On the Wing #23: Some Light Reading Pt. 1
Having just gotten back from Another Anime Convention (Actual name of the con. No lie.) and not having been able to do anything bird-related this weekend, I thought I'd do a bonus third entry for this week to try and make up for it. Here is my bird book reading list recommendations.
Part I: Books I have read previously and would recommend to others.
The Verb 'To Bird': Sightings of an Avid Birder by Peter Cashwell (2003)
Hope is the Thing with Feathers: A Personal Chronicle of Vanished Birds by Christopher Cokinos (2000)
Taking its title from a favorite poem of mine (for obvious reasons), "Hope" speaks of Christopher Cokinos's quest to learn more about the stories of extinction of six of the most prominent and well known extinct North American bird species in the last 200 years. They include the Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis), Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis), Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis), Labrador Duck (Camptorhynchus labradorius), Heath Hen (Tympanuchus cupido cupido), and Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius). The book deals with the known life history of the birds and how certain factors such as overhunting, habitat loss and degradation, and pest control efforts decimated those natural populations to the point of no return.
The destruction of modern day species is just as appalling as those that occurred in the past. However, they serve as grave reminders of the destruction caused by overzealous human activity and hopefully stand as monuments in the chance that we can overcome our tendencies to uproot and dismantle so that we can live with and protect that which we care for the most. I would recommend those who read this to use it as an example of how biodiversity is so precious and subject to wanton waste and destruction. How, like the crippled pigeon lying in a farmers field waiting to die, that if left neglected after such abuse, the cruel end that awaits those threatened species isn't a quick one, but a long drawn out spiral of loss and suffering.
Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness by Lyanda Lynn Haupt (2009)
While I'm not a fan of the urban jungle, Lyanda Lynn Haupt provides a window into the social life history of crows around her home in Seattle, Washington, as well as the dynamic of nature in the urban environment. A chapter I thought was a particularly instructive was the one which dealt with the author's observation of a dead crow she'd been looking over for several hours prior. While initially she remarked at the boredom that seeps in after hours of looking only on the surface, eventually she began seeing the deeper nuances and subtleties of the body at hand. This is done while referring to a similar story about a student trying to gain favor with the legendary wildlife artist, Louis Aggasiz Fuertes, and how through zen like proverbs and thinking, Fuertes suggests in "Rafiki-esque" fashion for the student to "look harder".
This book is another favorite simply because I love corvids. Anytime I go birding and the pickings are slim, if I see a crow or a jay or raven, it just makes my day. What this book also has taught me is that there is a difference towards seeing a bird and saying "it's just a robin" and seeing a bird as an individual, a singular being, separate from the species that they are part of in all of their actions, behavior, and being. It was simply a joy to read.
Nature I Loved by Bill Geagan (1952)
I picked up this book from the free shelf of the Quimby Library at Unity College in Maine and as soon as I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. "Nature I Loved" is possibly the most wonderfully book written about a man's journey to find solace and purpose in what was the wilderness of northern Maine. His family pleaded with him to come back to "reality" in order to settle down and start a family. Given the time and place that America was in, that seemed like the reasonable argument, but Geagan pressed on however. He described the passing seasons, his fellow residents (mostly animals, with a few human characters here and there), and the lake where he hunted, fished, and lived the outdoor life that so many of us can only dream of.
What really had a great effect on me was the idea of the do-it-yourself dream of living in the wilds of Maine (or anywhere really) and being able to provide my own food and shelter without having to worry about GMOs or salmonella outbreaks that could harm me or my family. It's these types of books written in the spirit of self sufficiency that strike at the heart of my love for nature. The use of nature by humans for the betterment of society and self is made all the more whole by living in accordance and harmony with it. If only we all could follow this principle, but alas, I suppose that's another smoky dream from my imaginary pipe.
Stay tuned for part two which talks about my expectations for some books I'm looking forward to reading. Happy birding. ^_^
Part I: Books I have read previously and would recommend to others.
