Two Quick Recommendations...

 

Forgotten Trail by Claire Kells

This is the third mystery with ISB agents Felicity Harland and Hux Huxley. This one takes place at Pinnacles National Park in California. I really enjoy the National Park setting in this series, especially when it introduces me to parks I've never heard of before, like Pinnacles. And Felicity and Hux are such engaging characters. They make a fun team. I had one problem with the mystery and how the murderer knew to be there, which I felt was never satisfactorily explained, but I liked everything else about it. Especially the suspenseful moments in the park and those unexpected twists along the way.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Season on the Wind by Suzanne Woods Fisher

"Ben Zook had only two loves in his life. Books and birds."

No longer part of the Amish community, Ben has returned to his childhood home of Stoney Ridge in search of a rare bird. He's hired shy Micah Weaver as his guide. But it was Micah's sister, Penny, who first taught Ben to love birds twenty years ago, when she was just twelve. Too bad he doesn't remember her. 

"She looked at his profile. Him. Ben was her spark bird."

I loved this book because of Micah, Penny, and Ben. And that Amish setting. But most of all, because of the birding! This is an enchanting and heartwarming romance.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Lost Among the Birds by Neil Hayward

 "Nutting's Flycatchers can be elusive, hiding in dense foliage and waiting for insects to fly by before darting out in pursuit. I waited patiently as the calls got louder and closer. Wheep! Wheep! I was using my ears to triangulate the call, while my eyes were poised for any movement...And that's when it popped out, a brown missile flying to the edge of the road. It sat there on a bare mesquite branch, tilting its head, surveying me as if it had never seen a Neil Hayward before and needed one for its life list."

When 2013 begins, Neil Hayward finds himself at a crossroads in his life. Having quit his job in 2012, he still has no idea what he wants to do next. He's turning 40 at the end of the year. He's in a new relationship that's going a little too fast, but that he doesn't want to end. He's struggling with depression. And he fears that the best parts of his life are in the past.

To escape, he goes birding. Because birding is the one thing that always brings him peace and makes him feel better. At first, it's just for one trip to Arizona. Then he goes to Texas. And Florida. And Alaska. Then, without really planning it, he finds himself in the middle of doing a Big Year...and on track to join that elusive club of birders who manage to see over 700 different species of birds in just one year. In the end, he sets a new birding record: 749.

"It's difficult for non-birders to understand the rush of adrenaline and love that you feel when you see a bird you've dreamed about. It's like planning a trip to India. No amount of poring over the guidebooks can quite prepare you for the moment when you walk through the large brass doors in the Southern gateway and behold the bone-white marble of the Taj Mahal...That serenity and sense of timelessness is what seeing a Connecticut Warbler feels like to me."

 I loved this book! Probably because I love birding, too. I am nowhere on the same level as Neil Hayward, but I do know the wonder and joy of seeing a new bird for the first time. This book was such an enjoyable read. Hayward's well-written narrative is conversational, insightful, and humorous. And it's not just about the birds and his travels across America; he also deals with his depression and his relationship with his girlfriend. I found it to be both honest and heartwarming. For me, this was a 5-star read.

Happy Reading!

Other excellent birding books:

The Big Year by Mark Obmascik

Red Tails in Love by Marie Winn

A bookish gem...

The wager:

"It has been agreed by the two members now before us, Mr. Malik and Mr. Khan, that they will make a Wager. The winner of that Wager will have the privilege of asking Mrs. Rose Mbikwa to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball of November the twenty-fifth coming."

"The substance of the Wager is as follows: That starting at noon tomorrow, Saturday October fourteenth, and finishing at noon on Saturday October twenty-first, each protagonist will make a list of all bird species he is able to identify at first hand. The protagonist able to identify the highest number of species during these seven  days will be judged to have won the Wager." 

My thoughts:

Finally! A book set in Africa that isn't sad and doesn't involve war or genocide. In fact, this book is the complete opposite. It's charming, and witty, and has an old-fashioned feel that made me smile. I was rooting for "brown, short, round, and balding" Mr. Malik throughout. I also liked Rose. And Khan makes for the perfect antagonist. (He's Malik's childhood nemesis.) And as a birder myself, I really enjoyed the whole birdwatching aspect. While the pacing of this novel is slow like a lazy summer afternoon, the quirky characters and the captivating glimpses of Kenyan life that it offers definitely makes it worth your time.

Happy Reading!

Birding at Bear River...

The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Northern Utah is a few hours drive from my house. I like to go there every spring to see the migrating birds. Thousands of birds stop here every year to breed and nest, from avocets to stilts. We saw over 30 different kinds of birds when we drove the auto tour loop this year, including this inquisitive great-tailed grackle that was hopping about the parking lot:

Isn't he cute?

I also like to visit this bird refuge because it's so beautiful. Check out these views:

My favorite birds? I love the cinnamon teals and American coots; and the avocets, great blue herons, and snowy egrets, too. And I have to admit to having a special liking for those crazy long-billed curlews and white-faced ibises.  But this year, for the first time, we also spotted a red-breasted merganser, a bird which doesn't normally come to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. And he became #194 on my bird list, making him my favorite this time around.

Happy Birding!

Related post:  Of Books and Birds

A birding update...

So far this year I've added three new birds to my bird list: a snow goose, a brown creeper, and a great horned owl.

Can you believe it? A pair of great horned owls have been nesting at the Salt Lake City Cemetery for the past six years. They are incredible birds. And I finally spotted one!! I'm closing in on my 150th bird...maybe this summer.

Happy Birding!

P.S.  Here's a picture of the little brown creeper:

Of Books and Birds...

According to Mark Obmascik's The Big Year, there are 675 bird species common to North America. (Not counting vagrants or varities--those birds that get lost in migration and show up in places they don't belong.)

In 1998, Sandy Komito found and identified 745 species of birds, setting a new North American birding record that will never be broken. Talk about a big year! His two closest competitors, Greg Miller and Al Levantin, counted 715 and 711 birds respectively. The Big Year chronicles this amazing accomplishment. (Or you can watch the hilarious and heartwarming movie version starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson. I love this movie! It's what got me into birdwatching in the first place.)

While I'll never attempt a "Big Year" myself, I do have my own life list: 99 birds that I have seen and identified so far. (I'm hoping to hit 100 by the end of the year.) My favorite bird? Hmm. It's hard to choose. I love the Canyon Wrens I spotted last year on my birthday (talk about a great present!); and I'm especially fond of the small but charming Black-Capped Chickadees that swoop to my feeder every morning, steal a seed or two, and swoop away again to go eat them in a tree. Then there are American Avocets, Black-necked Stilts, and Snowy Egrets; Great Blue Herons, Bald Eagles, and Belted Kingfishers. And what about Hummingbirds, Warblers, and Kestrels? Sigh. I can't choose. The truth is, I haven't yet seen a bird I didn't love. And that's what makes birdwatching so great!