Shadowbirds [Hardcover]

William Burt (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nature photographer Burt spotted his first rail, a small marsh bird, when he was a teenager. The sight launched his lifelong fascination with these elusive birds that have been called "feathered mice." Of the six species found in North America, two--the black and the yellow--are rarely seen. Burt's highly personalized account of his search for, and attempts to photograph, these birds is a captivating story that takes place over the last two decades. To find the black rail he went to the salt-marsh meadows of Maryland's Elliott Island, a place of steamy heat, mosquitoes, deerflies and horseflies. Tracking the yellow rail, which he describes as a miracle of stealth and secrecy, he followed the nearly century-old trail of Reverend P. B. Peabody, who sought--and found--the tiny birds in a spongy bog in North Dakota, where Burt, too, accomplished his goal. Vivid descriptions of wetlands and wildlife other than rails are included in this appealing, distinctively voiced report, which is supplemented by eight pages of color plates.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Nature photographer Burt writes hauntingly and evocatively of his search for two species of secretive marsh birds: black rails and yellow rails. Reluctant ever to fly and largely nocturnal, these cryptic, almost mythical birds skulk through marsh grass unseen. Fortunately for Burt, they do call vigorously in the breeding season, and his exquisite color photos of the birds he has been able to find are legendary among birders. He takes the reader to Chesapeake Bay marshes to find black rails and their nests and to Manitoba, North Dakota, and other prairie regions for yellows. Much of the yellow rail segment concerns his search for and miraculous relocation, 90 years later, of haunts visited by a kindred spirit, a Rev. P.B. Peabody. Full of musings, philosophy, and lyric descriptions of the rails' chosen habitats, Shadowbirds is a fine read. Highly recommended.
Henry T. Armistead, Thomas Jefferson Univ. Lib., Philadelphia
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 186 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (May 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558212930
• ISBN-13: 978-1558212930
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #277,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Passion for Rails, December 14, 2000

By 

Doug Von Gausig (Naturesongs.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadowbirds (Hardcover)

Shadowbirds is a story about Bill Burt's infectious passion for Rails - those secretive, "stealth" birds that inhabit some of the most challenging environs on earth - marshes. Through what can only really be called poetry he takes the reader with him as he tracks down and photographs some of the most difficult-to-find birds anywhere. His love of these birds and the way he allows us to see through his photographer's eyes made this a difficult book for me to put down. I just wanted more!

It is not the story, though, that distinguishes this book as much as it is his style, which like his photographs, is intensely personal and passionate.

If you love poetry, birds and a great detective story, give this one a read!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What is man without a soul?, November 30, 2003

By 

J. Guild (Toronto,Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadowbirds (Hardcover)

I have read many hundreds of books on Natural History and would be hard pressed to pick out one and say that it was written with more passion than this book by William Burt.He has spent decades searching for and photographing rails and their nests;especially Black and Yellow Rails.Anyone interested in birding knows these to be the most elusive.While it is relatively easy to hear them calling,extremely hard to see them and a monumental task to find and photograph a nest;particularly that of a Yellow Rail.
It takes a man of unbridled passion to even consider trying.Bill Burt is that man ,and combines a marvelous talent to write about it.Not only that;his photographic skills are stunning.In this book he gives us a picture of a Black Rail peering from its nest that is nothing short of spellbinding.Knowing what is involved in getting a photograph like this,makes one appreciate Bill's skills and passion.
He writes from the soul;as you can tell from this short quote:
"Winding away through the grass,a yellow rail is a fluent
marvel to behold.With nodding little dovelike head he
steadily seeks,nudges,pries,insinuates his way through,
and the rest of him slenderly follows.Smoothly,flowingly
he threads his way through tangles and snarls and clefts,
along suggested and imagined pathways through new and
green,through coarse,through fine;with unvarying
agility he worms,mouses,snakes his way along."
And how about this?
"The black rail relies on clerity for escape-quick as a
blink it can spring away,like a flea;but escape for a
yellow rail is something smoother:it just melts away."
He also describes his prep school teacher whose 'program
of rote and inculcation was so oppressive, so dull,so
lacking in life and oxygen that it ought to have
extinguished permanently any young boy's flicker of love
for nature.''Another thing about Mr.Wolf: he never took his
class outdoors.Responsively,I flunked.'
Bill writes from the heart about his passion for rails and
is a real treat to read.You will never look at a marsh
again,especially at night and think about rails, the same
way again.