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A Season On The Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration – Epic Journeys, Urgent Threats, and the Fight for Bird Conservation
A close look at one season in one key site that reveals the amazing science and magic of spring bird migration, and the perils of human encroachment.
Every spring, billions of birds sweep north, driven by ancient instincts to return to their breeding grounds. This vast parade often goes unnoticed, except in a few places where these small travelers concentrate in large numbers. One such place is along Lake Erie in northwestern Ohio. There, the peak of spring migration is so spectacular that it attracts bird watchers from around the globe, culminating in one of the world’s biggest birding festivals.
Millions of winged migrants pass through the region, some traveling thousands of miles, performing epic feats of endurance and navigating with stunning accuracy. Now climate change threatens to disrupt patterns of migration and the delicate balance between birds, seasons, and habitats. But wind farms—popular as green energy sources—can be disastrous for birds if built in the wrong places. This is a fascinating and urgent study of the complex issues that affect bird migration.
Every spring, billions of birds sweep north, driven by ancient instincts to return to their breeding grounds. This vast parade often goes unnoticed, except in a few places where these small travelers concentrate in large numbers. One such place is along Lake Erie in northwestern Ohio. There, the peak of spring migration is so spectacular that it attracts bird watchers from around the globe, culminating in one of the world’s biggest birding festivals.
Millions of winged migrants pass through the region, some traveling thousands of miles, performing epic feats of endurance and navigating with stunning accuracy. Now climate change threatens to disrupt patterns of migration and the delicate balance between birds, seasons, and habitats. But wind farms—popular as green energy sources—can be disastrous for birds if built in the wrong places. This is a fascinating and urgent study of the complex issues that affect bird migration.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 2, 2019
75 people are currently reading
1123 people want to read
About the author
Kenn Kaufman
35 books134 followersKenn Kaufman (born 1954) is an American author, artist, naturalist, and conservationist, with a particular focus on birds.
Born in South Bend, Indiana, Kaufman started birding at the age of six. When he was nine, his family moved to Wichita, Kansas, where his fascination with birds intensified. At age sixteen, inspired by birding pioneers such as Roger Tory Peterson, he dropped out of high school and spent several years hitchhiking around North America in pursuit of birds. This adventure eventually was recorded in a memoir, Kingbird Highway.
Thereafter he spent several years as a professional leader of nature tours, taking groups of birders to all seven continents. In 1984 he began working as an editor and consultant on birds for the National Audubon Society, a connection that continues to this day. Gradually he transitioned from tour leading to a full-time focus on writing, editing, and illustrating, always on nature subjects. His first major book, the Peterson Field Guide to Advanced Birding, was published in 1990. This was followed by another dozen books, including seven titles in his own series of Kaufman Field Guides. His next book, The Birds That Audubon Missed, is scheduled for publication in May 2024.
Currently, Kaufman devotes most of his time to writing books and painting bird portraits. His paintings have been juried into several prestigious exhibitions. He is a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society, a recipient of the Eisenmann Medal from the Linnaean Society of New York, and the only person to have received the American Birding Association's lifetime achievement award twice.
Kaufman resides in Oak Harbor, Ohio with his wife, Kimberly Kaufman, also a dedicated naturalist. Kenn and Kimberly mostly work on separate projects, but they collaborate as the "birding experts" for the popular Birds & Blooms Magazine.
Born in South Bend, Indiana, Kaufman started birding at the age of six. When he was nine, his family moved to Wichita, Kansas, where his fascination with birds intensified. At age sixteen, inspired by birding pioneers such as Roger Tory Peterson, he dropped out of high school and spent several years hitchhiking around North America in pursuit of birds. This adventure eventually was recorded in a memoir, Kingbird Highway.
Thereafter he spent several years as a professional leader of nature tours, taking groups of birders to all seven continents. In 1984 he began working as an editor and consultant on birds for the National Audubon Society, a connection that continues to this day. Gradually he transitioned from tour leading to a full-time focus on writing, editing, and illustrating, always on nature subjects. His first major book, the Peterson Field Guide to Advanced Birding, was published in 1990. This was followed by another dozen books, including seven titles in his own series of Kaufman Field Guides. His next book, The Birds That Audubon Missed, is scheduled for publication in May 2024.
Currently, Kaufman devotes most of his time to writing books and painting bird portraits. His paintings have been juried into several prestigious exhibitions. He is a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society, a recipient of the Eisenmann Medal from the Linnaean Society of New York, and the only person to have received the American Birding Association's lifetime achievement award twice.
