What do you think?
Rate this book
The Feather Quest
A naturalist tells of the year he and his wife devoted entirely to bird-watching in the United States and Canada
384 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1992
8 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 5, 2020
The Feather Quest: A North American Birder's Year by Pete Dunne (Mariner Books 1999) (598.07) (3446).This book springs from a subculture that I've never thought much about: birders. Pete Dunne is a hardcore birder. His passion for birds oozed right off the page and dripped all over my bookshelf. This book is his journal of a year's birding expeditions / excursions.Here are a few random notes I wish to preserve:
There is a bird in Mexico that's a relative of the North American turkey that is called a “Plain Chackalacka.”
A superstar birder is one whose “North American Species Life List” includes having personally spotted over seven hundred different bird species in the USA.
Being present at a “bird fallout” is the dream of every hardcore birder. In a bird fallout, weather conditions interrupt (or urban sprawl disrupts) the birds' migratory flight pattern. Strong winds or cold fronts flowing north which blow directly into the faces of birds traveling south at the edge of a continent often force exhausted migrating flocks to land on any dry ground. Author Pete Dunne writes of witnessing a bird fallout in Cape May, New Jersey where the birds were so thick that every tree, every branch, every bit of grass was full of worn-out birds standing shoulder to shoulder like frost on the vegetation. The Feather Quest: A North American Birder's Year , p.269.
When a birder wishes to coax shy, hidden, or elusive birds from a patch of vegetation, the birder often resorts to a tactic called “pishing.” “Pishing” simply means pursing one's lips and blowing air out in a loud whisper to make the sound “pish”, which apparently angers birds to no end. (I tried this yesterday afternoon near my very busy bird feeder filled with black-oil sunflower seeds. Within fifteen seconds of making the “pish” sound, an irate cardinal almost flew up my nose.).
I really enjoyed this one. My rating: 7.25/10, finished 7/3/20 (3446). I purchased a used PB copy of this volume in good condition for $1.50 on 6/1/20 from McKay's Books. PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
February 16, 2012
It’s hard to believe that Pete Dunne’s “The Feather Quest” and I have shared this planet for 20 years and it go unnoticed by me. Or that I’ve had a copy of the book in my home for over two years and have just now settled into reading it.
Well, good things come to those who wait.
I expected it would be a book about hard-to-find places and even harder-to-find birds, which, of course, it is. I have two of Dunne’s other books about birds, both excellent references.
But, “The Feather Quest” is a different sort of animal because Dunne is a good writer. He could author anything. His descriptions of birds are more evocative, more Raymond Chandler-ish than dry text entries in field guides, as when he writes about the plain chachalacas, a bird of the Rio Grande region, “This ground-loving relative of the turkey is dressed like a shadow and moves like a pickpocket” or the white-collared seedeater, “a drab, dirt-colored finch that would have to stretch to see the top of a salt shaker.”
Or when Dunne describes a lone female eagle in Alaska:
"The bird was perched upon a lichen-stained crag on a mountain that anchored the west side of Temnac Valley. She was a large bird, even by the standards of eagles, but to a human eye the bird would have been invisible, so well did she blend with her surrounding. The head was pale as lichen, the white wedge of a tail indistinguishable from snow. The feathers that encased the great lump of a bird were the cold, brown color of stone—in fact, the bird might easily have passed for stone, so lifeless did she appear—except for her eyes. The eyes were yellow, and deep, and very much alive.”
If you are into nature, you’ll enjoy this book; if you’re into birds, you’ll relish it. As did I.
Well, good things come to those who wait.
I expected it would be a book about hard-to-find places and even harder-to-find birds, which, of course, it is. I have two of Dunne’s other books about birds, both excellent references.
But, “The Feather Quest” is a different sort of animal because Dunne is a good writer. He could author anything. His descriptions of birds are more evocative, more Raymond Chandler-ish than dry text entries in field guides, as when he writes about the plain chachalacas, a bird of the Rio Grande region, “This ground-loving relative of the turkey is dressed like a shadow and moves like a pickpocket” or the white-collared seedeater, “a drab, dirt-colored finch that would have to stretch to see the top of a salt shaker.”
Or when Dunne describes a lone female eagle in Alaska:
"The bird was perched upon a lichen-stained crag on a mountain that anchored the west side of Temnac Valley. She was a large bird, even by the standards of eagles, but to a human eye the bird would have been invisible, so well did she blend with her surrounding. The head was pale as lichen, the white wedge of a tail indistinguishable from snow. The feathers that encased the great lump of a bird were the cold, brown color of stone—in fact, the bird might easily have passed for stone, so lifeless did she appear—except for her eyes. The eyes were yellow, and deep, and very much alive.”
If you are into nature, you’ll enjoy this book; if you’re into birds, you’ll relish it. As did I.
