To See Every Bird On Earth

What drives a man to travel to sixty countries and spend a fortune to count birds? And what if that man is your father? Richard Koeppel’s obsession began at age twelve, in Queens, New York, when he first spotted a Brown Thrasher, and jotted the sighting in a notebook. Several decades, one failed marriage, and two sons later, he set out to see every bird on earth, becoming a member of a subculture of competitive bird watchers worldwide all pursuing the same goal. Over twenty-five years, he collected over seven thousand species, becoming one of about ten people ever to do so. To See Every Bird on Earth explores the thrill of this chase, a crusade at the expense of all else—for the sake of making a check in a notebook. A riveting glimpse into a fascinating subculture, the book traces the love, loss, and reconnection between a father and son, and explains why birds are so critical to the human search for our place in the world. “Marvelous. I loved just about everything about this book.”—Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman “A lovingly told story . . . helps you understand what moves humans to seek escape in seemingly strange other worlds.”—Stefan Fatsis, author of Word Freak “Everyone has his or her addiction, and birdwatching is the drug of choice for the father of author Dan Koeppel, who writes affectionately but honestly about his father’s obsession.”—Audubon Magazine (editor’s choice) “As a glimpse into human behavior and family relationships, To See Every Bird on Earth is a rarity: a book about birding that nonbirders will find just as rewarding.”—Chicago Tribune

What drives a man to travel to sixty countries and spend a fortune to count birds? And what if that man is your father? Richard Koeppel’s obsession began at age twelve, in Queens, New York, when he first spotted a Brown Thrasher, and jotted the sighting in a notebook. Several decades, one failed marriage, and two sons later, he set out to see every bird on earth, becoming a member of a subculture of competitive bird watchers worldwide all pursuing the same goal. Over twenty-five years, he collected over seven thousand species, becoming one of about ten people ever to do so. To See Every Bird on Earth explores the thrill of this chase, a crusade at the expense of all else—for the sake of making a check in a notebook. A riveting glimpse into a fascinating subculture, the book traces the love, loss, and reconnection between a father and son, and explains why birds are so critical to the human search for our place in the world. “Marvelous. I loved just about everything about this book.”—Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman “A lovingly told story . . . helps you understand what moves humans to seek escape in seemingly strange other worlds.”—Stefan Fatsis, author of Word Freak “Everyone has his or her addiction, and birdwatching is the drug of choice for the father of author Dan Koeppel, who writes affectionately but honestly about his father’s obsession.”—Audubon Magazine (editor’s choice) “As a glimpse into human behavior and family relationships, To See Every Bird on Earth is a rarity: a book about birding that nonbirders will find just as rewarding.”—Chicago Tribune

"In this elegant narrative, celebrated naturalist Ted Floyd guides you through a year of becoming a better birder. Choosing 200 top avian species to teach key lessons, Floyd introduces a new, holistic approach to bird watching and shows how to use the tools of the 21st century to appreciate the natural world we inhabit together whether city, country or suburbs." -- From book jacket.

From the author of the acclaimed Tap the Magic Tree! Search for hidden birds and count them, too, in this seek-and-find picture book with a satisfying surprise. Delicate artwork, a focus on counting, and an engaging treasure hunt will entice fans of Janell Cannon's Stellaluna and Steve Light’s Have You Seen My Dragon? There are treasures hiding in the trees! Can you find them? From the author of the acclaimed and bestselling Tap the Magic Tree, this stunning picture book merges basic math concepts with elements of a treasure hunt. With different species of birds and other forest animals hiding in the trees and bushes, there is something new to discover on every page. Patience is rewarded as readers learn to count backward from ten, meet new birds, and learn about the diverse ecosystem of the forest. Beautiful watercolor-and-collage art, a playful counting text, and a search-and-find theme will inspire children and parents to return to Bird Watch again and again. And for curious young birders, a page of information about bird-watching and the different birds that appear in the book is included.

In this dazzling photo essay, Laman and Scholes present gorgeous full-color photographs of all 39 species of the Birds of Paradise that highlight their unique and extraordinary plumage and mating behavior.

What makes a bird a bird? All birds have feathers, wings, and beaks. But birds come in many varieties of colors, shapes, and sizes, with different habits and homes. Take a beautifully illustrated journey -- with an adorable kiwi bird as your guide -- through the vast and colorful world of birds, with its tapestry of textures, sounds, and sights. Even the kiwi chick -- who struggles to see at first how he fits in -- finds that he too belongs to this fascinating family of feathered friends. 32-page full-color picture book with dust jacket. Sturdy hardcover binding. Picture book measures 8-3/4'' wide x 11-1/4'' high. Author/illustrator David Opie holds a BFA and MFA in illustration and lives with his wife in Connecticut.

It’s estimated that 50 to 60 million Americans count birding among their hobbies. Some hang feeders in their backyards and accumulate yard lists; others participate in annual “Christmas Counts”; a select few travel to the ends of the earth in an effort to see every bird in the world. With Fifty Places to Go Birding Before You Die, Chris Santella takes the best-selling “Fifty Places” recipe and applies it to this most popular pastime. Santella presents some of the greatest bird-watching venues in the United States and abroad through interviews with prominent birders, from tour leaders and conservationists to ornithologists and academics. Interviewees include ornithologist Kenn Kaufman; David Allen Sibley, author and illustrator of The Sibley Guide to Birds; Rose Ann Rowlett, the “mother of modern birding”; John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology; and Steve McCormick, president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy. The places vary from the urban (New York City’s Central Park) to the mystical (the cloud forests of Triunfo in Chiapas, Mexico) to the extremely remote (the sub-Arctic islands of New Zealand). The book includes 40 gorgeous photographs that capture the vibrancy of our feathered friends, and the beautiful places they call home.

The diversity and drama of the bird world brought to breathtaking life in an encyclopedic new edition Unrivaled in scope for a single-volume reference work, this photographic guide to every bird order and family profiles more than 1,400 species, pictured in their native environment by photographers around the globe. Authoritative, comprehensive, and completely up to date, this reference was produced and revised by a team of expert contributors and in partnership with the leading avian authorities Birdlife International and Audubon. Bird's photographic catalog showcases birds from hummingbirds to monkey-eating eagles, each with a photograph, description, three-color distribution map, and data file. Organized in taxonomic order, the catalog has detailed introductions to every bird order. The perching birds alone, making the largest order, occupy 158 pages; and most of their families, such as larks or tanagers, also have their own introductions. Nearly 100 further pages focus in vivid detail on bird biology--their flight, anatomy, feeding, communication, breeding, habitat, migrations, life cycles, and the many habitats they live in. All this, and special features on the world's most impressive birdwatching locations, make this "A must-have reference for every bird enthusiast" (BBC Wildlife Magazine).