Robert Michael Pyle is one of the most celebrated contemporary nature writers. He is also a noted conservationist, having founded the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the father of modern-day butterfly watching, and author of both field guides and elegant nonfiction. He’s also a pretty good birder.
Early in his adult life Pyle chose to seek out a quiet, rural setting where he could settle in for life. He chose an obscure little town in southwestern Washington State, Gray’s River. His book Wintergreen: Rambles in a Ravaged Land, published two decades ago, chronicled a young man’s enthusiasm for his chosen place. That book was awarded the prestigious Borroughs award, given to a single book annually as the year’s best natural history book.
Sky Time in Gray’s River: Living for Keeps in a Forgotten Place, is another look at the same region, but it’s by no means a repeat of Wintergreen. Pyle is an older man now and his relationship with his home turf is far more mature, far deeper and vastly more textured. This book is an elegant love letter to the land and its many components, the birds and wildflowers, his house and its garden (including the beloved compost pile), and the neighborhood community. The book follows the seasons, its twelve chapters mostly connected directly to the months of the year. We learn of this famous man’s fondness for his rather ordinary and un-famous standing within his community. We learn how he welcomes spiders into the shower and bees into a hole in the house’s wall, which leads to the curious concept of a buzzing bookshelf. The history of his house, the nearby covered bridge, and the Gray’s River Grange are all included. We even learn (and some birders doubtless cringe) that for two consecutive winters a Rustic Bunting visited the homestead, but Pyle’s need for quiet and semi-anonymity led him to share this rare bird sighting with just a select few.
It all may seem like mundane details about a place that most of us don’t know, will never visit, and don’t really care about. On the surface this is true. Yet this is luxurious prose, the most carefully crafted work of Pyle’s career. It’s an immensely pleasing book to read, but it’s not one to hurry through. Each page is as luscious as a delectable dessert. You wouldn’t want to gobble down a dozen desserts in a row; you shouldn’t read more than a chapter at a time of Sky Time in Gray’s River. Take the time to savor each carefully chosen adjective, let the pictures painted by Pyle’s words form fully in the mind’s eye. If you’re like me, you’ll find yourself yearning for your own bucolic get-away, a quiet and peaceful little village where life still proceeds at the pace of an earlier time. Few such places still exist, and in truth some of Pyle’s neighbors don’t find Gray’s River to be so idyllic. The enduring value of Sky Time is the lesson of perspective. As birders, as naturalists, we are privileged to find natural wonder every place we look. Pyle appears to take this sensibility to every day of his life, proving that paradise is perhaps something more internal than external, as long as we’ve left a little bit of nature intact.
Pyle, Robert Michael. Sky Time in Gray’s River: Living for Keeps in a Forgotten Place. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. 256 pages, $20.00 cloth. ISBN-10: 039582821X; ISBN-13:978-0395828212.
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If you ever listen to Public Radio, you’re familiar with the “Car Talk Guys,” the jolly hosts of the “Car Talk” program who actually answer questions about cars while joshing and joking with the callers. Mike O’Connor takes the same approach with a newspaper column, “Ask the Bird Folks,” that runs in a local newspaper published on his home turf, Cape Cod. This book,
Why Don’t Woodpeckers Get Headaches, is a collection of those questions along with O’Connor’s responses.
The articles seem to have been selected based on two criteria: genuinely useful information that the casual birder will find interesting, and questions that are downright bizarre. The results are mixed. Don’t assume you’ll love the book just because you’re a “Car Talk” fan. This brand of goofy humor works better in the spontaneous medium of radio than in print, for one thing, and O’Connor’s humor comes with a bit of an unfriendly bite at times. I found a few comments amusing, but there were no “laugh out loud” moments for me. Still, it is fun to ponder questions like the one posed in the title and it is amazing to learn that someone could ask the question, apparently in all seriousness, “Are flamingos just an odd bird that zoos have created?”
