Our Life with Birds: A Nature Trails Book (Wardlaw Books) [Hardcover]

John L. Tveten (Author), Gloria Tveten (Author)

Book Description

Series: Wardlaw Books | Publication Date: August 2, 2004

"It is a warm but cloudy morning as we emerge from the dense mesquite thicket to stand on the northern bank of the Rio Grande. A small flock of green jays, purple-and-black heads contrasting brilliantly with green-and-yellow body plumage, noisily announce our presence. Slowly we work our way downstream, checking off on a mental list the other subtropical birds we see in this birder's paradise along the Mexican border. . . ."

For nearly a quarter of a century, John and Gloria Tveten wrote a weekly column, called "Nature Trails," for the Houston Chronicle. Wide ranging in both subject matter and geography, their writings reflected a rewarding life of travel, study, and observation in nature, including many memorable encounters with birds. Through the Tvetens' accounts, readers traveled vicariously to canoe a Minnesota lake alongside common loons, experience the rare thrill of seeing a snowy owl on a boat dock in Louisiana, count a record number of birds on the Texas coast, or spot tropical tanagers in a Brazilian Rainforest.

Now gathered together in Our Life with Birds, these writings let us sit back and enjoy the best of John and Gloria Tveten as they tell about the fun of listing, banding, and other games birders play; about the behavior, variety, and beauty of birds; about the imperiled as well as the favored species; and about the simple joy to be had in living With birds.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“We couldn’t put [the book] down. We simply had to keep reading. [Our Life with Birds] has been assembled in a masterful fashion—beautifully written, well-edited and we found nary a page which failed to fascinate in both content and presentation. It is so human, so warm.”--William H. and Elsa E. Thompson, founding publishers, Bird Watcher’s Digest

(William H. and Elsa E. Thompson, founding publishers, Bird Watcher's Digest

About the Author

JOHN and GLORIA TVETEN are veteran Texas naturalists, photographers, and freelance writers. For more than three decades, their articles and photographs have appeared in a wide variety of magazines and books, and they are frequent field trip leaders and speakers at nature and birding festivals. The Tvetens, authors of several books, live in Baytown, Texas.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 356 pages
• Publisher: TAMU Press (August 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585443808
• ISBN-13: 978-1585443802
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,767,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A passionate chronicle of birdwatching, November 10, 2004

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Our Life with Birds: A Nature Trails Book (Wardlaw Books) (Hardcover)

Written by a dedicated pair of Texas naturalists, photographers, and freelance writers, Our Life With Birds is a passionate chronicle of birdwatching - the joy of observing feathered friends in the wild, awake or asleep, feeding, courting, or raising a family. Brief yet memorable chronicles from the 1970's to near the turn of the century recount observations of everything from whooping cranes to snowy owls, though many chapters focus on recollections of general features and behaviors of birds in general, rather than encounters with specific species. Black-and-white hand-drawn, naturalisitic illustrations add a charming touch to this guide especially recommended for anyone who loves to view birds in their native habitat, or armchair travelers who wish to experience birdwatching across America without having to traverse the length of the nation.