Life of the Skies: Birding at the End of Nature Book

Here we have a book that should appeal only to the birders among us, yet has a fascinating attraction for those of us too who watch birds only from backyard feeders and/or at a zoo. That's because Jonathan Rosen has infused his book with the existential, spiritual, historical and taxonomic aspects of birds themselves, and what those feathery creatures tell us about ourselves. As a retired aviator myself I had a particular interest in Rosen's book, because I shared the skies with birds for much of my life, gaining a somewhat different perspective on them than most people do, even most birdwatchers. In any case, Rosen unpacks several topics around the basic idea of avian exploration: self-knowledge, family--in a small 'f' sense and as humanity itself, his own forays into Central Park to witness seasonal birds come and go, and even the connection between his father and himself and how birding affects that connection. Woven throughout the book is the marvel among committed birders over the appearance of an Ivory-billed woodpecker. The bird, thought long extinct, appeared in Mississippi in 2005. It created a stir, and further exploration. What did the appearance portend? No one seems to know, but it may have something to do with climate change, another topic Rosen views through his birding lens.
The book strays pretty far afield at times, into such things as political aspects of birding and dangerous habits of some birders, but all in all a very satisfying work dedicated to what is perhaps man's first and strongest jealousy of another species. Since the first bird was seen eons ago, we've had the impulse to fly. This may be what led us into exploration of other kinds as well. Birders may have mankind's primary motivation.
Byron Edgington, author of The Sky Behind Me: A Memoir of Flying & Life