Small-headed Flycatcher. Seen Yesterday. He Didn’t Leave His Name.: and other stories

by Pete Dunne, Louise Zemaitis (Illustrator)

Pete Dunne has been watching birds since he was seven years old. But not just watching-deeply absorbing every nuance of color, markings, shape, flight, and song; all the subtle clues that can identify a bird barely glimpsed among the highest branches in fading twilight. With the same skill, he has been observing and writing about birding and birders for over twenty years, using humor, sentiment, occasional sarcasm, and unashamed passion for his chosen profession to explore why birdwatching is so irresistibly compelling to so many people. This book brings together thirty-two vintage essays that Dunne originally wrote for publications such as American Birds , Bird Watcher's Digest , Birder's World , Birding , Living Bird , the New Jersey edition of the Sunday New York Times , WildBird , and Wild Bird News . Encounters with birds rare and common is their shared theme, through which Dunne weaves stories of his family and friends, reflections on the cycles of nature, and portraits of unforgettable birders whose paths have crossed his, ranging from Roger Tory Peterson to a life-battered friend who finds solace in birding. A cliff-hanger story of the bird that got away gives this book its title.

Genres: Birds, Nature, Nonfiction

156 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed these short stories.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirty-Two vintage essays about birds and birders. So easy to get caught up in the obsession, pure delight, and comradeship of birding family and friends. A joy to read.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of Pete Dunne's very short stories and essays written for various bird/birder-related publications. It's especially good for situations where you want to read a few pages at a time. He is undoubtedly most appealing to those who enjoy birds, know a bit about identifying them, and have observed at least a few people who keep life lists of birds they've seen.

Dunne writes with a sense of humor and a good imagination, so I occasionally had difficulty deciding whether he's serious. He often makes points clearly, as when he writes about wanting to choose species for elimination, and ends up concluding the world would be a much worse place if he were in charge and acted on his supposed wishes. More often he appears to be the opposite of preachy. He talks nostalgically of his childhood, which includes his joining friends chasing DDT foggers down the street on summer evenings. He never mentions the impact on DDT on birds--or possibly humans.

Perhaps it is Dunne's ability to ramp up or down various emotions that makes this book powerful. In some pieces he laughs at himself and his kind, and encourages us to laugh at ourselves. With others, he brought me to tears.

[Erin Wilder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of fantastic, well-organized essays by one of birding's best. I chuckled my way through Pete Dunne's observations about birds, birders and birding that were so funny because they were so true. Also, Pete Dunne could make a phone book sound funny. Dunne pokes fun at other people and then turns around and makes fun of himself. The writing is sharp and the essays clip right along. If you want a peek into the strange, obsessive, wonderful world that birds and birders share you could a lot worse than this.

[Martha Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another in the series of Dunne's short stories. I have waited avidly for each volume's arrival. They are wonderful; but I think perhaps you need to be a birder to really "get it."