebration of flowers and trees, rocks and rivers, mountains and prairies, clouds and sky, headwinds and calm, and of local voices and the people you will meet along the way. It is also the story of a father and son deepening their bond as they travel the slow road together from coast to coast.
Beautifully illustrated throughout with drawings of birds and scenes and featuring QR codes that link to audio birdsong, this poignant and insightful book takes you on a travel adventure unlike any other–accompanied on every leg of your journey by birdsong.
Donald Kroodsma knows how to listen to birds and, more importantly for us, can communicate that brilliantly through the written word. His The Singing Life of Birds will open up bird song to you in a way that you never thought possible. This book, in which he travels from one side of the country to the other listening to birds, promises to be a great read as well. Through the companion website, which you can easily access via QR codes throughout the book, the reader can listen in and experience the soundscape along with Kroodsma.
Listening to a Continent Sing: Birdsong by Bicycle from the Atlantic to the Pacific
by Donald Kroodsma
Hardcover; 336 pages
Princeton University Press; May 3, 2016
ISBN: 9780691166810
$29.95
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(based in the U.S.)
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(based in the U.K.)
