With growing numbers of people turning to birdwatching as their favourite outdoor activity, this delightful book will be welcome.

Unlike the typical guidebook, this beautifully illustrated work brings readers the birding experience—the thrill of spotting a particular bird for the first time, the wonder of witnessing the easy power of a gyrfalcon’s flight, the pleasure of watching the dramatic choreography of a flock of wheeling shorebirds.

Naturalist and veteran birder Bruce Whittington takes the reader through a year with birds. Each month offers descriptive information about several birds, along with interesting bits of bird lore, including the incredible story of long-range migrations, how birds fly, the plumage changes they undergo, and the life stories of early ornithologists. Read in its entirety or savoured story by story as the months on the kitchen calendar go by, this wonderful book will edify and please all who appreciate the beauty and song of our “feathered friends.”

Bruce Whittington’s column “Island Birds” ran weekly in the Victoria Times Colonist for more than 10 years. He has written articles and taught courses on birding, and has led countless field trips for naturalists. Loucas Raptis is a well-known natural history illustrator. He illustrated a limited edition of Pool and Rapid by Roderick Haig-Brown, and his original artwork is in demand by both anglers and natural-history enthusiasts. Please visit www.strayfeathers.ca/bw/index.html.

Bruce Whittington's profile page