O’Connor runs a retail store for bird watchers and sells lots of bird seed, so many questions revolve around the art and science of bird feeding. Once a salesman always a salesman, and there are times when O’Connor is clearly pitching sales. But after you get past the promotional paragraphs, snippy insults, and silly jokes, there is good, sound information that can help the casual backyard bird feeder.
O’Connor also tackles many questions that are very familiar to me and any other person who has worked for an Audubon Society, nature center, or in any other capacity that labels one as a “bird expert” to the non-birding world. We all develop our stock answers to these questions, and it’s interesting to see his take on such perennial favorites as, “Why do birds stand on one leg?”, “Why are there Robins here in the winter?”, “Will the mother bird still feed her chicks if I touch them?”, “Will birds get sick eating rice thrown at weddings?”, “How fast do birds fly?”, “What happened to the birds that were coming to my feeders?”, “Will my hummingbird feeder keep the birds from migrating?”, “Why is a woodpecker pecking on metal?”, and of course, the age-old favorite, “How do I keep squirrels away from my bird feeders?”
If these are questions about which you ponder, the answers are here. If you need a little book costing $10 as a gift for someone who enjoys feeding birds, you could do worse than picking up this book. But Why Don’t Woodpeckers Get Headaches isn’t meant to be taken seriously, so for goodness sakes let’s not take it seriously here.
O’Connor, Mike. Why Don’t Woodpeckers Get Headaches: And Other Bird Questions You Know You Want to Ask. Boston, Beacon Press, 2007. 212 pages, $9.95 paper. ISBN 13: 978-0-8070-8574-5; ISBN 10: 0-8070-8574-X.
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It’s a frequently used literary device in the field of nature writing: follow some natural feature, species, or phenomenon and write not just about the nominal subject, but also about personal experiences and people met along the way. John McPhee has made this an art form, and other writers follow the pattern for good reason. This formula works, and the interwoven stories of nature and humans make for a good read.
A newly published book in this genre is Soaring with Fidel by David Gessner. It’s a fun read. In 2004, Gessner moved from Cape Cod, where he had studied and written about Ospreys (his Return of the Osprey was published in 2002), to a new home near the coast of North Carolina. A mix of homesickness and migratory unrest triggers a visit to Cape Cod in late summer, and there he concocts a plan to follow his favorite birds in migration. He has recently learned of research suggesting that most Ospreys migrate over Cuba, and Gessner has enough left-wing politics and counter-culture sentiments within his persona to give great appeal to an illicit visit to Cuba.
With little preparation and a one-week car rental, he begins his odyssey in the US. Early on he learns that the BBC has sent a TV star, producers, scientists, and film crews to the US to also follow Osprey migration, a high-tech effort focused on particular birds fitted with satellite transmitters. Gessner views the BBC as his competition, and he relishes comparing his unfunded, low-tech, and haphazard journey with that of the deep-pocketed media giant.
For a week he meanders down the east coast, watching Ospreys where he can find them and meeting up with Osprey experts and enthusiasts all along the way, sometimes by appointment but other times by happy accident. There’s a very odd gathering of Internet Osprey fanciers on Long Island that he attends, and he chronicles enjoyable visits to Hawk Mountain and Cape May. At Hawk Mountain he spends time with one of the bosses, Keith Bildstein, the sanctuary’s director of conservation science. During his brief visit to Cape May, however, he is drawn to the youthful enthusiasm of the seasonal naturalists and counters. By the time he leaves Cape May, he’s only got a little time left on his rental car before he must return it in North Carolina, yet he still wants to visit the Outer Banks. One impulsive decision leads to another and he blows a bunch of money by returning the car late. Lucky for Gessner he has also hooked up with a generous friend along the way.
