The Falconer of Central Park

by Donald Knowler

The author shares his experiences bird-watching in Central Park, and describes some of the interesting and unusual people he met there

Genres: Birds, Nature, Nonfiction

179 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1978

Reviews

[Joseph Coverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An English birder spent a year in Central Park and wrote about his birding journey intertwined with the intricacies of NYC including the crime, people, and filth.

A book to give you some perspective on the wildlife of nyc.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up thinking I had found an unusual book about falconers, but it's actually about a British birder who came to NYC in 1981. It chronicles his experiences in the park over the course of one year. There is a whole sub-genre of nature books that take this approach - careful observation of a small patch of land over time, often by British authors - and I was thrilled to read one about Central Park, which is my own current birding spot.

The book mixes observations of birds and other wildlife with human activity in the park in the early 1980s - the culture of birders, the homeless, crime, murder, protests. Some of the transitions are very jarring and disturbing, which gives you a real sense of the general tension of being in a place which is both beautiful and potentially dangerous. The writing is very good and interesting.

This is a must-read for NYC birders. I found it fascinating to see that some things had remained the same while others have changed so radically that they are completely foreign to me as someone who moved to the city long after the crime rate had fallen and the city had been cleaned up. For example there are numerous references to ducks coming into the park covered in oil from slicks outside the city; I have never heard of the this happening. Also, you can see how the birdlife has shifted; some birds that are uncommon now were very common then, and vice versa. In a broader sense it really helped me visualize what the city was like at that time in a way that nothing else could.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. I loved this book. I read it alongside Peterson's eastern birds and Robert S. Lemmon's Our Amazing Birds so I could learn more about the birds that Knowler finds.
Favorite character: Billy

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book on a stoop and had no idea what to expect, but I ended up absolutely loving it. It’s a great read about a man’s experiences in Central Park throughout one year. I lent it to my dad shortly after reading it, and he loved it just as much. Highly recommend to anyone-no matter what type of book you normally enjoy!

[Gail Kennon]

i enjoyed it though i wish the list of birds sited placed at the end of the book was by month. i'm inspired to get out looking more..