Birds of Point Reyes
Published on 3. August 2023
Book
Hardback
64 pages
978-1-59714-603-6 (ISBN)
Description
A richly illustrated guide celebrates California's coastal birds and the wonders of witnessing them.
"A compact treasury of natural history knowledge." -Burr Heneman, former executive director of Point Reyes Bird Observatory
"A meditation on beauty and survival." -Amy Tan, author of The Backyard Bird Chronicles
A birding paradise, Point Reyes National Seashore boasts a breathtaking coastline that attracts an array of winged beauties and their flightless fanciers year-round. Both a waystation for feathered vagrants and home to a wealth of native species, this coastal sanctuary is teeming with avian life, and in Birds of Point Reyes expert birder and ornithological illustrator Keith Hansen celebrates this airborne abundance. From the sparrows and cormorants to the hawks and ravens to the wild wanderers who sweep through in vast seasonal migrations, Hansen introduces readers to the wildlife that soar and swirl overhead through over 25 awe-filled portraits of Point Reyes's birds. Both experienced birdwatchers and less-than-expert birders will delight in Hansen's reflections, brought vividly to life by full-color artworks that reward the reader's sustained attention and help to identify the many-splendored species of the region. With this guide Hansen invites readers to imagine the world's fastest hunt through the eyes of a cliff-dwelling peregrine, to appreciate the evolutionary complexity of the shorebird beaks prodding the sands of Drakes Bay, and to attune to the serenade of birdsong. Grab your binoculars and get ready to see these birds like never before.
"A compact treasury of natural history knowledge." -Burr Heneman, former executive director of Point Reyes Bird Observatory
"A meditation on beauty and survival." -Amy Tan, author of The Backyard Bird Chronicles
A birding paradise, Point Reyes National Seashore boasts a breathtaking coastline that attracts an array of winged beauties and their flightless fanciers year-round. Both a waystation for feathered vagrants and home to a wealth of native species, this coastal sanctuary is teeming with avian life, and in Birds of Point Reyes expert birder and ornithological illustrator Keith Hansen celebrates this airborne abundance. From the sparrows and cormorants to the hawks and ravens to the wild wanderers who sweep through in vast seasonal migrations, Hansen introduces readers to the wildlife that soar and swirl overhead through over 25 awe-filled portraits of Point Reyes's birds. Both experienced birdwatchers and less-than-expert birders will delight in Hansen's reflections, brought vividly to life by full-color artworks that reward the reader's sustained attention and help to identify the many-splendored species of the region. With this guide Hansen invites readers to imagine the world's fastest hunt through the eyes of a cliff-dwelling peregrine, to appreciate the evolutionary complexity of the shorebird beaks prodding the sands of Drakes Bay, and to attune to the serenade of birdsong. Grab your binoculars and get ready to see these birds like never before.
Reviews / Votes
"Pairing beautiful illustrations with nuanced observations, Hansen brings California's coastal birds to life." -Alta Journal"An essential guide to better understanding our avian neighbors with beautiful and detailed illustrations. The book is delightfully specific, offering insights into the stories of the many birds that migrate through or reside in West Marin." -Point Reyes Light
"Magnificently illustrated and narrated in Hansen's poetic and often playful voice, this jewel of a book enables us to experience nature as miraculous. Each essay deserves to be reread often as a meditation on beauty and survival." -Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club
"Keith gets the Point! He distills decades of appreciation of Point Reyes into a compact treasury of natural history knowledge. Marrying his art with a lifetime of acute observation, Keith offers more than a guide to identification-you really understand how each of these birds lives. And it's all done in his sparkling and entertaining style." -Burr Heneman, former executive director of Point Reyes Bird Observatory
"The breathtaking illustrations and exuberant species accounts in this book arise from Keith's lifetime of boundless enchantment and keen observation. His eye for nuance and beauty brings each species to life on the page. Most important of all, his celebration of this unique peninsula's wondrous birdlife teaches us to stay open to the world with our eyes, ears, and mind." -Jules G. Evens, author of Natural History of the Point Reyes Peninsula
"Keith Hansen's lovely book perfectly pairs informative, entertaining, and insightful species accounts with beautiful illustrations. A necessity for anyone visiting the Point Reyes region!" -Sophie Webb, coauthor of Field Guide to Marine Mammals of the Pacific Coast
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Berkeley
United States
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Paper over boards
Illustrations
Color illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
272 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-59714-603-6 (9781597146036)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Keith Hansen illustrated and coauthored Hansen's Field Guide to the Birds of the Sierra Nevada (Heyday, 2021), a field guide companion to Birds of the Sierra Nevada: Their Natural History, Status, and Distribution. He is a professional bird illustrator whose images have been featured in Discovering Sierra Birds; Birds of Yosemite and the East Slope; and Natural History of the Point Reyes Peninsula, among other books.
Content
Introduction
Vantage Point Reyes
A Quick Look Around
The Clock and the Calendar-Timing's Everything!
Going from Point A to Point B, but Ending Up at Sea
Before You Go-Respect
Power Tools
Be Prepared, Helpful, and Trustworthy
Locating Birds
Getting a Look
Identifying a Bird
Species
Northern Harrier
Sparrows of Point Reyes
Turkey Vulture
Black and Say's Phoebes
Surf Scoter
Common Raven
Ring-billed Gull
Point Reyes Spring Seabird Migration
Black Oystercatcher
Pigeon Guillemot
Snowy Plover
Double-crested, Brandt's, and Pelagic Cormorants
Peregrine Falcon
Common Murre
Barn Swallow
White-crowned Sparrow
The Boyds of Summer
Western Gull
Townsend's Warbler
Northern Parula
Tricolored Blackbird
Red-tailed Hawk
Western Bluebird and Yellow-rumped Warbler
American Kestrel
Shorebirds of Point Reyes
Great Horned Owl
Rock Wren
Bird Group Species List
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Vantage Point Reyes
A Quick Look Around
The Clock and the Calendar-Timing's Everything!
Going from Point A to Point B, but Ending Up at Sea
Before You Go-Respect
Power Tools
Be Prepared, Helpful, and Trustworthy
Locating Birds
Getting a Look
Identifying a Bird
Species
Northern Harrier
Sparrows of Point Reyes
Turkey Vulture
Black and Say's Phoebes
Surf Scoter
Common Raven
Ring-billed Gull
Point Reyes Spring Seabird Migration
Black Oystercatcher
Pigeon Guillemot
Snowy Plover
Double-crested, Brandt's, and Pelagic Cormorants
Peregrine Falcon
Common Murre
Barn Swallow
White-crowned Sparrow
The Boyds of Summer
Western Gull
Townsend's Warbler
Northern Parula
Tricolored Blackbird
Red-tailed Hawk
Western Bluebird and Yellow-rumped Warbler
American Kestrel
Shorebirds of Point Reyes
Great Horned Owl
Rock Wren
Bird Group Species List
Acknowledgments
About the Author