Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds [Paperback]

Lyanda Lynn Haupt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2004

Naturalist Lyanda Lynn Haupt, an ornithology teacher and researcher, examines the amazing talents and personalities of the most common of birds. She muses on the tarnished reputation of the starling, the sexed-up antics of male woodpeckers, and the mysterious behavior and startling population explosion of crows in her hometown. Through the eye and voice of this talented writer, birds provide a fascinating point of contact with the natural world at large.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" It takes curiosity to lick a bird nest to learn how it tastes – and pluck to raise 37 baby chimney swifts by hand. Naturalist Lyanda Lynn Haupt has done these things and more. Her collection of essays peers into the lives of such common birds as crows

About the Author

Lyanda Lynn Haupt lives in Seattle.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Sasquatch Books; First Trade Paper Edition edition (June 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570614199
• ISBN-13: 978-1570614194
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.4 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #517,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lyanda Lynn Haupt is an award-winning author, speaker, and naturalist based in Seattle. Her latest book Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness was published by Little, Brown in July 2009, and was awarded the 2010 Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award. She blogs at www.TheTangledNest.com.

Lyanda's first book, Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds (Sasquatch, 2001), explores the relationship between humans, birds, and ecological understanding, and is a winner of the 2002 Washington State Book Award. Her second book, Pilgrim on the Great Bird Continent: The Importance of Everything and Other Lessons from Darwin's Lost Notebooks, was published by Little, Brown to nationwide acclaim, and continues to resonate with audiences interested in natural history, Darwin, birds, and their intersection.

Lyanda has created and directed educational programs for Seattle Audubon, worked in raptor rehabilitation in Vermont, and as a seabird researcher for the Fish and Wildlife Service in the remote tropical Pacific. Her writing has appeared in a variety of publications, including Utne, LA Times, Image, Open Spaces, Wild Earth, and Conservation Biology Journal. She lives in Seattle with her husband and daughter, and their mixed backyard chicken flock.

Lyanda is available for keynotes and speaking engagements on the themes she addresses in her writing, as well as book readings and signings, and classes about writing creative non-fiction. Upcoming events are listed on her website at LyandaLynnHaupt.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds, April 20, 2006

By 

K. Freeman (Apple Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds (Paperback)

A slim volume of essays on the author's experiences with various common bird species.

Personable writing and a surprising amount of information, some of which is saddening (people lynch owls??) but most of which is intriguing and perhaps of more interest to readers, at least in North America, because it focuses on common species that many people encounter regularly. The essays are generally personal memoirs, and the type and amount of information on the birds varies -- this isn't a scientific study or a guide to identification but an engaging nature writing read.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It coulda been a contender..., March 6, 2009

By 

Shana "That's my opinion- I could be wrong!" (Northern NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds (Paperback)

This book is formatted in a way that each chapter focuses on one North American bird species. The first several chapters are written in a easy, personal memoir style, about the author's experiences with the featured bird. Included were also interesting scientific facts about the featured birds. The book was great while the story was written in this vane. These chapters were heartwarming, as well as, educational. It started as one of those books you start to think is going to be fabulous and one you'll always cherish.

Halfway through the chapters started to read more and more like a scientific textbook of ornithology. With hardly any personal experiences in these chapters it just lacked the easy & heartwarming style that the previous chapters did. It quickly disappointed me written in this style.

By the last few chapters the author picked up where she left off in the first chapters. By this time I was too bored to really be too excited about this book, again. The book ended on a happy and fun note. These last chapters were educational and personable too, tho, a bit too late for me.

Overall, a 3 star read for me.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Stories Told With Humor, April 22, 2010

By 

Kerry Dashnaw (Ripton, VT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds (Paperback)

This was a fast & enjoyable read riddled with insights and facts told in a witty point of view. The author is easy to like with her down-to-earth prose & her obvious love for the natural world. I especially enjoyed her account of raising Chimney Swift babies. What was a little distracting was that a good portion of the birds she talks about live on the West Coast, so for an East Coast reader I felt a little left out since many of these birds like the Steller's Jay & the Spotted Owl are not birds I will see unless I travel. Although this was told from a first person narrative, it still felt a little text bookish to me. I enjoyed Suzie Gilbert's "Flyaway" better since it felt more personal & tender hearted.