Kaufman resides in Oak Harbor, Ohio with his wife, Kimberly Kaufman, also a dedicated naturalist. Kenn and Kimberly mostly work on separate projects, but they collaborate as the "birding experts" for the popular Birds & Blooms Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
May 5, 2019
This was fantastic to read as I'm finally getting serious about birding. While still a noob, every birding hike I take I learn more and more species. This weekend I experienced the first day of 'The Biggest Week in American Birding' in Northwestern Ohio. At first, I was overwhelmed. I'm surrounded by birders who can instantly spot and identify while I'm having trouble just spotting yet alone also being able to identify this hyperactive bird weighing half an ounce. In the middle of the experience I was able to quickly find birds, would give a quick description and someone was always able to say what is was followed by, "Nice spot, Kelly, we haven't seen one of those yet". I would also find myself saying "OH! Oh nevermind, it's just another kinglet, it's just another white-throated sparrow." In the end, I checked off species on my list I had really wanted to see and added even more to my list that I didn't know exist.
June 30, 2019
A beautiful book, equal parts evocative and educational, full of wonder and laced with sadness. I wish I knew Kenn Kaufman; in this book he might be describing my own deeply held feelings about birds and the reverent practice of seeing them that we call "birding", as well as my sometimes overwhelming despair at the destruction of our natural world. I feel less alone, somehow, after reading this.
A must for nature lovers. I wish everyone would read it and be inspired to protect our living Earth.
A must for nature lovers. I wish everyone would read it and be inspired to protect our living Earth.
May 25, 2019
It's not quite what I expected, in the best way. I was expecting to read more of a treatise on bird migration, and what I got was an emotional, beautifully-told exploration of migration. It touches not just on how migrations happen, but also how they are being affected by climate change and the energy industry. All told with a clear passion. Well done!
July 21, 2020
I listened to the audio book narrated by the author. I really enjoyed it. The author has an amazing love for birds and their behavior.
I enjoyed listening to his explanations of why he lives birding, he experiences over his lifetime following birds and the habits and nature of birds.
I enjoyed listening to his explanations of why he lives birding, he experiences over his lifetime following birds and the habits and nature of birds.
August 3, 2021
If you love birds then you will greatly enjoy this book.
April 28, 2020
“We birders have our own geography. Our map of the world is illuminated by the peaks and valleys of birding potential.”
“These migratory birds will inspire me and fill me with wonder for as long as I live. They practice no religion, but they are buoyed up and carried along on their journeys by what seem to be an infinite levels of faith. They live the briefest of lives, but they are bound to eternal things. They are out there now between the heavens and earth, legions of travelers flowing strong and deep through the night, beyond all understanding, beyond all imagination, filling the sky with life.”
It is April, the beginning of bird migration, so I thought this would be a perfect time to read Kaufman's latest book. This one is completely dedicated to following a season of migration, month by month, looking at the science and magical beauty of this astounding event. Kaufman is a renowned birder, who was actually a front-runner is making birding a popular passion, starting in the 70s. He is also an activist, a conservationist and fortunately, a very good writer. This will appeal mostly to birders but if you are interested, at all, at how migration works, this would be a good place to start.
April 28, 2022
The author does a very good job reading the book for the audio version. Not all authors are good at this. I learned a great deal about what we know regarding bird migrations and discovered that I now have another reason to head to Ohio, the first reason being Ukrainian food in Parma. Lake Erie is where many birds stop to rest on their migration path, so there are places there which birdwatchers want to go to. Warblers is not so much a genus or a species, but more a description of birds that do certain things. This book helped me understand that different warblers are not necessarily closely related. Who knew?
Author talks way too much about some of the people he met here and there, most of them not icons in the birding field. None of that was interesting to me, but the rest of the book was pretty good.
Author talks way too much about some of the people he met here and there, most of them not icons in the birding field. None of that was interesting to me, but the rest of the book was pretty good.
October 9, 2020
Audiobook well narrated by the author, Kenn Kaufman and borrowed from the National Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, BARD app. Anyone interested in birds and ornithology should read this book on migration.
September 3, 2019
This book explained migration of bites and what birders are willing to do to seen a species it gets into ones soul love led
December 20, 2025
Not sure what I was expecting from this but it was basically 280 pages of Kaufman patting himself on the back mixed in with a random anti-wind power NIMBY arc. Because I’ve spent a lot of time reading about environmental and administrative law, the random chapters attacking wind energy projects and chronicling Kaufman’s NIMBYing of proposed wind turbines was horrendous to read. What I found to be particularly sad about him attending a school board meeting to protest the experimental installation of turbines is that he did it out of worry that the turbines would kill birds, while the school had been intending to monitor any turbine deaths. Just prior to this chapter, Kaufman pats himself on the back again for being able to understand that while duck hunting is obviously bad for the ducks that are killed, it has also been a cornerstone of land conservation. How he can recognize nuance in duck hunting but not wind turbines is really quite unfortunate. While I recognize that Kauffman is such an influential figure in the birding world, a majority of this books was incredibly bizarre and off-putting. 2 stars because he was still able to include some fun-facts about Warblers.
