Silence of the Songbirds
Reviewed by Mark S. Garland
I didn’t want to read Silence of the Songbirds. I saw the book on the shelf; took a quick glance and saw the lengthy bibliography, and thought, “Here’s another heavy, technical book about an unhappy subject, and I already know all about songbird decline.” I passed on the book several times before finally convincing myself that it was my duty to read the book and report on my reactions.
I’m sure glad I did. This is a wonderful book, not just a relentless chronicle of “doom and gloom,” as I had feared. The sad news is here all right; songbird populations are declining precipitously, and the many causes of this decline are clearly described, documented by many relevant research studies. But Stutchbury weaves this crisis into a series of narrative chapters that also celebrates the wonders of migration and that also offers hope for the future. It’s a great read.
The usual villains are here. Habitat loss decimates wildlife all over the globe, and migratory songbirds populations can suffer from such losses in breeding, wintering, or stopover sites. Of course habitat is disappearing in all three areas. Yet Stutchbury points out efforts that are underway to identify and protect natural areas that are of greatest importance to migrants, and explains how shade-grown coffee plantations can provide suitable wintering habitat for many species. Barriers to migration are well described – it’s amazing to consider how many birds perish from collisions with buildings and communication towers. Stutchbury again doesn’t stop with the bad news; she describes the work of “FLAP,” the Fatal Light Awareness Program, in her home city of Toronto, which has resulted in that city being the first in the world to implement a migratory bird protection policy for building design and lighting.
I found the chapter on pesticides to be especially sobering. I had read about the huge losses of Swainson’s Hawks in Argentina in Scott Weidensaul’s excellent book, Living on the Wind – another story with a hopeful ending, as the chemical culprit was found and its use curtailed. But Stutchbury’s well-documented chapter on pesticides makes it clear that our agricultural system is still filling the world with poisons, both at home and abroad, and that wildlife is suffering in numbers that are hard to calculate. She urges readers to buy organic, and I must say that her case in convincing, not just for the sake of the birds but for one’s own health.
The book’s celebratory passages are wonderful. I enjoyed Stutchbury’s tales of taking students to Panama for their first experiences with tropical birding. I share her enthusiasm for the search for migrant songbirds in little neighborhood habitats, spots too small for breeding populations yet big enough, if only a single tree, to harbor a passing migrant for a day. She lovingly describes the Breeding Bird Surveys and other citizen science projects that provide the real numbers that we need to convince lawmakers to pay attention. This isn’t a book of doom and gloom at all. It’s a well-documented list of the problems facing migratory songbirds, concrete suggestions for ways to ameliorate these problems, and a compelling case for why we should care. Don’t be intimidated by the academic appearance of Silence of the Songbirds; cross that barrier and enjoy a well-crafted, timely, and beautiful book. And if that’s not good enough, buy the book knowing that Stutchbury is donating the proceeds from the book to a foundation that supports research on migratory songbirds. Now there’s a win-win.
Stutchbury, Bridget.. Silence of the Songbirds. New York, Walker & Company, 2007. 256 pages, $24.95 cloth. ISBN-10: 0-8027-1609-1; ISBN-13: 978-0-8027-1609-5.
To order a copy of a title reviewed on the Birder's Bookshelf, please call CMBO’s Northwood Center (609)884-2736 or the Center for Research & Education (609)861-0700.
National Geographic Birding Essentials
Reviewed by Mark S. Garland
I am fond of birding how-to books. David Sibley’s Birding Basics is a wonderful collection of tips and exercises designed to help the reader become a better observer of birds, the skill that most people would say defines a “better birder.” Sibley’s book is designed for those who are already birding. Pete Dunne on Bird Watching is Pete’s book for absolute beginners, with lots of information for those just getting started. I wondered which niche this new little book from National Geographic would fill. Written by two highly respected members of the birding community, Jonathan Alderfer and Jon Dunn, the National Geographic Birding Essentials seemed likely to be a worthy addition to the “how-to” genre.
It doesn’t take long to realize that Birding Essentials is not a book for beginners, except perhaps the rare beginner who wants to quickly become an expert. No, Birding Essentials is really an instruction manual on how to become a top-notch (and respected) birder. There are nods to the absolute beginner, but these quickly vanish into the background as the authors deluge readers with countless facts and details. In the first paragraph of chapter 4, “Birds of a Bird,” the authors sympathetically point out that, “All the names and details may seem overwhelming when you’re first starting out.” Next come 42 pages of detailed description of every external characteristic that a bird could possibly have, including the important differences between the relative size and shape of certain feathers in different families of birds. Most true beginners will be much happier with Kenn Kaufman’s field guide, which pares down the detail and carefully avoids technical jargon.
