Pete Dunne
Dubbed the "Bard of Americaâ€™s Bird-Watchers" by the Wall Street Journal, Pete Dunne knows birders and birdingâ€”instinctively and completely. He understands the compulsion that drives other birders to go out at first light, whatever the weather, for a chance to maybe, just maybe, glimpse that rare migrant that someone might have spotted in a patch of woods the day before yesterday. And yet, he also knows how . . . well . . . strange the birding obsession becomes when viewed through the eyes of a nonbirder. His dual perspectiveâ€”totally engrossed in birding, yet still aware of the "odd birdness" of some birdersâ€”makes reading his essays a pure pleasure whether you pursue "the feather quest" or not. This book collects forty-one of Dunneâ€™s recent essays, drawn from his columns in Living Bird, Wild Bird News, the New Jersey Sunday section of the New York Times, Birderâ€™s World, and other publications. Written with his signature wit and insight, they cover everything from a moment of awed communion with a Wandering Albatross ("the most beautiful thing Iâ€™d ever seen") to Dunneâ€™s imagined "perfect bird" ("The Perfect Bird is the size of a turkey, has the wingspan of an eagle, the legs of a crane, the feet of a moorhen, and the talons of a great horned owl. It eats kudzu, surplus zucchini, feral cats, and has been known to predate upon homeowners who fire up their lawn mowers before 7:00 A.M. on the weekend."). The title essay pays whimsical, yet heartfelt tribute to Dunneâ€™s mentor, the late birding legend Roger Tory Peterson.
Animals,Birds,Writing,Essays
Golden Wings and Other Stories about Birders and Birding