On Watching Birds

by Lawrence Kilham, John K. Terres (Foreword), Joan Waltermire (Illustrator)

Lawrence Kilham begins this remarkable book with a simple surely there are many people who aren’t scientists who nevertheless take great satisfaction from observing nature and the creatures that inhabit it. Eschewing species lists and the charts-and-graphs approach of professional ornithologists and competitive birders, Kilham’s On Watching Birds elegantly balances the aesthetic and humanistic with the scientific. The author offers a philosophy of embracing nature through discovery rather than a methodology for categorizing it.

“Watch everything,” Kilham advises the novice, for one may be surprised by what one sees, even when observing the most common of birds. His observations become part beautifully told story and part life-lesson, as the habits and rituals of cranes, crows, owls—even otters—reveal a rich counterlife of often unnoticed behavioral variation and personality in living nature. “Behavior watching,” Kilham concludes, “not only strengthens my bonds with the beauty of nature, but also my empathy with living things.”

First published in 1988, this autobiographical account of a renowned naturalist’s love affair with birds has already become a classic. Illustrated with Joan Waltermire’s delicately rendered line drawings, On Watching Birds is now once again available to readers who wish to discover the simple pleasures of connecting with the natural world.

Genres: Birds, Nature

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1989

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sketches and anecdotes from Kilham's lifetime of observing bird and other wildlife behavior. I am impressed by his insistence on low-tech accoutrements: all you need to watch birds is a pair of binoculars, a notebook, and a chair. The chair is the most important, for it's key to observe for extended periods of time.

He is gifted with the ability to distinguish individual birds of many species by sight. Maybe there is something to that waiting and watching.

Kilham is also fond of simple behavioral experimentation, as when he wired fallen logs to fence posts in his backyard to attract Downy Woodpeckers. He is equally fond of anthropomorphizing.

[Rebecca Upjohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling read especially for anyone who has spent time observing wildlife or any animals in their home environment. “What I like about behavior-watching, in the broad and inclusive sense I give to it, is that it not only strengthens my bonds with the beauty of nature, but also my empathy with living things.”

This year especially, moments spent observing the natural world have been grounding for me. On Watching Birds shows that gaining an understanding of bird and animal behaviour takes time and luck and although sometimes answers are not forthcoming that time spent is never wasted as one unanswered question may lead to other discoveries.

Dr Kilham brought the same curiosity to his professional study of viruses as he did his amateur observation of birds. We don’t need to be experts to watch birds. We just need to bring our curiosity, take the time and be a little patient

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read!