Does this mean I dislike the book? Not at all! Birding Essentials packs an amazing amount of really useful information into a fairly small and very attractive book. It’s really a textbook on birding, defining terms, describing field methods, and offering countless tips to help readers become better birders. It’s a how-to book like Sibley’s designed for birders who are already hooked on the hobby and who are willing to work to become better observers. Birding Essentials accomplishes this goal quite well – though the book’s true audience will want to skip over the few short passages directed to the absolute beginner.
In chapter 5, “How to Identify Birds,” the authors weigh in on a growing debate among birders about the relative importance of field marks versus “GISS,” general impression, size, and shape. They sensibly state, “We think that using aspects of both approaches is the best course.” There is an awful lot of information about field marks, however in the 84 pages of chapters 5, 6 (“Variation in Birds), and 7 (“Identification Challenges”), and several illustrations of circumstances where a bird’s posture can mislead an observer relying solely on GISS. Two photos of Semipalmated Sandpiper on page 93 are particularly instructive; in one shot the bird is fluffed up and relaxed, while in the other it’s alert, standing tall, and looking extremely thin. They sure look like different species at first glance. Chapter 7 is reminiscent of Kaufman’s old “Advanced Birding” volume in the Peterson series, with very detailed looks at some of North America’s toughest birding challenges.
My verdict? I think almost every birder can pick up valuable tips from this meaty book. The enthusiastic intermediate birder can probably benefit the most from Birding Essentials. If you learn everything that this book and Sibley’s Birding Basics offer, you’ll be a top-notch birder for sure. Looking for a book to get someone enthused about birding? Look elsewhere, perhaps to Pete Dunne on Bird Watching and the Kaufman field guide.
Alderfer, Jonathan and Jon L. Dunn. National Geographic Birding Essentials: All the Tools, Techniques, and Tips You Need to Begin and Become a Better Birder. Washington, National Geographic, 2007. 224 pages, $15.95 paper. ISBN-13: 978-1-4262-0135-6.
To order a copy of a title reviewed on the Birder's Bookshelf, please call CMBO’s Northwood Center (609)884-2736 or the Center for Research & Education (609)861-0700.
Cape May Fall Flight DVD
Review by Mark S. Garland
You can’t get enough of Cape May in the fall. I know this is true for you, it’s true for me. Eventually I just moved here, and I still can’t get enough of this place at its autumnal zenith. Every day is a struggle – should I go to the hawkwatch, to the seawatch, walk the fields at Higbee, search for monarchs at Cape May Point … the choice is never easy! Then, after sunset, there’s still dilemma, whether to listen for migrants calling as they pass overhead or to rest up for the next day’s marvels. The only good news about these dilemmas is that you can’t make a bad choice; Cape May in the autumn always rewards the observant naturalist.
Sadly autumn always ends, and for many who can’t move here, autumn visits to Cape May are always too brief. Fortunately naturalist Richard K. Walton has produced a short video entitled Cape May Fall Flight that captures many of the wonders of autumn in Cape May. Walton is a renowned naturalist and a fine videographer, and this production accurately portrays the wonder of the southbound migration.
Walton begins this half-hour DVD with the hawkwatch, showing us a mix of raptors in flight and scenes of the enthusiastic crowd that gathers daily on the platform. Walton also shows us some of the songbirds and dragonflies that are regularly seen from this site, and we watch along as Kestrels and Merlins hunt in the late afternoon. The next focus is on the songbird migration. Walton begins with the morning flight spectacle at the Higbee Dike, where so many birders begin their autumn days. He then takes us afield at Higbee and the Beanery, where we are treated to close-up views of many songbirds. Walton isn’t just a birder, of course, and he also shows us many insects, wildflowers, and a very cute gray treefrog.
Saltmarshes are the next habitats visited, and Walton has great footage of secretive
Sharp-tailed Sparrows and Clapper Rails. After a pause to visit with NJ Audubon researchers banding songbirds, he takes us to the “Meadows,” more formally the Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge. You’ll surely marvel at the clips of Sora and American Bittern that Walton has captured. Our final destination is the village of Cape May Point, where Walton shows us more migrant hawks and then points his camera seaward. The highlight here is a great segment that follows a nearshore Parasitic Jaeger.
Late in the video Walton features the monarch butterfly migration, showing us some amazing concentrations of these long-distance migrants. Since 1991 Walton has coordinated the Cape May Monarch Monitoring Project, and this video project is being used as a fundraiser for that research effort. Walton donated all the video footage, other donors supported the cost of production, and the Cape May Bird Observatory is the only sales outlet for this DVD. Relive the wonders of autumn visits to Cape May and support the longest continuous census of a migratory insect that has ever been undertaken.
Walton, Richard K. Cape May Fall Flight. Brownbag Productions, 2006. Available only through the Cape May Bird Observatory at a cost of $20.
To order a copy of a title reviewed on the Birder's Bookshelf, please call CMBO’s Northwood Center (609)884-2736 or the Center for Research & Education (609)861-0700.