Frances L. Wood

This book is part introduction to birdwatching- explaining how to find birds, learn to recognize their songs, markings, habitat use, etc.- and part personal stories about the author's experiences observing birds. She shared the sighting that got her husband into birdwatching. the stunningly colorful painted bunting, and the captivating charm of pigeon guillemots that instantly became her personal favorite. I think I liked the essay parts a little better. Also included are some legends on birds. It’s arranged by the seasons, with lists of bird species typically seen where she lives- on an island in Puget Sound- both resident birds and those that pass through on migration routes. The lists have lines to take notes on. Charming ink drawings accompany the text. My favorite parts were reading the factual details and behavioral accounts on hummingbirds, great blue herons, kingfishers and woodpeckers. There are a ton more species named and described- sometimes in brief, others with more detail. Most were familiar to me because I grew up in that area... When I thumbed back through the book to see what I’d like to mention in my post, very little jumped out at me. Not as compelling as some other books I’ve read on birds, but it’s nice enough.

more at the Dogear Diary… (meer)

There are certain books that appeal on a level beyond words, sentences and chapters; books that feel good in the hands or evoke some kind of deep down feeling. While Brushed By Feathers didn't turn me into a birding fanatic I was moved by it by appearance alone. With its journal-like pages and illustrations it is a book that goes beyond simple content. Its presentation is near perfection. Had it been bound with a soft cloth cover, one that would feel good in the hands, I would have said this is one book to hold onto - literally.
I also loved the presentation of the content. Each chapter is a different month of bird watching in the Pacific northwest region of the Unites States (Wood lives near Puget Sound). Wood begins each chapter with an overview of the sights and sounds one might expect to find during that particular month and then chooses a bird to detail (eagle, hummingbird, etc). She adds personal stories to connect with her audience and not be completely didactic. Also included in the beginning of each chapter is a checklist of the new birds introduced each month with room for notes about each species.… (meer)

#10, 2005

This is a book about birds of the western United States, presented as month-by-month essays. I did enjoy the book - it's filled with lots of facts and stories about some of our native birds - but I also found it slow reading, and a bit boring in places. It reads like a personal journal (reminds me of some of the things I've written in my birding records, come to think of it), and at times I found it a bit . . . well, sappy is not quite the right word. Maybe too informal is a better description. Not that I expected something "scholarly," but at times I found some of the author's musings to be a bit trite. I suspect, however, that others might find the book charming for the same reasons I found it a bit slow.… (meer)