With his benefactor’s check deposited, Gessners arranges his trip to Cuba, where he has great experiences watching Ospreys migrate over a peak called La Gran Piedra. His journey ends with his return to the US – for a while. But come winter his migratory unrest returns, and the next thing we know, Gessner and an old friend are watching Ospreys in Venezuela. He returns home, and when March comes he’s off to Florida for yet more Osprey-watching. The book finally ends, but you’re left with the feeling that Gessner is still out there impulsively chasing Ospreys around the globe.
Gessner is a likeable fellow and an entertaining writer whose prose brings you right into his life. It’s fun to travel along with him. There are factual errors, however, so don’t take everything too literally. I only caught errors about the places I know, but these leave me wondering how much carelessness and/or poetic license infuses the rest of the text. He even manages to misspell Pete Dunne’s name repeatedly (but also to get it right a few times). But in the end, it doesn’t really matter. This isn’t a book about facts, it’s a book about feelings, and Gessner’s passion is delightful to observe and, vicariously, to share.
Gessner, David. Soaring with Fidel: An Osprey Odyssey from Cape Cod to Cuba and Beyond. Boston, Beacon Press, 2007. 289 pages, $24.95 cloth. ISBN-13: 978-0-8070-8578-3; ISBN-10: 0-8070-8578-2.
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I love Costa Rica. I go there a lot. I love birding in Costa Rica. And I love the time-tested field guide by F. Gary Stiles and Alexander Skutch, A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica.
There’s also a new field guide that’s just been published. Guess what? I love it. The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide is fabulous, and it’s likely to be with me every minute that I’m birding in this delightful little Central American country. Am I tossing out my beloved Stiles & Skutch? Not at all! After all, don’t you own more than one guide to North American birds? You’re probably like me, owning Sibley, Peterson, National Geographic, Kaufmann’s Focus Guide, a Golden Guide, and perhaps a few others. Two approaches are often incredibly valuable.
The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide was written by Richard Garrigues, a highly respected Costa Rican resident birder. Garrigues’ book is not exactly like the earlier guide. It is smaller, with minimal text. For excellent, detailed natural history information, any curious birder will still thoroughly enjoy the earlier volume, now dated by about 20 years. But the newer book is not just an update of bird names, it features superior artwork by talented artist Robert Dean, larger paintings (just a few species per plate), text that faces the plates, range maps (a real rarity in field guides for neotropical countries), and succinct, excellent text that will help users identify birds. That’s the book’s stated purpose, and it accomplishes this goal extremely well.
Oh, I could quibble here and there – more drawing of immature birds might be nice, including offshore pelagic species would be helpful, perhaps sonograms of bird songs would be a nice addition – but these are really minor points. Costa Rica is not like North America, where we have a pile of field guides to compare and critique. This book fills a niche, and I will use it often. Since it arrived it’s been following me around the house. I leaf through a few pages before going to sleep. I’ll almost forget my breakfast cereal as I peruse a few more plates in the morning. I’m late heading out of the house to appointments as I think of some other species I want to check out. I haven’t had this much fun with a new book in a long, long time.
So what’s the big deal about Costa Rica? If you’re asking this, clearly you haven’t been there. Costa Rica is tropical. Costa Rica is diverse. The country is loaded with birds; this book, which skips pelagics, birds of far offshore Cocos Island, and extreme rarities, still includes over 820 species. There are many different habitats in a small geographical area, so a visiting birder can expect to see many, many species. It’s an exceptionally easy place to travel, with drinkable water from the tap in most areas, excellent standards of public health, a well-educated and environmentally sensitive populace, and an extremely gracious culture that places a high standard on hospitality. More than 25% of Costa Rica is protected as either a public or private park or reserve. From the east coast of the US, it’s a shorter flight to Costa Rica than it is to cities along the west coast of the US – it’s easy to get there.
