Bird Watch Radio & Birding For Everyone

I'm listening to the latest Bird Watch Radio. The host, Steve Moore is in the above photo in the burgundy shirt (no doubt scouting for potential interviewees for future podcasts). I ran into him at Birdwatch America and he told me that on the current BWR you can hear me and one of my favorite people Mike Bergin of 10,000 Birds talking about bird and nature blogging. Steve also talks to John Robinson who wrote Birding for Everyone.

I've received a review copy of Birding for Everyone and I've kept mum on it. Generally, with books, if I don't like it, I keep it out of the blog. I know how much work can go into a book and just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's a bad book, it may just isn't my cup of tea. Also, if I've met the author ahead of time and really like them as a person, I really don't want be too harsh about my thoughts on their work. I think the subject of this book has great potential, I just wanted a bit more from this book.

The author states, "The purpose of Birding for Everyone is to explore the lack of minorities among birdwatchers, reasons for the relative absence of minorities among birders, effective solutions as part of outreach and recruitment programs."

However, the book goes all over the place, and tries to be three separate books in one. It's a little bit memoir and touches on the surface of why there are a lack of minorities, but then suddenly shifts to how to identify birds with 10 tips for becoming a better birder. What does that have to do with the purpose of the book?

It's worth reading, but is a bit all over the place, he seems to have several audiences in mind when writing. The book is a good first draft and need of a good editor. One thing for sure is that it is a needed starting point for some great conversation about the future direction of birding in North America.

My hope is that some publisher will see this book and ask Mr. Robinson to do two separate books: one addressing more in depth what the issues are facing birders of color in North America and teach birders like myself how to welcome them into the world of nature watching. And a second book for people of color on how to start watching nature.

Junior Ranger Event & Young Birder's Guide

We had a small but intrepid group at our Junior Ranger bird walk tonight. One of the cool parts was a junior ranger who showed up Bill Thompson's book: The Young Birder's Guide. She was workin' it too. Checking the birds off as she found them, double checking the info. This is an awesome book:

It uses great photos (and fabulous illustrations by Julie Zickefoose) to illustrate birds. Each page contains basic information and some wow fact about birds. There's a section that helps you figure out which birds you will see in which habitat too. I don't think this book needs to be limited to just young birders, this is a great guide for any birder ready to graduate from the starter guides. The only thing that keeps it from being a perfect guide is that it encourages kids to dress like stereotypical birder. Kids, you don't have to wear a vest and floppy hat to go birding--resist the propaganda.

We didn't have huge amounts of birds, but we had some oh so cooperative cedar waxwings and robins. The best part of the evening came as we were ending the walk. We were going down the trail and the kids were finding lots of turkey feathers. I don't think anything sinister happened to a turkey, just typical molt feathers. I paused to listen for birds at an opening in the woods and noticed an odd piece of bark hanging in a tree, then I realized that the bark had a bird tail shape--wait a minute! That was a turkey sitting on a branch in the tree. I froze and whispered for all the kids to get behind me. There just above us, right off the trail was a turkey. As I pointed her out, a small second turkey poked its head up from under her wing, then another, and another--about five or six half sized turkey poults emerged from her body (that seems like it was a late nest). They atttempted to fly off the branches, suddenly, about six more adult sized turkeys burst from hidden corners higher in the tree. It was a whole roosting flock. I felt bad that the turkeys were disturbed from their roost, but then again, they chose to roost right off of a well traveled biking and hikin path in an urban area. They'll get over it, I'm thinkin'.

Thanks to everyone who came.

Falcon Fever

I just got a copy of Falcon Fever by Tim Gallagher from Houghton Mifflin. Some of you may be familiar with Tim as an award winning nature photographer, or from when he was an editor for WildBird Magazine, or as the current editor of Living Bird Magazine, or as one of the guys who rediscovered the ivory-billed woodpecker.

I interviewed Tim a couple of years ago about the ivory-bill search. As he was giving me pretty much the same answers that everyone else was getting, I remembered that someone told me he was a falconer. I asked him what he like to fly as a falconer and the whole interview changed, his face lit up and he became animated as he described flying merlins and peregrines. This is a true passion for him.

