New Bird Books, Spring 2009

I’ve been pretty busy lately and haven’t had enough time to write reviews. I’m hoping that will change soon. But in the meantime, here are some thoughts on some recently published bird books.

Life List: A Woman’s Quest for the World’s Most Amazing Birds
Olivia Gentile
This is an excellent biography of uber-birder and lister Phoebe Snetsinger. I have already written a review of Birding on Borrowed Time, Phoebe’s memoir, and I was curious to see how this biography would compare. Briefly, in just about every regard, I consider this bio as superior. I would recommend starting with it.
Birdscapes: Birds in Our Imagination and Experience
Jeremy Mynott
My favorite bird book from last year was The Life of the Skies. I’m less than 50 pages into Birdscapes, but so far it reminds me very much of Life of the Skies. It may touch upon some of the same subjects, but it’s really the way that it makes you question things, and really think. I’m going to make a bold prediction and say that this may be my frontrunner for favorite book of 2009 – I’m enjoying it that much so far.
Birdsong by the Seasons: A Year of Listening to Birds
Donald Kroodsma
Kroodsma’s The Singing Life of Birds is fantastic, and should be required reading for anyone interested in bird song. This book, which is a celebration of birdsong from January to December, looks like it could be just as good.
Flyaway: How A Wild Bird Rehabber Sought Adventure and Found Her Wings
Suzie Gilbert
A verteran bird rehabber chronicles her experiences with injured birds. This looks like an interesting story, all the more so because it’s a subject that is underrepresented in birding literature.
National Geographic Complete Birds of the World
This guide presents an account for each of the world’s bird families, similar to The Princeton Encyclopedia of Birds. I’ve only had a chance to skim through this one, but my initial impression is that if, given the choice, I’d take the one from Princeton.
The Travails of Two Woodpeckers: Ivory-Bills and Imperials
Noel F. R. Snyder, David E. Brown, Kevin B. Clark
I believe the title says it all. Snyder has written books on several other extinct and endangered species, and I’m interested in his take on these two.