I love birds and I love reading. There is nothing that makes me happier than finding a book on birds or a nature writer who writes on many birding topics. At this time of year, people are spending more time at home. I thought I would share some books and authors that I really enjoyed reading.
Julie Zickefoose writes about the birds and natural world of her property. I recommend all her books, which she illustrates herself. Baby Birds: An Artist Looks Into the Nest is particularly interesting. We get to see baby birds grow from bags of guts to puffs of feathers, ready to leave the nest.
Pete Dunne’s books are all great. I received Birds of Prey: Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, and Vultures of North America as a birthday gift from a fellow raptor counter. Dunne is an excellent writer, with a readable style. His knowledge of raptors and his love for them shines through. I am looking forward to reading his latest book: The Courage of Birds And the Often Surprising Ways They Survive Winter.
A couple of Dominic Couzens‘ books look at the unusual in the bird world. Extreme Birds: The World’s Most Extraordinary and Bizarre Birds and Tales of Remarkable Birds are definitely birds that most people won’t find in their neighbourhoods.
Margaret Renkl’s The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year follows a year in her life and the natural world she encounters.
Katie Fallon writes about Turkey Vultures in Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird. She shares information about this bird, which is often misunderstood and thought to be predatory. It may look ugly, but it helps us in so many ways, by cleaning up germ-carrying carcasses.
Naturalist Lyanda Lynn Haupt writes about birds closer to home in Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds. Through her observations, you learn that no bird is just common. In Mozart’s Starling, Haupt writes about that non-native species and its negative effect on birds and the environment in North America. But after rescuing and raising a young starling, she is charmed by its intelligence and playfulness. Her books are thought-provoking.
I hope you find something interesting here. Happy reading!
Note: Photo at top of this post is of my birding books.
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