If you do not know anything about falconry, this book is a good way to be introduced to it. The first half focuses on his brutal childhood with an alcoholic and abusive father. Falconry became a release for him and a way to connect with nature and wildlife. Anyone who has ever felt the pull to the wild will thrill along with Tim's adventures and his early trainings of hawks. You will also learn some surprising things about Tim--like he did a few drugs and even spent time in jail! I was on the edge of my seat as I read that and wondered how he made it from such a low point in his life to where he is now. The book doesn't really explain that and if I have one thing I would change, it would be to tell that story.

The second half of the book does not focus on that journey but starts at a point later in his life, after the ivory-bill rediscovery and he feels the need to reconnect with falconry and retrace one of his boyhood idols Frederick II, the thirteenth century Holy Roman Emperor who wrote one of the earliest falconry manuals. Tim spends a year going to falconry meets, hunting with some of the worlds best falconers, and taking roads much less traveled in Italy and trace the steps and history of Frederick II.

If you know someone who is a falconer, they will love this book as a gift and probably recognize many of the names mentioned. If you are curious as to what this falconry thing is all about--this explains the magic and thrill these obsessed hunters find in the fields with their birds. Falconry is not about a person and their pet bird, but a hunting partnership between human and bird--one where the bird can decide to leave the human if the human doesn't keep up. This is a well written book and easy to read, I recommend it.

Clan Apis

If you are looking for a delightful book to teach you the basics of honeybee natural history, then Clan Apis by Jay Hosler is for you! This is a great book! Mr. Neil recommended it to me, actually insisted that I read it. I tried to tell him that I'm not one for the comic books but he assured me that this was very accurate and just a wonderful read. I was skeptical but thumbed through it in his presence to placate him. Before I knew it, I was hooked.

Hosler has a cheeky sense of humor about the bees but at the same time gives you all the facts about their life cycle and behaviors. This book is great for kids, but adults will love the humor. One of my favorite parts is when the hive decides to swarm (was that a spoiler?) and starts to carry off the queen. As the workers are toting her away, she exclaims, "Great Googaly Moogaly!"--points for use of that phrase! AND! Points for:

...inserting a pileated woodpecker drawn accurately and doing what woodpeckers do. Boy, I hope one of these boys doesn't decide to go after our hives.

Anyway--this is a great read and a great gift. Go forth, find it, buy it (or check it out of a library) and read it. Ah, if only birders could do comics like this...maybe I will.

Good Birders Don't Wear White

Then why does the American Birding Association sell white shirts with their logo on it?

Lisa White from Houghton Mifflin has brought together many of our favorite bird writers and compiled their essays in Good Birders Don't Wear White, a book on the subject of what makes a good birder. There's some fun with some practical and good advice mixed in for good measure. I as I was going through and checking off how many friends have essays in the book, it got me inspired to try and find a link for everyone in the book. Here is a list of all the birders who have essays. Starred names are bloggers:

John Acorn
Peter Alden
Paul J. Baicich
Jessie H. Barry
David M. Bird
Jeffery Bouton*
Robert A. Braunfield
Kevin J. Cook
Alicia Craig
Julie Craves
Richard Crossley
Jon L. Dunn
Pete Dunne
Lang Elliot
Victor Emanuel
Laura Erickson*
Ted Floyd
Tim Gallagher
Jeffery A. Gordon*
Chuck Hagner*
Amy K. Hooper*
Steve Howell
Dave Jasper
Kevin Karlson
Kenn Kaufman
Paul Kerlinger
John Kricher
Donald Kroodsma
Paul LehmanArthur Morris
Mike O'Connor
Wayne R. Peterson
Bill Schmoker*
Scott Shalaway
Stephen Shunk
David Sibley
John Sill
Peter Stangel
Don and Lillian Stokes*
Noah Stryker
Clay Sutton
Bill Thompson III*
Connie Toops
Judith A. Toups
Richard K. Walton
Scott Weidensaul
Mel White
Sheri Williamson*
Louise Zemaitis
Julie Zickefoose*

Well, I found all but four. If anyone can let me know of a link for those four please pass it along. Again, a great collection of birders and writers.