So whenever you decide to head to Costa Rica, whether it’s your first visit or a return trip, be sure to take this new field guide along. You’ll enjoy identifying the many toucans, parrots, hummingbirds, tanagers, motmots, woodcreepers, antbirds, and other species that you’ll find there. You’ll still want the older Stiles & Skutch guide for its wealth of natural history information, but Garrigues (as I’ve already started to call this book) will be the perfect pocket companion in the field.
Garrigues, Richard and Robert Dean. The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide. Ithaca, Cornell University Press, 2007. 416 pages, $29.95 paper, $65.00 cloth. ISBN: 978-0-8014-7373-9 (paper), 978-0-8014-4587-3 (cloth).
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One of the real joys of birding is that it hones our senses and makes us pay close attention to the natural world. As we learn bird vocalizations, we surely notice other natural sounds. Most abundant are those of the insects, but there have been few resources to help curious naturalists decipher those sounds.
This situation has now changed dramatically with the publication of The Songs of Insects. Its two authors, Lang Elliott and Wil Hershberger, are the perfect team for this project. Elliott is widely respected for his field recordings of birds and amphibians. Hershberger is co-author of a cult classic, “The Songs of Crickets and Katydids of the Mid-Atlantic States”, a self-published CD that is beloved to those lucky enough to learn of it. Together they have created an incredibly valuable resource for naturalists.
The Songs of Insects is both a book and a CD, both featuring 75 species of vocal insects of the eastern United States. The book is lavishly illustrated with superb photographs, which include close-up portraits and shots of these critters in their natural habitats. The text includes natural history information, identification tips, and range maps. Singing habits are described and large-scale sonograms included. Introductory text includes excellent summaries of basic entomological details about singing insects, their classification, methods of singing, and tips about how you can go about studying these creatures yourself, both in the wild and in captivity. That’s right, they suggest bringing crickets or katydids into your home to enjoy the songs!
Singing insects fall within five major groups, the cicadas and four families within the order Orthoptera: Gryllidae (field and ground crickets), Gryllotalpidae (mole crickets), Tettigoniidae (katydids), and Acrididae (grasshoppers). Each group is well represented in the book, and I’ll quickly admit that I was surprised by the diversity. There are many more species within each group than I had known. Now I’ve got to learn the different species and listen in the field for their songs.
While the book is stunningly beautiful and extremely informative, the CD is the real gem of this package. The recordings are very sharp and clear, the narration minimal yet direct and useful, and the variety of sounds captured is awe-inspiring. You could just listen over and over for fun, but the authors figured this out and came up with a better idea. Visit the web site for this project, www.songsofinsects.com, and you’ll see that you can order a CD titled, “Insect Concertos,” 60 minutes of insect song without narration. “Relax to the wonderful choruses of insects,” the site proclaims, “Release tension and fall asleep to gently pulsating choruses.” Okay, maybe these guys are a little over the top, but you’ve got to admit their whole package, including the “Singing Insect Notecards,” (no, the cards don’t make sounds), is polished and professional. Thanks Mr. Elliott and Mr. Hershberger, you have created a masterpiece and an important addition to the working libraries of many naturalists.
Elliott, Lang and Wil Hershberger. The Songs of Insects. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. 228 pages, $19.95 paper. ISBN-13: 978-0-618-66397-2; ISBN 10: 0-618-66397-5.
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There’s a new gull guide! More than 500 pages on gulls of the Americas written by detail-oriented birding gurus Steve Howell and Jon Dunn. It is called, quite simply, Gulls of the Americas. You will probably respond to this news in one of the following ways:
1. Wow, gulls are challenging, this is great news, I can’t wait to see the book.
2. Five hundred pages on gulls? You must be kidding!
I’m in category one.
I’ll get back to my colleagues in category one soon, but first a few words for those of you in the second category. (I often find myself pleading with beginning and intermediate birders, urging them to appreciate gulls, so the coming spiel is somewhat practiced). Gulls are worth learning, worth studying, worth observing. Even if you think that all gulls look alike, and that each species has way too many different plumages to learn, it’s worth learning something about them. Why? Because they are demonstrating key principles of ecology and population biology every day.
