Sometimes publishers are pretty darned clever. A successful book fills a niche. Often that niche has to do with subject and/or author. As for Good Birders Don’t Wear White, the subject is of interest (birding tips), and the list of authors is something like the Hall of Fame for birding authors. But no, the niche for this book is gift-giving. It’s inexpensive (list price is $8.95) and small, just right for a little hospitality gift to bring when visiting a birder, or as a present for that birding acquaintance who is retiring from the office or having a big birthday. I expect that a lot of these books will be bought by birders and by non-birders searching for something inexpensive at the bookstore.
Fortunately it’s a nice little book. Touted as, “50 Tips from North America’s Top Birders,” don’t be tricked into thinking that this is the volume that will turn you from beginner to expert overnight. These aren’t those kind of tips. No, it’s mostly this august group giving advice. On several occasions one author mildly contradicts another. The readers are told not to wear white, as it can scare away birds, but to wave a white hankie over ponds because waterbirds may become curious and, in a third piece, told not to worry about wearing white (though only in certain situations). We are told to go birding in storms and at night, to linger over birds after we’ve identified them, to keep journals and calendars, to travel the world and its oceans, and prodded to be more actively involved with bird conservation. We are given advice on how to become great birders and then discouraged from even trying.
Take kids birding. Build a blind for bird photography. Learn bird songs. Show birds to strangers. Call to birds with an iPod. Share the spotting scope. Buy a digital camera. Watch the weather forecasts. Take field notes. Sketch birds. Get great birding gear. Don’t worry about your birding gear. The advice just keeps coming.
By and large, it’s all very pleasant stuff. The chapters are very short – ideal for a quick read when you’ve got only a couple minutes to spare. Some of the writing is delightful, and it is quite interesting to compare the writing of many noted authors side-by-side in this format and on this open-ended subject. I’ll say no more than that the cream rises to the top and let you judge for yourself. It’s a great way to sample the work of many writers, and that can help you decide what birding books to tackle next.
I guess it’s worth listing them all: Mike O’Connor, Connie Toops, David M. Bird, Bill Thompson III, Clay Sutton, Sheri Williamson, Kenn Kaufman, Jeffrey A. Gordon, Jessie H. Barry, Don and Lillian Stokes, Dave Jasper, Kevin Karlson, Victor Emanuel, Judith A. Toups, Amy K. Hooper, Steve Howell, Paul Kerlinger, Ted Floyd, Scott Shalaway, John Sill, Kevin J. Cook, Louise Zemaitis, Donald Droodsma, Lang Elliott, Noah Strycker, Julie Craves, Mel White, Wayne R. Petersen, Peter Alden, Bill Schmoker, Paul Lehman, Jeffrey Bouton, Paul J. Baicich, Scott Weidensaul, Julie Zickefoose, Tim Gallagher, Arthur Morris, Richard Crossley, David Sibley, Chuck Hagner, Robert A. Braunfield, John Kricher, Peter Stangel, Stephen Shunk, John Acorn, Alicia Craig, Laura Erickson, Pete Dunne, Jon L. Dunn, and Richard K. Walton.
Here’s my own bit of advice. Don’t sit down with this book and read it cover to cover. It’s a bit like having 50 parents lined up to say, “We need to talk,” one right after another. Some offer encouragement, others are relaxed and funny, but there is more than a little admonishment in here, too. “Hey,” I want to say, “I didn’t do anything wrong!” Too much advice is definitely not a good thing. Instead, read a chapter here, a chapter there. Don’t take it too seriously; I don’t think many of these authors did. If you’re like me, you’ll find some advice to discard, and some times when you’ll say to yourself, “Yeah, I agree.” With luck you’ll find a few hidden gems that are actually helpful. But you’ll enjoy the little insights into the personalities and philosophical outlooks of some of today’s best-known birders, and that’s really fun.
White, Lisa (ed). 2007. Good Birders Don’t Wear White: 50 Tips from North America’s Top Birders. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. $8.95, paperback, 268 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0-618-75642-1.