Book Review: “Slow Birding” by Joan E. Strammann

Cover: Slow Birding, The Art and Science of Enjoying the Birds in Your Own Bakcyard, by Joan E. Strassmann

With “Slow Birding,” biologist Joan Strassman offers a call to study and savor deeply the birds that share the space we live in.

Strassman’s local habitat is St. Louis, which encompasses her backyard, nearby parks and forests, and the swampy, marshy habitats of the Mississippi drainage basin. She breaks the book into sections exploring these habitats, introducing us to a range of species that lives in each, from blue jays to great egrets.

Each section follows a similar pattern. She shares her personal observations, using them as a launching point for a deeper discussion of each species’ biology. She typically summarizes a long-term research project for each bird, sharing, for instance, how white-throated sparrows have, metaphorically, four sexes or how American robins philander to increase the number of offspring they leave behind.

I found Strassmann’s stories fascinating. I enjoyed the deeper dive into the science of each species, both for the behavioral diversity they revealed as well as the fanaticism of the scientists who studied them. (Spending 24 hours straight in a bird blind? Not for me!)

More than anything, Strassman’s passion for birds is clear, and she does an excellent job packaging it in such a way as to inspire the reader. I’m not likely to take a sketchbook outside or spend time mapping birds as they hop about my yard. But I have gained a new appreciation for my near avian neighbors after reading her book.

Quotes

“Starlings are our birds. We brought them here, and our mangling of the environment causes them to thrive. The least we can do is try to understand them. Removing them is impossible at this point. And remember, they do less damage to native birds than we do with habitat destruction.”