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Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder
Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder: A Memoir | Julia Zarankin
11 posts | 7 read | 24 to read
When Julia Zarankin saw her first red-winged blackbird at the age of thirty-five, she didn�t expect that it would change her life. Recently divorced and auditioning hobbies during a stressful career transition, she stumbled on birdwatching, (…more)
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Soubhiville
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Pickpick

It‘s fun hearing about how someone fell in love with birding. Mostly this is about the author learning about “birding culture”: the different levels of commitment and obsession with the hobby, the terminology, and the gear. She relates her birding experiences to other life lessons, such as being patient and accepting of what the world offers instead of always adhering to expectations.

She captures the excitement of seeing something unexpected.

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quietlycuriouskate
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Pickpick

This book makes me happy! JZ is genuinely perplexed when birds become a source of compelling fascination to her after going through a difficult time in early middle age. (I'd say it happens to the best of us! 😉) She's a witty and self-deprecating companion: she might consider herself a perpetual beginner birder but, as she's based in Canada and I'm only familiar with UK birds, she's given me a lot to follow up. 🦆❤️

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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

4/5

I love reading books by people who are incredibly passionate about part of the natural world. Zarankin's passion for birds is catching, and inspired me to pull out my Field Guide to Birds of North American to identify a Northern Cardinal in my backyard. I don't think I'll ever become a birder, but listening to this book has certainly served as a reminder to pay more attention to the world around me and to appreciate the majesty of birds.

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sebrittainclark
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1. Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder by Julia Zarakin & Conversations by Ai Wei Wei

2. All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, Taproot by Keezy Young, Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda & lots more I'm forgetting

3. Dirty chai (a chai latte with a shot of espresso)

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

sebrittainclark Litsy is the most regular source of wonderful book recommendations. It's truly my favorite online community! 4y
Karisa @sebrittainclark Agreed! Everytime I hear about a book somewhere else, I hop over here to see if it's Litsy vetted first before checking it out/buying it. 😉 4y
38 likes2 comments
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BlueStockingReviews
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Laughterhp Oo I‘m going to have to read this. I love watching the birds at my feeder. 4y
33 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Mitch
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Pickpick

Between glimpses into her families exit from Russia and relocation to Canada she details her evolving passion with birds. Alongside piano lesson & ballet - she's out birding, learning the vocabulary, making friends, experiencing nature & contemplating the usefulness of multi pocketed gilets! It was lovely to share in her delight as she finds her groove, reminding me how happy I am when learning something new and doing it with commitment & passion.

squirrelbrain Hmmm.. I wonder if #mummysquirrel might like this for Christmas? Is there a lot of personal angst in it (she won‘t like that) or is it more about nature? 4y
Mitch @squirrelbrain No angst at all - its very uplifting and sweet. Her family backstory is quite minimal - its more about how she gradually starts to love birds and love bing outside xx 4y
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Chrissyreadit I wonder if my bestie from childhood would like this for Christmas? She loves birds and angst- but maybe needs birds and calm.... 4y
squirrelbrain Thanks so much Mitch for the advice - sounds like it might be her type of thing. That made me laugh @Chrissyreadit - birds and angst vs. birds and calm! The second one sounds much better to me....😁 4y
Chrissyreadit @squirrelbrain her favorite book ever is Geek Love and I have yet to read it- her favorite movie is Harold and Maude. I‘m thinking the Tagged book and Effin birds mug and calendar. Sounds very balanced to me. 4y
Mitch @Chrissyreadit 🤣👏🏼🤣👏🏼🤣 4y
Lindy Lovely review. “Finding her groove” is a good way to describe the narrative arc. 4y
Mitch @Lindy Thank you for helping me find this one x 4y
Lindy @Mitch 😇 4y
65 likes4 stack adds10 comments
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Mitch
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Thanks @Lindy for helping me find the tagged book. I‘ve got it on order. Think it pairs well with this podcast #nfn2020

Lindy Are you a birder? Whether or not you are, I think you will enjoy this. 😊 4y
Mitch @Lindy I like hiking and I‘m a very mild birder! Last year I spent time working on the Shetland Islands in the far north or Scotland and was fascinated by the sea cliff birds 4y
Lindy @Mitch I‘m a mild birder too, mostly watching birds in my yard. Sea cliff birds are definitely a draw; I have a special fondness for gannets. 4y
48 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Lindy
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Pickpick

In a midlife crisis, Julia Zarankin started auditioning all kinds of hobbies and that‘s how she discovered birding. With self-deprecating humour, Zarankin does a great job of explaining the appeal, even when she makes embarrassing mistakes like thinking a heron is a kind of hummingbird. “Birding is a masterclass in learning how to see and how to be present.” #CanadianAuthor

8little_paws this sounds so lovely!
4y
twohectobooks I could definitely get into birding. While I was unemployed a few years ago I became much more conscious of the birds in my yard and it‘s just delightful to pick out and spot different species. 4y
Lindy @8little_paws It is! I heard about this memoir via an online literary event where the author made such a deep impression that I immediately ordered her book. 4y
Lindy @twohectobooks Birds have a special magic, don‘t they? 4y
43 likes4 stack adds4 comments
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Lindy
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If someone had told me, even a year before, that I would sit still for eight hours and simply look out the window for white blobs against a mostly white background, and that I could do this without pulling my hair out and dying of boredom, I would have laughed out loud.

(Photo: ChristopherMartinPhotography.com)

Cathythoughts Amazing pic 4y
37 likes1 comment
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Lindy
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I‘d like a cedar waxwing‘s hair, a northern flicker‘s intrepid sense of style, a Ross‘s goose‘s superlative confidence, the mellifluous singing voice of a wood thrush, a belted kingfisher‘s singular glare, a winter wren‘s capacity to be heard, a northern gannet‘s fierce single-minded determination, a black-and-white warbler‘s awesome, classic elegance, and a red-winged blackbird‘s ability to make a first impression.
#bird-speak
(Internet photo)

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Lindy
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And then the Novemberness of things creeps in.

Tanisha_A Gorgeous photograph! 4y
Lindy @Tanisha_A The sky did all the work. ☺️ 4y
batsy Lovely, the quote and photo! 4y
46 likes1 stack add3 comments