A Californian's Guide to the Birds Among Us

by Charles Hood

As its sister title, A Californian’s Guide to the Trees among Us, did for arboreal varieties, this new guidebook introduces casual birders to 120 of California’s most easily seen bird species—native and exotic alike—as found in a mix of urban, suburban, and traditionally natural habitats. Full-color images and clear, direct descriptions make identification easy, and author Charles Hood supplements the essential information with surprising facts and trivia, including endangered-species recovery stories and the world record for grasshoppers eaten by one flycatcher in a single day. In sections addressing which gear to buy, where to go birdwatching, and how to read a birdsong transcription, Hood encourages readers to take ownership of their experiences, no matter their level of ornithological expertise. This accurate, lively, and even quotable guide will inspire people to notice nature more closely and find joy in interacting with the astounding diversity of avian life in California.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, Natural History, Birds

168 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2017

About the author

Charles Hood has studied birds and natural history from the Amazon to Tibet, and he has seen more than five thousand species of birds in the wild. A widely published poet, he has received numerous fellowships and writing awards, and his most recent artist-in-residence positions were with the National Science Foundation in Antarctica and with Playa Arts in Oregon. He has also been a visiting professor in England, Mexico, and Papua New Guinea and a research fellow with the Center for Art and Environment at the Nevada Museum of Art. Currently, he is a teacher of writing and photography at Antelope Valley College in the Mojave Desert. - Author bio @ Heyday Books

Reviews

[Illiterate]

Nice photos, fun tidbits, and corny asides. (It won’t replace Fisher and Morlan as our go-to guide for local birds.)

[Sarah Sammis]

A humorous and California focused guide book. Companion to A Californian's Guide to the Trees Among Us

One thing this book does that other guides doesn't do is include photos to show similar colored or shaped birds that a novice might get confused. The text then explains how and why the species are different: what to look for or when to look for it if the changes are seasonal.

Another great thing about the photographs is they show the California (or west coast) variations. For instance, the dark-eyed junco, which is solid gray on top and solid white on the underside everywhere else, is brown with a gray head along the west coast. The vast majority of birding books are focused on what happens east of the Sierra Nevadas or even east of the Rockies, meaning they are often less than useful for novice California birders.

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[Barbara]

Since I am new to observing and appreciating birds, I appreciated the short and sometimes humorous essays about a number of the most common birds seen here. This is not quite a guidebook but more of an introduction to the joys of birdwatching.

[Julie Waldman]

More than just a field guide! Essays, literary quotations, humor and terrific photos.

[Tom Bentley]

Charles Hood is wise about birds, and is also a wise guy, so this book is both informative and amusing. I am a beginning birdwatcher, and am continually baffled in my attempts to identify birds, but this book (and the Cornell Lab Merlin bird app, and the Nat. Geo Birds of North America book) are helping to at least nudge me along.

I would have also liked some specific size info on the birds, but all in all, helpful images, fine selection of accompanying quotes, wry commentary—good stuff.

[Jason]

Wonderful introductory book to the world of Californian birds—which is exactly what I needed. Has a ton of great information, mostly about birds, but also about local history, etymology, and general trivia. It’s also charmingly funny.

[Dolores]

I could not get into this book and decided to shelf it. I might read it in the future.