December 27, 2017
A fantastic journey through Dunne's big year. As a passionate birder, I loved experiencing his all-out love of birds and his adventures with some (REALLY famous!) birders. I have yet to explore many of the wood warblers and raptors that live in North America, and I hope to do so someday. For now, I can sit in comfort, dreaming of the birds around the world and enjoying the ones that appear everyday... Conservation is vital.
February 25, 2014
Interesting reading about the author and his wife's travels to specific places in the US and northern Canada in search of birds and birders in 1990, an era before internet access to rare bird alerts. The end of the book pushes conservation and is before the time when condors are free flying again and the bald eagle population has rebounded.
July 20, 2022
Overall, beautifully written and a wonderful survey of a year birding in North America. I found the moralistic tone at the end, alternately pessimistic and pedantic about the state of the environment, to be somewhat off-putting, but that didn't change the overall joy the book brought my wife and me. Not to mention the new lists of birding destinations we want to try...
June 3, 2023
DNF
Made it through 200 pages, but after the chapter that was basically just bird-guide name dropping I couldn't go on, especially when these "expert" guides spent an entire night chasing a Yellow Rail through a field and blinding it with flashlights. I guess ethical birding didn't exist in the 1980s.
The book does bring light to how many more resources birders have at their fingertips today. Back then it was a hotline number and word of mouth. Today, we have ebird alerts, ABA alerts, local Facebook groups, and even bird-themed Gmail chains.
Made it through 200 pages, but after the chapter that was basically just bird-guide name dropping I couldn't go on, especially when these "expert" guides spent an entire night chasing a Yellow Rail through a field and blinding it with flashlights. I guess ethical birding didn't exist in the 1980s.
The book does bring light to how many more resources birders have at their fingertips today. Back then it was a hotline number and word of mouth. Today, we have ebird alerts, ABA alerts, local Facebook groups, and even bird-themed Gmail chains.
November 12, 2024
Although this book was written in the 80s, there’s still a lot of relevance to today. I enjoyed going on the big year journey with Pete and Linda and experiencing birding from their eyes. I have a bigger list of places to visit and birds to see. this duo was side-by-side with some of the biggest names in birding and I felt like I was part of their community.
July 3, 2021
No audio book available.
A very enjoyable bird romp. I am working my way through the Pete Dunne books and especially liked this one. The chapters are divided up into geographic areas and each had bird inclusive tales of birds and birders.
A very enjoyable bird romp. I am working my way through the Pete Dunne books and especially liked this one. The chapters are divided up into geographic areas and each had bird inclusive tales of birds and birders.
March 4, 2023
He and his wife traveled N.America for a year seeing birds. Not a Big Year. I aspire to yhis, so very interested in the places they went
December 27, 2025
A great book, visiting all the classic spots that still resonate in 2025. Great storytelling and encompasses the authentic humor and excitement of birding.
March 30, 2022
I really enjoyed this book! This wasn’t your standard Big Year story chasing the number and every rare bird that popped up but rather a journey around America hitting the best hot spots in the ABA. Dunne is an excellent story teller, talking about the people they met and the birds they saw. I would hands down recommend this book.
January 13, 2012
Dunne’s Feather Quest is really a bird quest, a Pete Dunne’s life in birds circa 1989. With fancy typesetting, and a silhouette of a bird delineating each chapter adventure, the book makes me want to be Dunne’s invisible companion. It even makes me want to be the expert that he is, to effortlessly identify birds, to have all those colorful birding experiences, and that warm birding camaraderie. Dunne is humorous and philosophical and always environmentally conscious.
A delightful read.
More book thoughts at: http://rrameshv.wordpress.com/2012/01...
A delightful read.
More book thoughts at: http://rrameshv.wordpress.com/2012/01...
July 23, 2012
Birding as MAJOR life activity. This is what birding is like for those people with 400-500 "lifers" types of birds seen. The author travels North America from a birder's perspective. Go to Arizona? It's to see humming birds, not the Grand Canyon. Pete Dunne, the Author and his wife, Linda, are both extreme birders, you'd have to be at this level- I would love to go on any one of these fascinating trips described- I just can't imagine hubby going with. North America viewed from a birding view. Good Read.
September 3, 2010
I'm not done with this book yet, but it is sooo good. Pete Dunne is not only a supremely talented birder, but he's a wonderful writer. So good, in fact, that if I could ever be half as good, I'd be very happy. I think even non-birders would like this book. I'm taking my time reading a chapter or two a week but loving every minute of each page.
December 15, 2015
Well written book for those of us who enjoy birding. The Dunnes are serious birders, and in this book he describes locations they visited. Not only does he provide good information on birds but also good info on binoculars, etc.
April 8, 2008
My dream.
May 25, 2009
Excellent writing. Demerits for unnecessary curse words, some sections focused on listing and repetitive feeling.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews