Reviews for Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds

The average rating for Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-09-14 00:00:00 Kip Sewell When I picked up this book, I assumed that it would be interesting for somebody that has a pre-existing fascination with birds (that would be me), but I didn't really expect it to be an engaging read for a 'normal' person. I guess I expected to be enlightened, but not necessarily entertained. Fortunately, my expectations were far too low. Weidensaul's writing style is really enjoyable and he uses anecdotes and personal stories liberally throughout the book. It was a much quicker read than you might expect if you just looked at the book's title. Because birds are so highly migratory, any adequate treatment of the topic must also include coverage of the far-flung places they live, and the people and cultures that they share those lands with. One of the images from this book that sticks in my head most clearly is also one of the most depressing -- the fascinating and horrifying tale of the Salton Sea in California. But there is lots of beauty in this book as well. It's a bit hard for me to know exactly how this book would received by a person that isn't already fascinated with birds, but I think this is one of those rare books that really succeeds in bringing a relatively specialized subject to a broad audience in a way that is both informative and enjoyable. And like any good book, it significantly changed how I look at the world. Highly recommended.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-04-06 00:00:00 Scott Sundstrom Sobering. Birds fly south for the winter. We've all known that since we were kids. With numerous examples, Weidensaul lets us know just how marvelous and complicated this seemingly simple act of bird behavior is to perform, season after season; a survival strategy that has evolved over thousands and thousands of years. His story of the red knot alone is mind-altering in its wonderment, a precisely timed journey from the southern tip of South America to the North American Arctic. The author spends the first 95 percent of the book relating Herculean stories of avian migration, even tales of species that spend just about all of their lives moving place to place, always living on the wind. And then he drops the hammer, letting us know in the last few pages just how it might soon will all come to an end. Weidensual, a great lover of birds, must have written the final pages with a heavy laden heart. As I said, "sobering!"