11/12/2018
Birding magazine editor Floyd (Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America) plays teacher in an informative volume aimed at both beginning and more experienced avian enthusiasts, offering brief and accessible accounts of “200 bird species, one bird at a time, one day at a time, one lesson at a time.” An introductory section touches on the common and recognizable species, such as American robins and mallards, which often get people initially hooked; subsequent sections deal with basic topics such as bird naming, bird sizes and shapes, and migration. Floyd, a birder for close to four decades, also explores how ornithology has changed over the years, “especially in the past 10 to 15.” Once upon a time, for instance, he “could get by” with binoculars, a field guide, and a notebook. Back then, “going to the library was common, taking photos was rare, and recording birdsong was practically unheard of,” in contrast to today, when digital tools have made birding newly easy, popular, and more concerned with documenting experience. That said, Floyd shows that the attraction to and general interest in the field has remained the same: to learn as much as possible about and appreciate the natural world. This book helps greatly with that endeavor. (Mar.)
Whether you have only just experienced your spark bird, have had a decades-long burning passion for birds, or are somewhere in between, How to Know the Birds is sure to fan the flames and leave you feeling stoked about, to quote the author, the ability of birds “to delight and surprise and amaze us.” –Birding Magazine
“Those of us who might feel intimidated by the competitiveness of many bird watchers couldn’t ask for a warmer, kinder, more helpful companion out in the field — carrying binoculars and a mobile phone. Floyd is an avid Wi-Fi birder, with a helpful “urge to eBird”; his is “a manifesto for the modern bird lover.”—The New York Times
“Listeners who've been curious after bird sightings will find a range of ways to dig deeper into birding.” –AudioFile Magazine, on the recorded edition
“So after years of celebrated field guides, books that embody “holism and experientialism” are coming to the fore. Mr. Floyd, for instance, demystifies birding in a short-essay format that is accessible and fun. Enlisting 200 species, he uses a single page of text for each bird to make a point, or impart a truth, about vocabulary, taxonomy, controversies, cutting-edge websites, common abbreviations, vocalization, migration, puzzles of plumage and much more. Still, he punctuates his pieces with the primal. Recall your first sighting of any species, he writes: “It was, it still is, it forever shall be, a part of who you are and what you’re all about.” –The Wall Street Journal
“Floyd challenges our reflexive dismissal of [robins] as ordinary and unremarkable. And indeed, now that we know all they have been through, their easy abundance seems all the more wonderful today.” –The Washington Post
“After extensive discussions on the how and what of birding do we get to the why. Floyd’s answer to that is among the best I’ve heard: birds are “proclaiming that this world of ours is full of wonder and beauty, still exhorting us to go out and drink it all in…The mini lessons in [the book] whet the appetite for the possibilities in birding. For newer, and maybe even some not-so-new, birders, this could be a real eye-opener. For them, this book should be required.” –The Birder’s Library
“These essays are captivating, shining with the author’s warmth, teacherly patience, quiet expertise, and literary skill. Floyd’s writing style draws the reader in, including us in his experiences and observations, making the personal communal.” –10,000 Birds
“How to Know the Birds is a field guide like I’ve never seen before…Ted Floyd solidifies his place as True Expert and personal hero of mine, and I recommend this for any birder or nature lover.” –Jonathanbluebirdmontgomery
“How to Know the Birds will help you delve deeper into the intricacies of birds and birdwatching and answer a lot of the questions kids come up with when observing birds.” –Just a Secular Homeschooler
“…allowed me to appreciate birds more than I ever thought would be possible for me…For a novice like myself, I enjoyed the introductory section which talked about birds that I often see in my back yard. As a technologist, the section of how technology changed ornithology was especially fascinating.” –Man of La Book
“Floyd’s writing is very accessible; straightforward, entertaining, and educational at the same time. Each essay is short – one page only. This is the kind of book you can pick up at leisure to read a random essay, or read in chronological order throughout the year.” –Mockingbird Hill Cottage
“The author’s enthusiasm shines throughout this whole book. He perfectly captures the many joys of birdwatching.” –Doing Dewey Decimal
“This is a delightful book to keep by your side for a quick read when you have 5 or 10 minutes here or there.” –Broken Teepee
“I loved that this book was not a standard field guide. It delves deeper into bird behavior and anecdotes about birds. I found it much warmer and much more readable than a traditional nature guide.” –View from the Birdhouse
“This is a book that should be savored over time more than read straight through like a novel. It is formatted to take place over a year.” –Based on a True Story
“Normal, well-adjusted people, people who will never be found tramping through the Ramble on freezing-cold March mornings with up-to-the-second app-fed information about a rumor of an early migrating Eastern Phoebe, might, if pressed, supply even more accurate words than ‘serious’ or ‘methodical’ to describe the motley crowd to which Ted Floyd openly pledges fealty. How to Know the Birds will please that crowd enormously - and it will serve as a both field guide and meta field guide for the rest of us.” –Open Letters Review
“Like the Petersonian original, this new How to Know the Birds is illustrated with simple and appealing drawings, this time from the pencil of N. John Schmitt. The cover is a tour de force of book design, with words and image overlapped and intertwined—a perfect evocation of what is inside, a wonderful text combining science, art, and joy in a way sure to inspire any birder.” –Tucson Audubon
"You can’t find a better guide to birds and birding than Ted Floyd. This snappy, chatty book is a fascinating primer to both, and will make you a much better, wiser birder." —Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind
"What a delightful study of birds and birding, smart, witty, engaging, and beautifully observed. If you love birds and want to know them (and their devoted watchers) better, this book is for you—to dip into and to revisit for the priceless rules of thumb." —Jennifer Ackerman
“Birding is our most democratic way to connect to nature, because birds are everywhere — from inner cities to the deepest wilderness. Here’s a new take on birding certain to inspire people to connect more deeply with the lives around them." —Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, The Nature Principle and Vitamin N
"This is an introduction to 21st century birding, where digital tools, global data sharing, and an acknowledgement of the dynamism of a rapidly changing earth combine with good old fashioned love of the birds. Ted Floyd teaches us that seeing the bird and checking it off a list isn’t really the core pleasure of birding—it is knowing the bird—its behavior, ecology, personality, and role in the evolving human ecology of the Anthropocene, that is the true pleasure of contemporary birding. Buy it for anyone you want to fall in love with birds, or for yourself, so as to fall in love a bit more."
–Emma Marris, author of Rambunctious Garden
“Birds—clearly the heroes in this engaging volume—have so much to teach us about ourselves and our world. You’ll find your curiosity and delight growing with each page.” –David Yarnold, President and CEO of the National Audubon Society.
