A Season on the Wind by Kenn Kaufman is a well-written, engrossing narrative that follows the incredible phenomenon of bird migration. Kaufman?s main focus is on spring migration but fall migration, equally important, is covered, too.
His observations center around the birds passing through his home territory along the southwest shoreline of Lake Erie, east of Toledo, Ohio. This is an area world famous as a birding "hotspot" with spring migrants flying from as far as the southern tip of South America then spreading north to the upper reaches of Canada and Alaska after a "refueling" stopover at Lake Erie.
Kaufman describes how and why these tiny creatures are able to make such lengthy journeys not once, but twice, every year. He also discusses navigation and how birds determine routes for the perilous journeys.
Chapters in the book also address bird conservation issues such as climate change, and the unintended consequences of alternative energy sources, specifically wind farms. There is also a nice chapter on bald eagles.
Kaufmann is a well-known, highly respected birding expert, conservationist, artist and author of numerous books and field guides. This is not a dry reference book. He writes with obvious love and fascination for his topic that has not diminished since he took up birding in his youth.
Come this spring you may look up into the night sky with a renewed sense of awe and a tip of the hat to Kenn Kaufman and all who advocate for our winged migrants.
Additional reading: Kingbird Highway by Kenn Kaufman. His memoir of dropping
out of high school at age 16 to travel around the country in pursuit of birds.
Full disclosure: I?ve had the good fortune to hear Ken speak at a couple of birding events, and also participated in a birding workshop he led years ago when he lived
in Arizona. A genuinely nice guy!
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Topic: The Reading Corner (Read 44714 times)