Month: April 2020

by Robert Tougias

The author’s house on Berry Lane may look like a typical Connecticut suburban home, but as his fascinating year-long account reveals, its three-acre backyard is teeming with nature’s mysteries. Acutely sensitive to the activities of birds, Tougias notes which species are present, which are breeding, and where their nests are. He identifies each species by its song, and brings us on a journey of appreciation as we learn the wonders of bird migration, the sensitive interaction of birds with their habitat, and the hidden meaning of their call notes and songs.Intimate and acutely observed writing reveals the miracles of the ordinary in the subtle changes, season to season, of the ecosystem of the woods, streams, and meadow that make up the sprawling backyard on Berry Lane. We are led to consider, too, the dangers posed by the climate crisis and unthinking human development. The quietly powerful writing tunes our senses to the change of the seasons, the return of warblers in spring, geese flying south in the fall–all happening on time as they have for eons.Beautifully illustrated with twenty-five line drawings, Birder on Berry Lane is a book of sublime simplicity that teaches an appreciation for what we commonly overlook.

Hardcover, 224 pages. /// $19.98. /// Randy’s Price on Bookshop $18.38

by Kelsey Oseid

Discover the world’s birds, their homes, and their eggs in this gorgeously illustrated, entertaining, and educational guide.Did you know that the tailorbird “sews” leaves together to make its nest? Or that hummingbird eggs are the size of jellybeans?Birds are some of the world’s most beautiful and interesting creatures, and their nests and eggs are no exception, displaying a stunning diversity of shapes, sizes, functions, and materials. In Nests, Eggs, Birds, celebrated artist and author Kelsey Oseid explores the fascinating ins and outs of where and how dozens of avian species–robins, birds of paradise, crows, owls, penguins, and more–make their homes and lay their eggs.Full of striking naturalistic art and fun scientific facts, Nests, Eggs, Birds will delight bird lovers of all ages.

Hardcover, 144 pages. /// $16.98. /// Randy’s Price on Bookshop $15.62