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Birds and Birding at Cape May
Reviewed by Mark S. Garland

Many people in the world of birding and nature are connected to Cape May, but none as thoroughly as the husband/wife naturalist team of Clay and Pat Sutton. For over three decades, as individuals and as a couple, the Suttons have been helping countless people enjoy nature, wildlife, and birding in Cape May County and throughout southern New Jersey. Their work includes the teaching of hundreds (more likely thousands) of classes, workshops, and field trips, the writing or several books and many dozens of articles, and presentations to clubs and festivals all over the United States.

These great ambassadors of Cape May have summarized their love and knowledge of this special place in a magnificent book, their magnum opus, Birds and Birding at Cape May. You shouldn’t even think about coming to Cape May without digesting a good portion of this book, which will answer questions you haven’t even thought to ask (and that goes for those of us who live here, too!). Add the color plates (great stuff!) and introductory material to the nominal page count of 568 and you’ve got 600 pages of information, the distillations of two lifetimes of exploration, study, and contemplation. A third of the book is a thorough overview of the progression of natural events through the seasons, something of a “New Jersey Sand Country Almanac.” There are tables of data from various bird studies, weather maps showing the conditions that bring the most and best birds, photos of birds, birders, places, and some landmark Cape May characters. All these pieces are woven together in heartfelt prose.

There is also a site guide, listings and descriptions of places to enjoy nature around Cape May, from the world-famous spots to lesser-known bits of the wild. Cape May has needed a good bird-finding guide for a long time, and this volume ably fills this niche. Coming to Cape May for the first time and wondering where to go? With this book you’ll know what the locals know; you’ll just face the same dilemma, the need to decide just which site to visit on any given day!

Few people revere the history of Cape May and its importance to nature study, birding, and conservation as much as the Suttons do. For nearly a hundred pages Clay and Pay share their thoughts about the major moments of Cape May’s illustrious history. This is a section to savor.

Yes, Clay and Pat are good friends of mine, but that’s not why I love this book. Cape May is widely respected as one of the world’s best places to enjoy avian migration, and it has long been a Mecca to naturalists, a destination for Holy Pilgrimages. All that has been missing is the sacred text. Now it’s here.

Sutton, Clay & Pat. 2006. Birds and Birding at Cape May: What to See, When and Where to Go. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA. $26.95, paperback. ISBN: 978-0-8117-3134-8.

Rare Bird
Reviewed by Mark S. Garland

You wouldn’t think a book with the title of Rare Bird would slip into press without me noticing, but that’s just what happened with this 2005 title by Maria Mudd Ruth. Thankfully a local reading group chose this title and called me to be a guest at their meeting. Once I had my hands on this book I devoured it quickly.

Rare Bird is the story of the Marbled Murrelet, officially a threatened species throughout much of its range. Part of the notoriety of the species comes from its nesting habits, and this was the last North American bird to have its nest described to science. While most of the Marbled Murrelet’s cousins nest on rocky cliffs and offshore islands, this little alcid flies deep into the forests that line the coasts of the north Pacific and nests on big, moss-covered branches of some of the world’s tallest trees, redwoods and Douglas firs that sometimes exceed 300 feet in height.

The first Marbled Murrelet nest was described in 1974, and author Ruth was intrigued that this bird’s biology could go undiscovered for so long. Part reporter and part murrelet enthusiast, she went on a quest to learn everything she could learn about this unusual species. She traces the historical literature, meets field biologists who have made and continue to make key discoveries, and heads afield with researchers before dawn many days both in the forest where murrelets nest and on the coastal waters where they feed. She even moves her family across the country so she can be in close proximity to Marbled Murrelets. It’s a remarkable pilgrimage.

Happily for us, Ruth is an excellent writer. Rare Bird is a great story well told. The text is crisp and the story moves along quickly. If you have ever visited the forests of the Pacific Northwest, and I have spent a lot of time here, the text triggers memories and evokes the feeling of dawn amidst the planet’s most magnificent trees. I can almost smell the rich earth nourished by fir needles as I ponder the text and write these words.

The second Marbled Murrelet nest wasn’t found until the 1980s had begun, bringing along with it an assortment of intensive research projects. It quickly became clear that the Marbled Murrelet depends on old growth forests along the Pacific Coast, forest with huge trees whose upper limbs are a foot or more in diameter and covered with epiphytic mosses, lichens, club mosses, and ferns. Epiphytes are used to create a soft, green cradle for eggs and chicks. These ancient forests had already become a conservation battleground, and the Marbled Murrelet became an ally of the beleaguered Spotted Owl as pawns in the debate about the value of habitat versus the value of lumber.

Much has been learned in the last twenty years, and Ruth summarizes the conservation status of the Marbled Murrelet in this book. I’m afraid to say that she is not optimistic. Habitat loss in an obvious concern, but there are also problems with predation and environmental contamination. Native jays and crows will often rob the nests of Marbled Murrelets and other birds, and while this is a natural relationship, these corvids are more numerous than ever, their populations swelled by their ability to scavenge off the detritus of human society. The Pacific coastal waters are especially susceptible to oil spills, and overfishing has diminished the amount of food available to murrelets and other seabirds.