Gulls, like other scavengers and opportunists, are thriving on 21st Century Earth. The populations of many gull species are expanding. As populations expand, some members of those populations can be expected to explore new territories. The actions of these pioneers can lead to range expansions and to some quite remarkable sightings. Since gulls are strong fliers, a pioneering individual may literally move halfway around the world. Simply put, you might find any gull from any part of the world anyplace else these days. One can learn a lot about how wildlife populations function on our planet by tracking these movements, seeing where new populations get established, and observing what happens when sibling species come in contact with one other. Gull populations are incredibly dynamic, and our understanding of gull population biology is evolving right before our eyes. Besides, gulls are easy to study, as they will often sit in the open for long periods of time, allowing for long and detailed study.
Not convinced? I knew you wouldn’t be, but I had to try. So back to those of you in category one, my colleagues who appreciate gulls but are still stumped by them far more often than we like to admit. We category one types are going to love this book. It is absolutely loaded with photos, 1160 of them (at least that’s what it says on the book jacket – no, I didn’t count). Thirty-six species are covered, 22 North American breeders, 10 South American breeders, and 4 visitors from abroad. Do the math: more than 500 pages, more than 1100 pictures, 36 species … incredible detail. The text is quite technical, and only the most ardent gull enthusiasts will read this guide like a book, cover-to-cover, yet I’m sure this will prove to be a handy reference for those of us working to sort out the oddities, which are sometimes rare species and at other times just odd plumages. Ah, such are the joys of gulls.
Will I no longer be baffled by gulls now that I’ve got Gulls of the Americas in hand? Well, after a glance at the 100 pictures of hybrid gulls (this time I did count), I feel quite certain that I will still be baffled once in a while. I do feel certain, however, that I will find this book to be a valuable tool. Hooray to Howell and Dunn for this great-looking reference.
Howell, Steve N. G. and Jon Dunn. Gulls of the Americas. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. 516 pages, $35.00 cloth. ISBN-13: 978-0-618-72641-7; ISBN 10: 0-618-72641-1.
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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.
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You wouldn’t think a book with the title of Rare Bird would slip into press without me noticing, but that’s just what happened with this 2005 title by Maria Mudd Ruth. Thankfully a local reading group chose this title and called me to be a guest at their meeting. Once I had my hands on this book I devoured it quickly.
Rare Bird is the story of the Marbled Murrelet, officially a threatened species throughout much of its range. Part of the notoriety of the species comes from its nesting habits, and this was the last North American bird to have its nest described to science. While most of the Marbled Murrelet’s cousins nest on rocky cliffs and offshore islands, this little alcid flies deep into the forests that line the coasts of the north Pacific and nests on big, moss-covered branches of some of the world’s tallest trees, redwoods and Douglas firs that sometimes exceed 300 feet in height.
The first Marbled Murrelet nest was described in 1974, and author Ruth was intrigued that this bird’s biology could go undiscovered for so long. Part reporter and part murrelet enthusiast, she went on a quest to learn everything she could learn about this unusual species. She traces the historical literature, meets field biologists who have made and continue to make key discoveries, and heads afield with researchers before dawn many days both in the forest where murrelets nest and on the coastal waters where they feed. She even moves her family across the country so she can be in close proximity to Marbled Murrelets. It’s a remarkable pilgrimage.
Happily for us, Ruth is an excellent writer. Rare Bird is a great story well told. The text is crisp and the story moves along quickly. If you have ever visited the forests of the Pacific Northwest, and I have spent a lot of time here, the text triggers memories and evokes the feeling of dawn amidst the planet’s most magnificent trees. I can almost smell the rich earth nourished by fir needles as I ponder the text and write these words.
