Books about birds Archives

The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year

by Margaret Renkl

In this fall 2023 release, Renkl brings readers to her backyard in Tennessee, sharing observations of the flora and fauna she finds close to home. There are 52 chapters, one for each week, moving us through the seasons as the birds and other animals come and go, flowers bloom, and trees shed leaves. She also shares the way her personal life mirrors the lives of the birds, with her grown children making their own migration. A beautiful reflection of nature, accompanied by artwork drawn by her brother Billy Renkl.

Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World

by Christian Cooper

Christian Cooper became a household name in May 2020 while birding in Central Park after he requested a white woman leash her dog and she made racist threats instead. The video of the encounter that he took for his safety went viral. Part memoir, birding information, and travelogue, Cooper takes us inside his life as a Blerd (Black nerd), sharing his upbringing and how he began birding in NYC. He also shares how his interest in birds helped him navigate life as a gay Black man.

The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature

by J. Drew Lanham

A lyrical memoir about growing up in rural South Carolina with essays on nature, belonging, and identity. Lanham, a Black ornithologist and professor, fell in love with the natural world as a child in the 1970s. Often the only Black person in a white-dominated field, he explores why so few people of color study natural sciences and what can be done to foster a stronger connection to land and the birds and animals that live there.

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa

by Nicholas Drayson

A quiet novel about birding and romance. Mr. Malik has just gathered enough courage to ask Rose Mbikwa to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball when his intellectual rival arrives and immediately—and inconveniently—falls for Rose himself. Since Rose leads the East African Ornithological Society, the two men agree to a bird-identifying competition in order to determine who will ask her to the ball. Hijinks ensue.

H Is for Hawk

by Helen Macdonald

This memoir from a Cambridge professor landed on more than 25 "best of the year" lists. After her father dies, McDonald stumbles upon a unique way to assuage her grief: she purchases and attempts to train an English goshawk with the deceptively quaint name Mabel. McDonald had been a falconer since she was a child, but her hawk is wild, unpredictable, irascible—as is her grief. Part memoir, part nature story: her tale is moving, poignant, and surprising.

The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird

by Joshua Hammer

From the publisher: "A rollicking true-crime adventure about a rogue who trades in rare birds and their eggs—and the wildlife detective determined to stop him. On May 3, 2010, an Irish national named Jeffrey Lendrum was apprehended at Britain’s Birmingham International Airport with a suspicious parcel strapped to his stomach. Inside were fourteen rare peregrine falcon eggs snatched from a remote cliffside in Wales. So begins a tale almost too bizarre to believe, following the parallel lives of a globe-trotting smuggler who spent two decades capturing endangered raptors worth millions of dollars as race champions—and Detective Andy McWilliam of the United Kingdom's National Wildlife Crime Unit, who’s hell bent on protecting the world's birds of prey. It’s a story that’s part true-crime narrative, part epic adventure—and wholly unputdownable until the very last page."

Brood: A Novel

by Jackie Polzin

Will and I thought about getting chickens for years but never went for it, and it turns out chickens are really hard to keep alive. The nameless main character manages to care for her brood of four chickens through a Minnesota winter, a summer tornado, and the random ailments that strike chickens down without explanation or warning. While pouring herself into her new hobby, she's also coping with heavy grief and disappointment due to a recent miscarriage and the possibility of a cross-country move. If you're in the mood for a quiet, introspective book that's on the shorter side, this might be right for you.

Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder: A Memoir

by Julia Zarankin

This bestselling Canadian memoir celebrates a spirit of curiosity and the wonder of nature. “To be among birds is to be constantly learning.” Lit professor Zarankin, who describes herself as a serial enthusiast and novice naturalist, was as surprised as anyone when she fell head-over-heels for birdwatching at the age of 35—years before the hobby zoomed to popularity during the coronavirus pandemic. In this memoir, she interweaves stories of the birds she’s logged with tales from her childhood in the Soviet Union, her subsequent moves to Paris and the U.S., and current Toronto-based birdwatching community, which has become her surrogate family. A natural choice for nature-lovers and those eager to enjoy the thrill of vicariously stumbling into a new hobby. Lovely on audio, as read by Nan McNamara.

Migrations

by Charlotte McConaghy

McConaghy's U.S. debut is set in the near future, when most wildlife has become extinct. Franny Stone arrives in Greenland to follow the last Arctic terns on their likely final migration to Antarctica. She finagles a spot on a fishing boat and develops a found family with the oddball crew. As they set sail, Franny learns there’s no hiding from her past—including a love affair and a crime. The story alternates between her quest and her history, exploring climate change, redemption, and the persistence of hope.

Books about birds