My cat, Freddy, is an avid birdwatcher. Every morning he sits in the window and spots all sorts of things, such as sparrows, robins, and cardinals. And then there’s Squirrelfriend, a plucky little rodent who visits Freddy on their way to hide food in our window unit air conditioner. They have a pretty sweet relationship.
I, too, find birds to be endlessly fascinating. They’re smarter than you think, many of them are great dancers, and quite a few of them are living dinosaurs. And don’t even get me started on Corvids (Crows, Ravens, etc.). Corvids are my absolute fav, with brains built for problem solving and survival. They are some of the smartest creatures on Earth.
So here are a few of my recommendations for learning more about our feathered friends (and fiends):
Audubon’s Aviary (or anything that borrows from “The Birds of America”) by John James Audubon
THE bird book.
You can look up the illustrations on-line. Gigantic, beautiful, detailed watercolors of, well, the birds of America. You find some edition of it at your local library. But if you live near a library with a Rare Books Collections, see if they have an original copy on display. You won’t be able to flip through it, but you probably see a plate or two.
Living near Philadelphia, I’m lucky to have a few locations in the area displaying this book. I also have the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, home to some of his work as well as a great place to go birding.
Also, see https://www.audubon.org/
The Sibley Guide to Birds by David Allen Sibley
The work of a singular mind, The Sibley Guides are perfect for the backyard birder. Detailed information and clear illustrations, Sibley goes deeper than a lot of other birding books. Not just the What, but also the Hows and Whys. I personally can’t stand Canadian Geese, but I’m fascinated by the Sibley’s breakdown on beak length and gendering, as well as how not to confuse them with Cackling Geese.
The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
This book is why I take notice of crows every time I hear that caw outside. They can use tools! They can solve puzzles! They might be smarter than some people (that’s me editorializing).
Ackerman explores all aspects of birds. Sparrows are kinda terrible. Bird songs are complicated for a reason. Videos of tropical birds dancing on YouTube should be your new favorite thing, and Ackerman tells you why.
If you think birds do weird things, The Genius of Birds is happy to explain it all to you.
The Ravenmaster by Christopher Skaife
Christopher Skaife has one of the coolest jobs in the world: He’s the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London.
Maybe you’ve heard the legend about the ravens at the Tower of London. If they should ever leave the Tower it will collapse along with the kingdom of England (and I assume all affiliated kingdoms? It’s a very old legend, who knows).
While this is technically an autobiography about Skaife (and he is an interesting guy), the ravens are the real main event. They have their own personalities, stories, lives. They build their own society, with its own rules and law. And they can talk. I love animals that can talk.
It’s a short read, but well worth the afternoon read time.
Commentaires