An epic, fascinating history of the fight to save America's birds featuring heroes, martyrs, villains, and conflicted do-gooders.

James H. McCommons', The Feather Wars is an entertaining and expansive work of American history, an incredible story about how disparate characters—progressive politicians, free-thinking society belles, nature writers and artists, bird-loving U.S. presidents, gunmakers, business titans, and brave game wardens—came together to save hundreds of species of birds. Heroes, martyrs, villains, and conflicted do-gooders—the early bird conservation movement had them all. Together they transformed how Americans thought and cared about birds, forever altering the American landscape.

Check out my GoodReads review.

More about James: https://www.jamesmccommons.com/

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Women have been shaping the conservation movement in Texas since the nineteenth century, though their stories are rarely told. Women played an invaluable role in the establishment of parks, protection of wildlife, developing policies that value nature, and defending communities against pollution and destruction of habitat. Their efforts enriched and reinforced the natural heritage of Texas. Jennifer Bristol's Wild Women for Good: Stories of Conservation in Texas celebrates those who dared to step forward to make a difference and to tell the complex story of conservation in the Lone Star state.

Wild Women for Good spans a century and a half of conservationists—rural and urban—and the differences they made. Opening with the first conservation movement in Texas and the effort to stop the millenary industry’s slaughter of birds for their plumage, the book shows how early advocates broke down barriers and opened doors for other women to save and protect species, land, and water for future generations. 

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GoodReads: Hannah Buschert
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Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

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How does a bird experience a city? A backyard? A park? As the world has become more urban, noisier from increased traffic, and brighter from streetlights and office buildings, it has also become more dangerous for countless species of birds.
 
In The Bird-Friendly City, Timothy Beatley, a longtime advocate for intertwining the built and natural environments, takes readers on a global tour of cities that are reinventing the status quo with birds in mind. Efforts span a fascinating breadth of approaches: public education, urban planning and design, habitat restoration, architecture, art, civil disobedience, and more. 

Also check out...

Biophilic Cities

The Promise of Bird-Friendly Cities

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GoodReads: Hannah Buschert
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Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com

Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

While the question 'why do birds sing?' might seem a simple one, the answer is complex!

Throughout our history birdsong has influenced art, poetry and music. It can elevate our mood and bring our backyards to life. We often hear birds singing as we go about our lives, but have you ever wondered who they are singing to and what they are singing about?

Dr. Grainne Cleary's Why Do Birds Sing? provides an insight into the world of bird communication that will surprise and delight you. It's an absorbing and informative book filled with answers to many of the common and often uncommon questions we ask about birdsong.

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GoodReads: Hannah Buschert
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It is the end of 2025 - so time for a bit of a wrap-up!  Lyzy Lusterman, owner of Buteo Books, joined me to talk about some favorites, some trends, and books to look forward to in 2025.

Buteo Books is a family-owned and operated business based on the firm belief that independent booksellers are a vital component of our social and cultural landscape.  Their brick-and-mortar store is in San Rafael, California but can also be found online (Instagram; TikTok)

Don't forget to check-out Buteo Books for holiday gifts!  Use discount code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB to receive 5% off your orders.

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GoodReads: Hannah Buschert
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Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

Ryan Goldberg came to birding unexpectedly, but as many first-timers do after seeing their “spark” bird, he fell hard. Enamored with the incredible variety of species that pass through his hometown of New York City, and with the other passionate birders he meets, he embarks on a year of reporting on the natural wonders hiding amidst the skyscrapers. He learns that millions of birds migrate through the city each year—more than four hundred different species have been found in New York, many more than in Yellowstone National Park.

In Bird City, Goldberg takes readers to all five boroughs and all four seasons, through the city’s most famous parks and landmarks. He pursues rare and common species alike, increasing his count and deepening his understanding of how and why birds make their home in this smoggy, noisy, concrete-coated environment. Along the way, he meets many delightful and idiosyncratic characters, both human and feathered. 

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GoodReads: Hannah Buschert
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Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

The British Isles are remarkable for their extraordinary seabird life: spectacular gatherings of charismatic Arctic terns, elegant fulmars and stoic eiders, to name just a few. Often found in the most remote and dramatic reaches of our shores, these colonies are landscapes shaped not by us but by the birds.

In 2015, Stephen Rutt escaped his hectic, anxiety-inducing life in London for the bird observatory on North Ronaldsay, the most northerly of the Orkney Islands. In thrall to these windswept havens and the people and birds that inhabit them, he began a journey to the edges of Britain. From Shetland, to the Farnes of Northumberland, down to the Welsh islands off the Pembrokeshire coast, he explores the part seabirds have played in our history and what they continue to mean to Britain today.

The Seafarers is the story of those travels: a love letter, written from the rocks and the edges, for the salt-stained, isolated and ever-changing lives of seabirds. This beguiling book reveals what it feels like to be immersed in a completely wild landscape, examining the allure of the remote in an over-crowded world.

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GoodReads: Hannah Buschert
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Throughout a lifetime of biological and seabird research, Michael Brooke has been blessed with the opportunity to visit a huge array of islands dotted across all the oceans of the world. His is an island list fit to make the armchair traveller green with envy – and potentially seasick. Truly no island has been too far: from St Kilda to Spitsbergen, from Hawaii to the furthest reaches of the Southern Ocean, with all manner of destinations in between.

No Island Too Far is deeply knowledgeable and at times humorous book, Brooke shares the experience of stupendous scenery, amazing wildlife and cutting-edge scientific investigation, all blended with idiosyncratic adventures. We discover a great deal about the peculiar ecology and unique species of islands, looking at everything from plants, mammals, reptiles and birds to human aspects, with a splash of history and anecdote.

Check out my GoodReads Review here.

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GoodReads: Hannah Buschert
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Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

Spanning much of the western part of South America, the Andes are home to some of the world’s most magnificent birds, from exquisite hummingbirds to fabulous flamingos. This beautifully illustrated large-format book celebrates the splendor and extraordinary diversity of Andean birds and the habitats they depend on. It draws on the latest findings from the field and sheds light on the lush alpine and forested terrains that make this avifauna so rich and plentiful. With illuminating essays that share invaluable perspectives from some of the region’s leading bird conservationists, Birds of the Tropical Andes takes readers from the Pacific coast to the jungles of the Amazon, crossing peaks and high plains in search of spectacular birdlife.

American Bird Conservancy

Check out my GoodReads Review.

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GoodReads: Hannah Buschert
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Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com

Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB

In The Feather Detective, award-winning journalist Chris Sweeney charts the astonishing life and work of this overlooked pioneer. Once divorced, once widowed, and sometimes surly, Roxie shattered stereotypes and pushed boundaries. Her story is one of persistence and grit, obsession and ingenuity. Drawing on reams of archival material, court documents, and exclusive interviews, Sweeney delivers a moving and amusing portrait of a woman who overcame cultural and scientific obstacles at every turn, forever changing our understanding of birds—and the feathers they leave behind.

Check out my GoodReads Review.

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GoodReads: Hannah Buschert
IG: @Hannahgoesbirding
Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding
Email us at [email protected]
Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com

Get a discount at Buteo Books using code: BIRDNERDBOOKCLUB