What do you think?
Rate this book
In the Crosswinds: Birds, Humans, and the Paradox of Place
"A probing, big-hearted quest for belonging."
—Ben Goldfarb, Crossings and Eager
In the Crosswinds takes readers on a captivating and humorous journey from the woods of western New York to the jungles of Ecuador and the wetlands of Africa, exploring the complexities of land, movement, identity, and belonging.
Join ecologist and avid birder Eli J. Knapp on a quest to rediscover how to connect with the natural world. In the face of restlessness and rootlessness, we look to the birds of the world—creatures that are at once migratory and deeply connected to place—for insight and understanding.
With a rollicking blend of avian science and crackling narrative,
In the Crosswinds confronts the all-too-human desire to define our place on a changing planet—and reveals instead the wonder and miraculous beauty of being exactly where we are.
—Ben Goldfarb, Crossings and Eager
In the Crosswinds takes readers on a captivating and humorous journey from the woods of western New York to the jungles of Ecuador and the wetlands of Africa, exploring the complexities of land, movement, identity, and belonging.
Join ecologist and avid birder Eli J. Knapp on a quest to rediscover how to connect with the natural world. In the face of restlessness and rootlessness, we look to the birds of the world—creatures that are at once migratory and deeply connected to place—for insight and understanding.
With a rollicking blend of avian science and crackling narrative,
In the Crosswinds confronts the all-too-human desire to define our place on a changing planet—and reveals instead the wonder and miraculous beauty of being exactly where we are.
232 pages, Paperback
Published July 15, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 10, 2025
Eli J. Knapp's third book, IN THE CROSSWINDS summarizes his thesis early on
and reinforces it often thereafter : " ......PLACE makes us who we are."
Chapters are brief. Each is headed by a stunning pencil sketch of a wild bird and
a scientific term Knapp will define and personalize. The terms relate to birds, navigation
and environment. The stories are anecdotes from his own experiences alone in
the wilderness or meeting with and learning from others. His hobby: rare bird sightings.
Each chapter ties itself up neatly. The next chapter builds on and refers to the previous
chapter. Often the settings for the anecdotes are all over the globe. The author is on
the hunt: to spot, photograph and make field notes on birds. He is dedicated. Often
obsessive . Admittedly, he has a lot to learn. Happily, he is never too proud to learn
from others or to let nature guide his path.
The globetrotting author ends the book in his own backyard in semi-rural Western
New York. A natural, self deprecating teller of tales, Knapp realizes that the discoveries
of a lifetime can come to most patient, observant souls without the need of a nap sack
or a camp stove.
and reinforces it often thereafter : " ......PLACE makes us who we are."
Chapters are brief. Each is headed by a stunning pencil sketch of a wild bird and
a scientific term Knapp will define and personalize. The terms relate to birds, navigation
and environment. The stories are anecdotes from his own experiences alone in
the wilderness or meeting with and learning from others. His hobby: rare bird sightings.
Each chapter ties itself up neatly. The next chapter builds on and refers to the previous
chapter. Often the settings for the anecdotes are all over the globe. The author is on
the hunt: to spot, photograph and make field notes on birds. He is dedicated. Often
obsessive . Admittedly, he has a lot to learn. Happily, he is never too proud to learn
from others or to let nature guide his path.
The globetrotting author ends the book in his own backyard in semi-rural Western
New York. A natural, self deprecating teller of tales, Knapp realizes that the discoveries
of a lifetime can come to most patient, observant souls without the need of a nap sack
or a camp stove.
June 29, 2026
Eli Knapp is as funny as he is observant, which makes In The Crosswinds an easy, engaging read. Knapp is self-effacing, deeply passionate, and runs around the world looking for birds with a childlike curiosity.
As the subtitle “birds, humans, and the paradox of place” suggests, the book is as much about the observing as it is about the birds. “That’s what this book is about: how pursuit can lead to being, and being to richness,” writes Knapp in the introduction. “Birds offer us a winsome, unexpected invitation. By looking at them—to them—we can find meaning, absolution from feelings of isolation and displacement.”
In fact, Knapp wonders whether this book is as much about his own, well, flightiness. He’s a Professor of Ecology at Houghton University in western New York State but travels around the world, doing work in Tanzania and New Zealand among other locations. He wonders, in chapter one, if all he’s lost his sense of place. “Can I know place through birds? Can I follow their lead, migrate to faraway places and return? Do my frequent travels preclude me from fusion with the land? Can I connect with particularity as they do?”
In The Crosswinds is witty, light, and brisk—25 chapters in 225 pages. Each chapter is its own mini short story. A search for a rose-winged parakeet in Naples, Florida. The search for Central Park Zoo escapee Flaco, a Eurasian eagle owl, in New York City. A reconsideration of coots in the Netherlands. And many stories intermixed about his students with references to Everett Reuss, John McPhee, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Helen Macdonald, Barry Lopez, and the book and movie “The Big Year.” (Since Knapp doesn’t mention the book’s author, Mark Obmascik, I’ll do so here. No book, no movie).
You’ll get a real feel for what it would be like to have Knapp as your irreverent, free-spirited teacher.
“Shamelessly self-promotional, I often assign my own books for class discussions. Since I wrote them, I don’t have to read them, which frees up time for birding and other forays.”
“Professors, the stereotype goes, are absentminded. I lean into this, cultivating it with unanswered emails and a piece of tape over the infernal blinking red light on my office phone that reminds me my voicemail memory is full. Previous head-in-the-clouds academics set the bar low; I’ve cleared it with ease.”
Birds are one way to see the world, but so are words and Knapp walks us through (chapter titles) “Consanguineous,” “Philopatry,” “Commensalism,” “Deracinate,” and “Endemism.”
The last word in that list plays into a story of Charles Darwins’ work understanding a mockingbird species in the Galapagos. “Endemism refers to the state of being confined to one place. Conservationists rightly prioritize endemic species, limitation in space makes their survival more precarious than wide-ranging species. One event—disease, drought, or a highly competitive or predatory invasive species—can cause their extinction.”
Knapp’s sprightly prose is irresistible. Enthusiasm, and humor, oozes from the page.
“An ashy storm petrel drew parallel, dainty legs dangling as if its landing gear had jammed. It dabbed at a patina of fish oil and faded up into the clouds like an escaped helium balloon.”
“Loons move from lake to lake in dry-cleaned tuxedos. They have conceded the color palette to wood ducks but compensated with elegance and crisp, checker spot attire. Their ruby red eyes helped them filter light when feeding and murky depths and shoot down Jedi X-wing fighters went aloft.”
In The Crosswinds, another knockout publication from Torrey House Press, is chock full of wonder, humility, and keen observations about the place of humanity in all this nature. And it’s very much about the space between us humans and the other creatures that share our planet. Recommended for fans of David Gessner, Robert Macfarlane, and Barry Lopez.
Thanks to Torrey House Press for the advance copy.
As the subtitle “birds, humans, and the paradox of place” suggests, the book is as much about the observing as it is about the birds. “That’s what this book is about: how pursuit can lead to being, and being to richness,” writes Knapp in the introduction. “Birds offer us a winsome, unexpected invitation. By looking at them—to them—we can find meaning, absolution from feelings of isolation and displacement.”
In fact, Knapp wonders whether this book is as much about his own, well, flightiness. He’s a Professor of Ecology at Houghton University in western New York State but travels around the world, doing work in Tanzania and New Zealand among other locations. He wonders, in chapter one, if all he’s lost his sense of place. “Can I know place through birds? Can I follow their lead, migrate to faraway places and return? Do my frequent travels preclude me from fusion with the land? Can I connect with particularity as they do?”
In The Crosswinds is witty, light, and brisk—25 chapters in 225 pages. Each chapter is its own mini short story. A search for a rose-winged parakeet in Naples, Florida. The search for Central Park Zoo escapee Flaco, a Eurasian eagle owl, in New York City. A reconsideration of coots in the Netherlands. And many stories intermixed about his students with references to Everett Reuss, John McPhee, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Helen Macdonald, Barry Lopez, and the book and movie “The Big Year.” (Since Knapp doesn’t mention the book’s author, Mark Obmascik, I’ll do so here. No book, no movie).
You’ll get a real feel for what it would be like to have Knapp as your irreverent, free-spirited teacher.
“Shamelessly self-promotional, I often assign my own books for class discussions. Since I wrote them, I don’t have to read them, which frees up time for birding and other forays.”
“Professors, the stereotype goes, are absentminded. I lean into this, cultivating it with unanswered emails and a piece of tape over the infernal blinking red light on my office phone that reminds me my voicemail memory is full. Previous head-in-the-clouds academics set the bar low; I’ve cleared it with ease.”
Birds are one way to see the world, but so are words and Knapp walks us through (chapter titles) “Consanguineous,” “Philopatry,” “Commensalism,” “Deracinate,” and “Endemism.”
The last word in that list plays into a story of Charles Darwins’ work understanding a mockingbird species in the Galapagos. “Endemism refers to the state of being confined to one place. Conservationists rightly prioritize endemic species, limitation in space makes their survival more precarious than wide-ranging species. One event—disease, drought, or a highly competitive or predatory invasive species—can cause their extinction.”
Knapp’s sprightly prose is irresistible. Enthusiasm, and humor, oozes from the page.
“An ashy storm petrel drew parallel, dainty legs dangling as if its landing gear had jammed. It dabbed at a patina of fish oil and faded up into the clouds like an escaped helium balloon.”
“Loons move from lake to lake in dry-cleaned tuxedos. They have conceded the color palette to wood ducks but compensated with elegance and crisp, checker spot attire. Their ruby red eyes helped them filter light when feeding and murky depths and shoot down Jedi X-wing fighters went aloft.”
In The Crosswinds, another knockout publication from Torrey House Press, is chock full of wonder, humility, and keen observations about the place of humanity in all this nature. And it’s very much about the space between us humans and the other creatures that share our planet. Recommended for fans of David Gessner, Robert Macfarlane, and Barry Lopez.
Thanks to Torrey House Press for the advance copy.
July 30, 2025
With lush prose, irrepressible wit, and self-deprecating humor, Knapp delivers a marvelous collection of stories that is at turns hilarious and poignant, thought-provoking and sentimental. He draws extraordinary depth of meaning out of what many of us consider ordinary and unremarkable occurrences. The book is driven by challenging questions about humans and their connection to place - questions that are worth contemplating and enjoying in Knapp's soaring written achievement.
August 14, 2025
My brother in law wrote this! It is the only ecology book I've read that can also be described as entertaining. Short, narrative birdy essays told by a goofy professor. Check it out if that sounds fun.
March 13, 2026
Great book to inspire thinking of one’s place in the universe and the inevitable realization that one is just a blip on the passage of time and a small cog in the presence of place.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews