Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding

From Publishers Weekly
Weidensaul (Return to Wild America) traces bird watching in America from colonial times to the present, when powerful binoculars and other sophisticated technologies have revolutionized the sport. He entertainingly describes many early naturalists who shot and collected birds, including Mark Catesby, John and William Bartram, some military men and an intrepid lady named Martha Maxwell. By the late 19th century, when entire bird populations had been decimated for sport, food and the millinery trade, formidable society ladies began demanding avian protection, the Audubon Society was created and recreational birding, featuring binoculars instead of guns, was born, aided by the emergence of field guides like Roger Tory Peterson's. Today, says Weidensaul, there are millions of birders in the United States, and the sport has entered a new phase, emphasizing competitive birding, lists, rarity chasing and Big Year records. For Weidensaul, this is not a good thing. He finds that people who concentrate on competition and listing often forget the enjoyment of mere observation and the importance of conservation. A naturalist and federally licensed bird bander, he is passionate about birding. His vivid descriptions of his own experiences should send many a reader out of doors to look for the small, contained miracle that is a bird. Photos. (Sept.)
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From Booklist
Weidensaul, author of four other works of natural history, chronicles the origins of American birding. We meet Alexander Wilson, who came to the U.S. from Scotland in 1794 and published a book illustrating all the birds to be found in this country; John James Audubon, famous author of Birds of America; Spencer Fullerton Baird, who created the National Museum of Natural History; Florence Merriam, the author of Birds through an Opera Glass (1889); George Grinnell, who created the first Audubon Society in 1886; Mabel Osgood Wright, the author of best-selling books on birds and the founder of the Connecticut Audubon chapter; and David Sibley, who has written the most successful field guide since Roger Tory Peterson's. With 24 black-and-white photographs, this book will delight birdwatchers and encourage others to start watching. Cohen, George --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.