The second Marbled Murrelet nest wasn’t found until the 1980s had begun, bringing along with it an assortment of intensive research projects. It quickly became clear that the Marbled Murrelet depends on old growth forests along the Pacific Coast, forest with huge trees whose upper limbs are a foot or more in diameter and covered with epiphytic mosses, lichens, club mosses, and ferns. Epiphytes are used to create a soft, green cradle for eggs and chicks. These ancient forests had already become a conservation battleground, and the Marbled Murrelet became an ally of the beleaguered Spotted Owl as pawns in the debate about the value of habitat versus the value of lumber.
Much has been learned in the last twenty years, and Ruth summarizes the conservation status of the Marbled Murrelet in this book. I’m afraid to say that she is not optimistic. Habitat loss in an obvious concern, but there are also problems with predation and environmental contamination. Native jays and crows will often rob the nests of Marbled Murrelets and other birds, and while this is a natural relationship, these corvids are more numerous than ever, their populations swelled by their ability to scavenge off the detritus of human society. The Pacific coastal waters are especially susceptible to oil spills, and overfishing has diminished the amount of food available to murrelets and other seabirds.
We’ll hope that Ruth’s pessimism proves wrong. In the meantime, I think I’ll plan a visit to the Pacific Northwest this summer, where I know I’ll be able to watch Marbled Murrelets swimming and diving along the rocky coastline. Perhaps I’ll even rise in the wee hours of the morning one day and head out to a river valley that’s still filled with ancient trees, where I can listen for the gull-like calls of nesting Marbled Murrelets as they wing their way along their daily commute between ocean and forest.
Ruth, Maria Mudd. 2005. Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet. Rodale Press. $23.95 hardcover. ISBN: 1-59486-090-4.
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Many people in the world of birding and nature are connected to Cape May, but none as thoroughly as the husband/wife naturalist team of Clay and Pat Sutton. For over three decades, as individuals and as a couple, the Suttons have been helping countless people enjoy nature, wildlife, and birding in Cape May County and throughout southern New Jersey. Their work includes the teaching of hundreds (more likely thousands) of classes, workshops, and field trips, the writing or several books and many dozens of articles, and presentations to clubs and festivals all over the United States.
These great ambassadors of Cape May have summarized their love and knowledge of this special place in a magnificent book, their magnum opus, Birds and Birding at Cape May. You shouldn’t even think about coming to Cape May without digesting a good portion of this book, which will answer questions you haven’t even thought to ask (and that goes for those of us who live here, too!). Add the color plates (great stuff!) and introductory material to the nominal page count of 568 and you’ve got 600 pages of information, the distillations of two lifetimes of exploration, study, and contemplation. A third of the book is a thorough overview of the progression of natural events through the seasons, something of a “New Jersey Sand Country Almanac.” There are tables of data from various bird studies, weather maps showing the conditions that bring the most and best birds, photos of birds, birders, places, and some landmark Cape May characters. All these pieces are woven together in heartfelt prose.
There is also a site guide, listings and descriptions of places to enjoy nature around Cape May, from the world-famous spots to lesser-known bits of the wild. Cape May has needed a good bird-finding guide for a long time, and this volume ably fills this niche. Coming to Cape May for the first time and wondering where to go? With this book you’ll know what the locals know; you’ll just face the same dilemma, the need to decide just which site to visit on any given day!
Few people revere the history of Cape May and its importance to nature study, birding, and conservation as much as the Suttons do. For nearly a hundred pages Clay and Pay share their thoughts about the major moments of Cape May’s illustrious history. This is a section to savor.
Yes, Clay and Pat are good friends of mine, but that’s not why I love this book. Cape May is widely respected as one of the world’s best places to enjoy avian migration, and it has long been a Mecca to naturalists, a destination for Holy Pilgrimages. All that has been missing is the sacred text. Now it’s here.
Sutton, Clay & Pat. 2006. Birds and Birding at Cape May: What to See, When and Where to Go. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA. $26.95, paperback. ISBN: 978-0-8117-3134-8.
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