This is a review of Force of Nature – George Fell, Founder of the Natural Areas Movement by Arthur Melville Pearson George Fell was born in 1916 in Elgin, Illinois, not far from where I grew up and now live. He spent his coming of age years in my hometown of Rockford, Illinois and spent
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The (Big) Year That Flew By is the memoir of Arjan Dwarshuis’s birding big year. A Native of Netherlands, Dwarshuis was already a world traveler and birder when he decided to try and break Noah Strycker’s world record of the most birds seen in a single calendar year. By choosing a leap year, 2016, Arjan
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Who is more obsessed? The feather thief, Edwin Rist or the author of The Feather Thief, Kirk Wallace Johnson. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century covers the bizarre museum “heist” by American flutist, Edwin Rist. At the time of his crime, Rist was only 20 years old and
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The Complete Birds of the World: Every Species Illustrated is a monster of a book that lives up to its title. Based on the most up-to-date IOC list of birds (at the time of printing), there are 10,711 species included in this book. The birds span 40 orders, 246 families, and 2,313 genera. The format
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The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World is a downer of a book that catalogs the massive decline amongst insects. Over the last several decades, nearly every single group of insects from butterflies to beetles, fireflies to bees has been in a downward spiral. Author Oliver Milman is a
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Nature’s Temples: A Natural History of Old-Growth Forests by Joan Maloof was originally published in 2016 but has since been revised and expanded in 2023 by Princeton University Press. Joan Maloof, PhD, is the founder and director of the Old Growth Forest Network. This quick read starts out with the basics: “What is an Old
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Princeton University Press’s Field Guide to North American Flycatchers: Empidonax and Pewees is definitely geared towards more serious birders. It includes the highly similar Empidonax flycatcher family as well as four pewees and Olive-Sided Flycatcher. The guide is split into two parts: How to Use the Guide and the Field Guide proper. How to Use
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How Birds Evolve: What Science Reveals About Their Origin, Lives & DiversityDouglas J. FutuymaPrinceton University Press (2021) Birds are one of the most fascinating group of animals. They have a great deal of diversity and live in nearly every habitat on the globe. Many have beautiful coloration, fascinating behavior, and beautiful voices. And of course,
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