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
Continue reading The (Big) Year That Flew By – Arjan Dwarshuis
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
Continue reading The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century
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
Continue reading The Complete Birds of the World: Every Species Illustrated
Save Bell Bowl Prairie is a grassroots effort to protect an ancient, remnant gravel prairie called Bell Bowl Prairie. The prairie is modestly sized at 12-14 acres (reduced from 25 from recent construction). The most important area of this is only 4.88 acres. The prairie is located adjacent to the Chicago Rockford International Airport and
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
Continue reading The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World
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
Continue reading Nature’s Temples: A Natural History of Old-Growth Forests
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
Continue reading Field Guide to North American Flycatchers: Empidonax and Pewees
Here in the Midwest we get a fair bit of snow. When the snow fills the rural fields, it pushes many birds out to the edge of the country roads. If you are newer to birding, you may be wondering, What are those birds by the road in winter? The three most common “shoulder” birds
Continue reading What Are Those Birds By the Road in Winter?