May 27, 2024
Loved it! It's all about the beauty and magic of migration in Northern Ohio. I have been lucky enough to attend the Biggest Week in American Birding three years running and to assist with bird banding with The Black Swamp Bird Observatory. Being familiar with the area and the migration there, I can say Kenn really brought it all to life! And there were points in the book where I felt like Kenn even captured some of my personal experiences - that first time on the boardwalk and seeing those incredible warblers at eye level was truly transformative!
September 27, 2025
I have never before thought of Ohio as an interesting or magical place but I do now. It is always compelling when someone genuinely loves where they live for it’s natural features and not just the cities.
April 21, 2019
Kenn Kaufman has written a beautiful tribute to bird migration. He takes us on a journey with migrating birds as they fly through northern Ohio, an important spring stopover site. Many neotropical migrants fly thousands of miles and need to rest periodically to recharge. Without those critical sites, a perilous journey can become fatal.
In A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration, we learn a lot about wind turbines, a relatively new threat to migrant songbirds. Honestly, I’ve been wondering about them for years. While I’m enthusiastic about renewable energy, I worry about the effects on bird populations. This book validated many of my concerns.
A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration isn’t just about obstacles and the finer points of migration, it is also full of love for the birds themselves. The second half of the book swept me away on a birding adventure. I wanted to “live in that moment” just like Kenn Kaufman.
He takes us to Magee Marsh during The Biggest Week in Birding festival. I have attended several birding festivals over the years and they are always fun! They are always located where the birds are fantastic and you find yourself surrounded by people who share your enthusiasm for birds. This festival seems to have added a few extras including a “birder’s prom.” That sounds awesome!
http://www.biggestweekinamericanbirdi... (festival website)
I learned something and thoroughly enjoyed myself along the way!
In A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration, we learn a lot about wind turbines, a relatively new threat to migrant songbirds. Honestly, I’ve been wondering about them for years. While I’m enthusiastic about renewable energy, I worry about the effects on bird populations. This book validated many of my concerns.
A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration isn’t just about obstacles and the finer points of migration, it is also full of love for the birds themselves. The second half of the book swept me away on a birding adventure. I wanted to “live in that moment” just like Kenn Kaufman.
He takes us to Magee Marsh during The Biggest Week in Birding festival. I have attended several birding festivals over the years and they are always fun! They are always located where the birds are fantastic and you find yourself surrounded by people who share your enthusiasm for birds. This festival seems to have added a few extras including a “birder’s prom.” That sounds awesome!
http://www.biggestweekinamericanbirdi... (festival website)
I learned something and thoroughly enjoyed myself along the way!
September 3, 2019
“…travelling birds have no language to pass along any verbal history. From our viewpoint it might seem that they’ve cast out there on their own, specks of life against the sky, flying alone into the unknown. And to some extent that’s true. But they have their own traditions and unspoken legends, and these are handed down more directly, generation to generation, in the blood. Every long-distance migrant is the direct descendant of champions.
A harsh equation of death is what keeps the whole species strong. Blackpoll warblers will not build a nest and raise their first brood until they are one year old, and to reach that opportunity they will have to run a gauntlet of extraordinary challenges. Born in a land where they could not possibly live through winter, programmed to travel to wintering grounds a continent away, they must endure the monstrous marathon of the overwater flight to South America at the age of three or four months. If they can survive the winter in the tropical jungle, they must then fly back north across the Caribbean- in a series of flights measured in the hundreds of miles rather then thousands- and work their way north, evading predators and dodging obstacles, heading for the boreal forest. Only if they make it back can they even contemplate the next challenges: finding a mate and raising a brood of young.
Those who succumb to the dangers of migration will never breed. The genes of weaklings are never passed to the next generation. Every baby blackpoll warbler in the past nest has the blood of heroes pumping in its veins; every one of its ancestors was an astonishing champion, going back thousands of generations. That is the epic legend the bird carries on its journey, not in words but in its heart.
It's impossible to translate this into human terms. It’s very uncomfortable and awkward even to make the attempt….”