We’ll hope that Ruth’s pessimism proves wrong. In the meantime, I think I’ll plan a visit to the Pacific Northwest this summer, where I know I’ll be able to watch Marbled Murrelets swimming and diving along the rocky coastline. Perhaps I’ll even rise in the wee hours of the morning one day and head out to a river valley that’s still filled with ancient trees, where I can listen for the gull-like calls of nesting Marbled Murrelets as they wing their way along their daily commute between ocean and forest.

Ruth, Maria Mudd. 2005. Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet. Rodale Press. $23.95 hardcover. ISBN: 1-59486-090-4.

Good Birders Don’t Wear White
Review by Mark S. Garland

Sometimes publishers are pretty darned clever. A successful book fills a niche. Often that niche has to do with subject and/or author. As for Good Birders Don’t Wear White, the subject is of interest (birding tips), and the list of authors is something like the Hall of Fame for birding authors. But no, the niche for this book is gift-giving. It’s inexpensive (list price is $8.95) and small, just right for a little hospitality gift to bring when visiting a birder, or as a present for that birding acquaintance who is retiring from the office or having a big birthday. I expect that a lot of these books will be bought by birders and by non-birders searching for something inexpensive at the bookstore.

Fortunately it’s a nice little book. Touted as, “50 Tips from North America’s Top Birders,” don’t be tricked into thinking that this is the volume that will turn you from beginner to expert overnight. These aren’t those kind of tips. No, it’s mostly this august group giving advice. On several occasions one author mildly contradicts another. The readers are told not to wear white, as it can scare away birds, but to wave a white hankie over ponds because waterbirds may become curious and, in a third piece, told not to worry about wearing white (though only in certain situations). We are told to go birding in storms and at night, to linger over birds after we’ve identified them, to keep journals and calendars, to travel the world and its oceans, and prodded to be more actively involved with bird conservation. We are given advice on how to become great birders and then discouraged from even trying.

Take kids birding. Build a blind for bird photography. Learn bird songs. Show birds to strangers. Call to birds with an iPod. Share the spotting scope. Buy a digital camera. Watch the weather forecasts. Take field notes. Sketch birds. Get great birding gear. Don’t worry about your birding gear. The advice just keeps coming.

By and large, it’s all very pleasant stuff. The chapters are very short – ideal for a quick read when you’ve got only a couple minutes to spare. Some of the writing is delightful, and it is quite interesting to compare the writing of many noted authors side-by-side in this format and on this open-ended subject. I’ll say no more than that the cream rises to the top and let you judge for yourself. It’s a great way to sample the work of many writers, and that can help you decide what birding books to tackle next.

I guess it’s worth listing them all: Mike O’Connor, Connie Toops, David M. Bird, Bill Thompson III, Clay Sutton, Sheri Williamson, Kenn Kaufman, Jeffrey A. Gordon, Jessie H. Barry, Don and Lillian Stokes, Dave Jasper, Kevin Karlson, Victor Emanuel, Judith A. Toups, Amy K. Hooper, Steve Howell, Paul Kerlinger, Ted Floyd, Scott Shalaway, John Sill, Kevin J. Cook, Louise Zemaitis, Donald Droodsma, Lang Elliott, Noah Strycker, Julie Craves, Mel White, Wayne R. Petersen, Peter Alden, Bill Schmoker, Paul Lehman, Jeffrey Bouton, Paul J. Baicich, Scott Weidensaul, Julie Zickefoose, Tim Gallagher, Arthur Morris, Richard Crossley, David Sibley, Chuck Hagner, Robert A. Braunfield, John Kricher, Peter Stangel, Stephen Shunk, John Acorn, Alicia Craig, Laura Erickson, Pete Dunne, Jon L. Dunn, and Richard K. Walton.

Here’s my own bit of advice. Don’t sit down with this book and read it cover to cover. It’s a bit like having 50 parents lined up to say, “We need to talk,” one right after another. Some offer encouragement, others are relaxed and funny, but there is more than a little admonishment in here, too. “Hey,” I want to say, “I didn’t do anything wrong!” Too much advice is definitely not a good thing. Instead, read a chapter here, a chapter there. Don’t take it too seriously; I don’t think many of these authors did. If you’re like me, you’ll find some advice to discard, and some times when you’ll say to yourself, “Yeah, I agree.” With luck you’ll find a few hidden gems that are actually helpful. But you’ll enjoy the little insights into the personalities and philosophical outlooks of some of today’s best-known birders, and that’s really fun.

White, Lisa (ed). 2007. Good Birders Don’t Wear White: 50 Tips from North America’s Top Birders. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. $8.95, paperback, 268 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0-618-75642-1.