Bird City
Adventures in New York's Urban Wilds
-
-
3.5 • 2 Ratings
-
-
- $2.99
Publisher Description
"One of the best books I've ever read about the birds of a special place, and the people who pay attention to them...written with such verve and insight that it will appeal to readers far beyond the limits of New York." —Kenn Kaufman
For readers of What an Owl Knows and The World Without Us, this infectiously impassioned tour of the five New York City boroughs offers city dwellers and bird lovers everywhere a surprising, delightful new view of the concrete jungle—through its abundant and diverse bird population
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.
Through the four seasons, Goldberg takes readers to all five boroughs, 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.
Richly textured, informative, and uplifting, Bird City will inspire fast-walking New Yorkers, the ever-growing birding community, and readers everywhere who think of “nature” as just a place to visit on Saturdays to slow down and look around them. There’s a lot more than pigeons in our city skies.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist and birder Goldberg debuts with a vivid account of New York City's vast and diverse bird population. Noting that around 430 bird species have been found in New York, more than a third of the species found in the entire country, Goldberg writes, "They're packed in just like us, shoulder to shoulder, fighting for their place here." Over the course of four seasons, he journeys through the five boroughs to examine rare and common birds, learning how and why they make the concrete jungle their home. He details how peregrine falcons, once endangered, were bred in captivity and reintroduced to New York City in the 1980s, where they easily adapted, needing only "a tray of sand and gravel on a skyscraper ledge" to build a nest, and chronicles the story of Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl who fled the Central Park Zoo in 2023 and made Manhattan his home, inspiring a fandom in the process. Throughout, Goldberg captures in spirited prose the thrill of spotting a species for the first time and the dedication of volunteers who advocated for bird-safe glass in new buildings; it's estimated that more than 230,000 birds die each year from crashing into the city's windows. New Yorkers will be awed to learn of the wildlife that surrounds them.