This wonderful yarn is about the birding adventures of Peter Cashwell, an English teacher from Virginia who has a passion for birds and birding as well as the literary arts. I love this book's eloquent style and wording as well as how his explanations of how the word "bird" became a verb with its various forms for past, present, and future use. His own use of language and words is particularly spectacular. An excerpt of his work can be found on the back of the book as he describes his search for an American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana):
"Well if nothing else, the Avocet is striking, an extraordinarily slender wader, standing almost two feet high, with its back and wings boldly pied black and white; in breeding plumage, its gray head turns a rich, warm, almost rosy shade of tan. More peculiar, however, is its long, black, slender bill, which curves gracefully and noticeably upwards…"
With such beautiful language, he is on par with Peterson's descriptions of birds back when he first came out with "A Field Guide to the Birds". My favorite piece however, is his search for Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) with a birding friend and fellow co-worker. The story isn't particularly spectacular, but with her misnaming of the bird they are seeking as "Pythagorean Warbler", the story takes on a whole other meaning and becomes all the more memorable for me as I read onwards. Other favorites for me include the Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) he discovered in a bush in his backyard, as well as his opinion on geese where he describes Canada's (Branta canadensis) as being "common as dirt" (rightly so) and finally the coming Dickcissel (Spiza americana) apocalypse (which is probably a reference to the sheer numbers that the birds accumulate in during migration and on their wintering grounds). By far this is one of my favorite birding accounts, so I recommend it to anyone looking for a account of birding and list building, worded in the most fastidious and eloquent fashion.
Hope is the Thing with Feathers: A Personal Chronicle of Vanished Birds by Christopher Cokinos (2000)
Taking its title from a favorite poem of mine (for obvious reasons), "Hope" speaks of Christopher Cokinos's quest to learn more about the stories of extinction of six of the most prominent and well known extinct North American bird species in the last 200 years. They include the Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis), Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis), Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis), Labrador Duck (Camptorhynchus labradorius), Heath Hen (Tympanuchus cupido cupido), and Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius). The book deals with the known life history of the birds and how certain factors such as overhunting, habitat loss and degradation, and pest control efforts decimated those natural populations to the point of no return.
The destruction of modern day species is just as appalling as those that occurred in the past. However, they serve as grave reminders of the destruction caused by overzealous human activity and hopefully stand as monuments in the chance that we can overcome our tendencies to uproot and dismantle so that we can live with and protect that which we care for the most. I would recommend those who read this to use it as an example of how biodiversity is so precious and subject to wanton waste and destruction. How, like the crippled pigeon lying in a farmers field waiting to die, that if left neglected after such abuse, the cruel end that awaits those threatened species isn't a quick one, but a long drawn out spiral of loss and suffering.
While I'm not a fan of the urban jungle, Lyanda Lynn Haupt provides a window into the social life history of crows around her home in Seattle, Washington, as well as the dynamic of nature in the urban environment. A chapter I thought was a particularly instructive was the one which dealt with the author's observation of a dead crow she'd been looking over for several hours prior. While initially she remarked at the boredom that seeps in after hours of looking only on the surface, eventually she began seeing the deeper nuances and subtleties of the body at hand. This is done while referring to a similar story about a student trying to gain favor with the legendary wildlife artist, Louis Aggasiz Fuertes, and how through zen like proverbs and thinking, Fuertes suggests in "Rafiki-esque" fashion for the student to "look harder".
This book is another favorite simply because I love corvids. Anytime I go birding and the pickings are slim, if I see a crow or a jay or raven, it just makes my day. What this book also has taught me is that there is a difference towards seeing a bird and saying "it's just a robin" and seeing a bird as an individual, a singular being, separate from the species that they are part of in all of their actions, behavior, and being. It was simply a joy to read.
I picked up this book from the free shelf of the Quimby Library at Unity College in Maine and as soon as I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. "Nature I Loved" is possibly the most wonderfully book written about a man's journey to find solace and purpose in what was the wilderness of northern Maine. His family pleaded with him to come back to "reality" in order to settle down and start a family. Given the time and place that America was in, that seemed like the reasonable argument, but Geagan pressed on however. He described the passing seasons, his fellow residents (mostly animals, with a few human characters here and there), and the lake where he hunted, fished, and lived the outdoor life that so many of us can only dream of.
What really had a great effect on me was the idea of the do-it-yourself dream of living in the wilds of Maine (or anywhere really) and being able to provide my own food and shelter without having to worry about GMOs or salmonella outbreaks that could harm me or my family. It's these types of books written in the spirit of self sufficiency that strike at the heart of my love for nature. The use of nature by humans for the betterment of society and self is made all the more whole by living in accordance and harmony with it. If only we all could follow this principle, but alas, I suppose that's another smoky dream from my imaginary pipe.
Stay tuned for part two which talks about my expectations for some books I'm looking forward to reading. Happy birding. ^_^
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