Birds -- those "upgiven ghosts" who shape our skies -- and their many styles of flying have inspired us for centuries. Tim Dee became enthralled with birds as a young boy, and their allure has informed how he perceives time as well as how he sees the world and his place in it. Compelling and poetic,A Year on the Wingis a month-by-month account of following these magnificent creatures, on land, at sea, and in the air, over the course of one "dew-dipped year." A memoir of the author's life as well as of the birds' migrations, the book draws on memories of forty years of observing birds as Dee explores the ideas and feelings that birds awaken in their flying, breeding, and dying.A Year on the Wingis also a significant chronicle of Dee's rich reading of a gorgeous literary tradition about birds -- from Aristotle to Thomas Hardy, Dante to Pound, Wordsworth to Ted Hughes -- as well as naturalists' writings that train a scientific eye on these elusive creatures. With a poet's marvelous commingling of nature and language, Dee finds meaning and a fascinating beauty in the quiver of a redstart's tail, elegizes the thrilling skydiving stoop of the once-endangered, now resurgent peregrine falcon, and reflects on the nocturnal restlessness of migrant woodcocks that is suggestive of how nature encodes us all.A Year on the Wingbrings us as close as possible to birds, as we seek to understand the unique connection between us and them as well as our separation from them and, by extension, our estrangement from all of nature. Watching birds instills a renewed sense of wonder, getting us airborne and expanding our horizons. This vicarious liftoff does us good in a way hard to define but incontestably felt. It also makes us ever aware of our place on the ground. Dee homes in on those moments when the gap narrows between humans and birds, when birds' freedom gives us our own, making our lives more vibrant and alive.The first book from an exciting new literary voice, this beautifully written memoir celebrates birds and the inspiration they provide through their twice-yearly winged migrations.

A frustrated housewife sets out to see more bird species than anyone in history--and ends up risking her life in the wildest places on earth--in this powerful portrait of Phoebe Snetsinger, who found refuge from society's expectations in a dangerous and soul-stirring obsession.

"Jonathan Rosen has written a new exploration of birds and beyond. A mixture of memoir, nature writing, history, and philosophy, The Life of the Skies is an illuminating look at the complex relationship humans have with their flying counterparts and a history of America viewed on the wing."--BOOK JACKET.

"Reserved, honourable Mr Malik. You wouldn't notice him in a Nairobi street - except, perhaps, to comment on his carefully sculpted comb-over - but beneath his unprepossessing exterior lie a warm heart and a secret passion. Not even his friends at the Asadi Club know it, but Mr Malik is head-over-heels in love with the leader of the Tuesday-morning bird walk of the East African Ornithological Society, Rose Mbikwa." "While Mr Malik hesitantly plans how he will ask Rose to the annual Hunt Ball, flashy Harry Kahn arrives in town and makes it clear that he too has Rose in his sights. When Mr Malik blurts out his feelings at the club a wager is set - whoever sees the most birds in a week will ask Rose to the ball." "With boats, planes and guides to get him to the choicest birdwatching spots in Kenya, Harry Kahn's soon noting down everything from pearl-breasted swallows to spur-winged plovers. But Mr Malik's not so easily beaten, and with unorthodox methods and far-flung adventures of his own, he's determined to stay in the game."--BOOK JACKET.

1. Includes bibliographical references (p. 217-218) and index.
   
2. At head of title: Orvis.
   

Whether you are among the growing millions of people just discovering the joys of birding or a more seasoned birder looking to sharpen your skills, who better to trust for accurate, up-to-date information than the publisher of the critically acclaimed National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, named by a major birding magazine "one of the top 20 birding products of all time." National Geographic Birding Essentials is comprehensive and authoritative, yet supremely user-friendly, striking the perfect balance of essential, practical information and easy-to-follow style. With this portable reference in hand, you'll quickly learn to fine-tune your observation skills and make sense of what you see-exactly the tools needed for a lifetime of birding satisfaction.