\n An ebullient nature lover\u2019s paean to birds.\n <\/p>\n
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A charming bird journey with the bestselling author.<\/p>\n
In his introduction to Tan\u2019s \u201cnature journal,\u201d David Allen Sibley, the acclaimed ornithologist, nails the spirit of this book: a \u201ccollection of delightfully quirky, thoughtful, and personal observations of birds in sketches and words.\u201d For years, Tan has looked out on her California backyard \u201cparadise\u201d\u2014oaks, periwinkle vines, birch, Japanese maple, fuchsia shrubs\u2014observing more than 60 species of birds, and she fashions her findings into delightful and approachable journal excerpts, accompanied by her gorgeous color sketches. As the entries\u2014\u201ca record of my life\u201d\u2014move along, the author becomes more adept at identifying and capturing them with words and pencils. Her first entry is September 16, 2017: Shortly after putting up hummingbird feeders, one of the tiny, delicate creatures landed on her hand and fed. \u201cWe have a relationship,\u201d she writes. \u201cI am in love.\u201d By August 2018, her backyard \u201chas become a menagerie of fledglings\u2026all learning to fly.\u201d Day by day, she has continued to learn more about the birds, their activities, and how she should relate to them; she also admits mistakes when they occur. In December 2018, she was excited to observe a Townsend\u2019s Warbler\u2014\u201cOmigod! It\u2019s looking at me. Displeased expression<\/i>.\u201d Battling pesky squirrels, Tan deployed Hot Pepper Suet to keep them away, and she deterred crows by hanging a fake one upside down. The author also declared war on outdoor cats when she learned they kill more than 1 billion birds per year. In May 2019, she notes that she spends $250 per month on beetle larvae. In June 2019, she confesses \u201cspending more hours a day staring at birds than writing. How can I not?\u201d Her last entry, on December 15, 2022, celebrates when an eating bird pauses, \u201clooks and acknowledges I am there.\u201d<\/p>\n
An ebullient nature lover\u2019s paean to birds.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Pub Date:<\/b> April 23, 2024<\/p>\n
ISBN:<\/b> 9780593536131<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
Page Count:<\/b> 320<\/p>\n
Publisher:<\/b> Knopf<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
Review Posted Online:<\/b> Jan. 19, 2024<\/p>\n
Kirkus Reviews Issue:<\/b> Feb. 15, 2024<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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