North on the Wing, Bruce M. Beehler
North on the Wing, Bruce M. Beehler
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North on the Wing
Travels with the Songbird Migration of Spring

Author: Bruce M. Beehler

Narrator: Keith Sellon-Wright

Unabridged: 8 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/06/2018

Synopsis

In late March 2015, ornithologist Bruce M. Beehler set off on a solo three-month trek to track songbird migration and the northward progress of spring through America. Traveling via car, canoe, bike, and on foot, Beehler followed woodland warblers and other neotropical songbird species from the southern border of Texas, where the birds first arrive after their winter sojourns in South America and the Caribbean, northward through the Mississippi drainage to its headwaters in Minnesota and onward to their nesting grounds in the north woods of Ontario.In North on the Wing, Beehler describes both the epic migration of songbirds across the country and the gradual dawning of springtime through the US heartland—the blossoming of wildflowers, the chorusing of frogs, the leafing out of forest canopies—and also tells the stories of the people and institutions dedicated to studying and conserving the critical habitats and processes of spring songbird migration.Inspired in part by Edwin Way Teale’s landmark 1951 book North with the Spring, this audiobook—part travelogue, part field journal, and part environmental and cultural history—is a fascinating firsthand account of a once-in-a-lifetime journey. It engages listeners in the wonders of spring migration and serves as a call for the need to conserve, restore, and expand bird habitats to preserve them for future generations of both birds and humans.

About Bruce M. Beehler

Bruce M. Beehler is an ornithologist, naturalist, conservationist, author, and lecturer. He is a research associate in the division of birds at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. He is best known for coleading a survey of biological diversity in the Foja Mountains of Papua New Guinea in 2005, during which the wattled smoky honeyeater was discovered and the bronze parotia and golden-fronted bowerbird were photographed for the first time. He has published eleven books about nature.

About Keith Sellon-Wright

Keith Sellon-Wright is an audiobook narrator and an actor with more than thirty years of experience in Hollywood. His television roles have included Frasier, Seinfeld, The West Wing, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation, Grey’s Anatomy, and Scandal. He also serves as a “voice of the New York Times,” narrating selected articles for their daily audio edition.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Deb (Readerbuzz)

Bruce Beehler, an ornithologist at the end of his career, sets off on a trek to follow the songbird migration of spring north. During his journey, he camps in a tent, rides a bike or kayaks through the woods and prairie, and takes a close look at all the great birding spots of America and Canada. It......more

Goodreads review by Emma

In the tradition of Edwin Way Teale’s North with the Spring, Bruce Beehler followed the spring songbird migration from the southern United States all the way into Canada, using his experiences along the way to tell the story of this remarkable natural phenomenon. He skillfully combined natural and c......more

Goodreads review by Cynthia

This was splendid. I am all about birds since the Sibley book. This scientist ornithologist guy drove from Louisiana to Canada and back down the East Coast to follow the migratory songbirds. I learned a lot about birds about which I confess to being woefully ignorant. I thought these little birds wi......more

Goodreads review by Jen

The content was great and the road trip sounds heavenly, but the writing style felt like a slog for me. Every. piece. of. wildlife. he encounters is described and noted in lists. Just paragraphs of lists in some places. This is a field trip memoir, I get it. I know that's just how a field journal re......more

Quotes

“Narrator Keith Sellon–Wright’s leisurely, thoughtful pace is a good fit for this slow-moving account…[and his] gentle, avuncular tone is pleasant.” AudioFile

“The ultimate no-frills road trip to tiny towns and hidden birding paradises…infused with scientific knowledge and personal passion…Should serve as a companion to Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley, destined to be a classic on the shelves of birders, naturalists, conservationists, and nature lovers alike.” Amy Tan, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Beehler’s 100‑day account is both deeply informed by conservation science and history and lit by euphoric moments.” Nature

“His deep fascination for natural history and understanding of the relationship between birds, physical geography, and the interconnected web of life on which birds depend permeates every page.” Bird Watcher’s Digest

“A travelog liberally spiced with bird watching, natural history, political commentary, and US history…Other topics that affect bird populations regularly enrich the narrative: unique state parks and feral cats, the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, and the US Army Corp of Engineers’ attempts to control the course of the Mississippi River…Will satisfy a variety of readers; those interested in bird-watching, natural and American history, and travelogs.” Library Journal (starred review)

“A charming and enjoyable sojourn in the company of a witty and knowledgeable guide.” Booklist

“A valuable source of information for songbird lovers and dedicated bird-watchers.” Kirkus Reviews

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