The PElican-- Armchair Birding

By Tina Nappe

From the New York Times, 2022. Anthony Bartley / Fading Royalty

A Review of “Slow Birding: the Art and Science of Enjoying Birds in Your Backyard”  By Joan E. Strassman. 

It’s March 30th- snow again. Brrr. Indoor birding today. Outside of my window, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Lesser Goldfinches dominate the feeders. If I stand, I can watch Juncos and White Crowned Sparrows picking up falling seeds on the ground below. A Scrub Jay or Starling swooping in scatters the smaller birds and is greeted with my short rap on the window.  Interested in knowing more about these common birds and feeling justified in passive birding?

“Slow birding” by Joan Strassman will provide you with life histories and tips on common feeder bird behavior. Through her descriptions, birds aren’t just something to Identify but creatures with history- you can watch and understand interactions within and between species. Try your hand at drawing; try photography, try just sitting and enjoying.