Staff Picks: For the Love of Birds
by lucroe
Birding has become especially popular since the pandemic. It can be a relaxing and enjoyable hobby for adults and kids. It can even be rewarding when you spot a new species to add to your list. The library has a number of great books and resources for those just starting as well as pros who want to learn more. From the Wingscapes Birdcam to Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Birds of World database (see below for more about this), there is something for every bird lover at AADL.
Birding to Change the World by Trish O’Kane | Request Now
This memoir tells the story of O’Kane’s tragic loss of her New Orleans home after Hurricane Katrina and how it led to her environmental activism especially dedicated to wildlife conservation. In her mid-40’s, she decided to return to college to earn a PhD in environmental studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There her focus turns to ornithology. She realized that bird-watching was “like journalism. ... You observe. You listen. You take good notes. You piece together clues.” Her other concern became lower income children’s lack of access to the wonders of nature. As a result, she created an after-school birding club and mentoring program between college students and middle schoolers which is still active today.
The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan | Request Now
Award winning author, Tan, writes a love letter to the neighborhood birds of Sausalito taken from hundreds of nature journals she has written and illustrated from 2017-2022. She uses graphite and colored pencils drawings to highlight the beauty of nature surrounding her home overlooking San Francisco Bay that hosts over 63 bird species and counting. She describes her bird sanctuary with its rat proof bird feeders, hot pepper suet that squirrels loathe, and many bird baths to give comfort to them on a hot day. On average she says she spends $250 /month on bird food including live mealworms. This book is not only enjoyable to read, with her day to day observations and drawings that accompany them, but it also informative. It will publish on April 23 but you can place a hold on it in our catalog now.
Better Living Through Birding : Notes From a Black man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper | Request Now
Catapulted to fame having had a racially charged run-in with a dog walker in Manhattan’s Central Park in May 2020, Cooper writes about his life being a self-described gay Blerd or Black nerd, which includes his love for all things bird. He does talk about the run-in, when he was out on his daily birding adventure and sees an off-leash dog running across an area where he’s looking for ground-dwelling mourning warblers and reminds the owner, a white woman, that there is a leash law. The situation escalates as he records the owner calling 911 to report an African American man is threatening her. The video goes viral, and he gains fame, which leads to writing this book and hosting the NatGeo show, Extraordinary Birder. But he is much more than that one incident, he is a Harvard grad, comic book writer, and has traveled around the world as a bird nerd. In this book you will get advice on becoming a birder too. Another book that encourages inclusivity in all environmental causes with a focus on birding is The Feminist Bird Club's Birding for a Better World.
The Comfort of Crows: a Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl | Request Now
New York Times writer, Renkl ruminates on the many birds in her own 1.5 acre backyard in Nashville. These 52 entries include her observations of clever crows; the blue jays and mockingbirds that relish her heated birdbath; and redbirds’ mating dance. She also is concerned with how to tend to injured wildlife; the cutting of trees particularly those for shade near her home; and yearns for an end to leaf blowers & toxic chemicals used to get the perfect lawn. Her neighbors may not like what they see as an unkempt weed patch, but she sees it as a haven for wildlife and source of restorative hope.
A Wing and a Prayer: the Race to Save our Vanishing Birds by Anders & Beverly Gyllenhaal | Request Now
Ten Birds That Changed the World by Stephen Moss | Request Now
Two books that discuss specific bird populations and efforts to save them, in the first, and the history of human relations with them, in the second. The Gyllenhaals, married duo journalists and birders, travelled across the Americas to record the efforts to save endangered and threatened bird populations. In addition to their encounters with ornithologists, nonprofits, landowners, and bird organizations, they discuss conservation difficulties such as those associated with conflicts between the Spotted Owl and loggers, and the Florida Scrub-Jay and developers. Nature writer Moss relates the history of 10 birds that have significance in human history: bald eagles, Darwin's finches, dodos, emperor penguins, guanay cormorants, pigeons, ravens, snowy egrets, tree sparrows, and wild turkeys. Engrossing history and science lessons further illuminate our shared bond with nature.
Additional bird related items in our catalog include the beautiful and enlightening 3-disc DVD set from famed biologist & BBC broadcaster, David Attenborough, the Life of Birds. Filmed across 7 continents with thousands of bird species covered, this documentary includes feeding and mating habits, migration patterns, bird conservation, and more. Finally enjoy the Birds of the World database (you must be logged in to your online account to view) presented by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to learn more about over 10,000 species of birds, including audio and video recordings.
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