A harsh equation of death is what keeps the whole species strong. Blackpoll warblers will not build a nest and raise their first brood until they are one year old, and to reach that opportunity they will have to run a gauntlet of extraordinary challenges. Born in a land where they could not possibly live through winter, programmed to travel to wintering grounds a continent away, they must endure the monstrous marathon of the overwater flight to South America at the age of three or four months. If they can survive the winter in the tropical jungle, they must then fly back north across the Caribbean- in a series of flights measured in the hundreds of miles rather then thousands- and work their way north, evading predators and dodging obstacles, heading for the boreal forest. Only if they make it back can they even contemplate the next challenges: finding a mate and raising a brood of young.
Those who succumb to the dangers of migration will never breed. The genes of weaklings are never passed to the next generation. Every baby blackpoll warbler in the past nest has the blood of heroes pumping in its veins; every one of its ancestors was an astonishing champion, going back thousands of generations. That is the epic legend the bird carries on its journey, not in words but in its heart.
It's impossible to translate this into human terms. It’s very uncomfortable and awkward even to make the attempt….”
February 22, 2021
This book was a total pleasure to read, Kenn Kaufman is a natural storyteller, and his enthusiasm for all things birding practically flights out of the pages! ;)
To be honest, I'm still very new at this birding thing and my "life list" is rather short, so I sort of nodded my head along as he described birds I never knew existed, and yelled out loud "OHH! I've seen that one!" whenever he happened to mention one of the members of my list. I do intend to visit one of the stopover sites this spring in hopes of adding new lifers and meeting other common-minded folks!
This, I've discovered, is one of the hidden pleasures of birding; the friends you make along the way. I've already gone on bird-photography expeditions with new acquaintances and shared locations of owls, eagles, ospreys, warblers, etc. It greatly adds to the experience and Kenn mentions it throughout.
I've also learned about the hidden dangers that sources of renewable energy such as wind turbines pose to birds in stopover habitat, and the tireless work of conservation advocates in fighting for the future of these sites.
Highly recommended!
To be honest, I'm still very new at this birding thing and my "life list" is rather short, so I sort of nodded my head along as he described birds I never knew existed, and yelled out loud "OHH! I've seen that one!" whenever he happened to mention one of the members of my list. I do intend to visit one of the stopover sites this spring in hopes of adding new lifers and meeting other common-minded folks!
This, I've discovered, is one of the hidden pleasures of birding; the friends you make along the way. I've already gone on bird-photography expeditions with new acquaintances and shared locations of owls, eagles, ospreys, warblers, etc. It greatly adds to the experience and Kenn mentions it throughout.
I've also learned about the hidden dangers that sources of renewable energy such as wind turbines pose to birds in stopover habitat, and the tireless work of conservation advocates in fighting for the future of these sites.
Highly recommended!
April 29, 2020
This is a beautiful book. I really like Kenn Kaufman, and even more after reading this book than before. Nevertheless, there is nothing particularly new here. There are a few interesting facts and some beautiful moments of the experience of birding, but it is a bit like the book couldn’t decide if it was going to be a memoir, a book about migration, a book about activism, or a brochure for a birding festival. It might be something to put on your bookshelf to read in the winter when you miss birding as often and want to get excited about the spring. Kaufman did narrate the audiobook edition himself, which is really nice.
Read
August 23, 2021I am a curious person who never stops asking questions, but this is one topic that I never wondered about a lot. I am lucky enough to live in an area that sees a lot of seasonal bird migration and I now find myself pausing and noticing the plants, tiny sparrows, hawks overhead, and the glints of bright color from the birds that are here for a moment to rest before they continue to more comfortable homes farther North.
I am deeply grateful for the knowledge this book has granted me. I am even more thankful for how this information has allowed me to be more connected to the nature that still thrives in the busy city that I call home.
I am deeply grateful for the knowledge this book has granted me. I am even more thankful for how this information has allowed me to be more connected to the nature that still thrives in the busy city that I call home.
Read
February 27, 2025A bit loose, but an enjoyable experience of the birds passing through Ohio every spring and the challenges they face (particularly from wind turbines, which sound awful!). I would turn to Scott Weidensaul's books if you want a deeper treatment of bird migration, but A SEASON is a lighter, more anecdotal book that focuses just on one region. It increases my desire to visit Magee Marsh, BUT I also don't think I'd enjoy the crowds??
Kaufman ends his book with a paean to the wonderful complexity and diversity of birds, marveling at the fact that the earth is full of so much variety when, physically speaking, there's no "need" for the earth to have any life at all, and definitely no explanation for there being so many species differing in look, habitat, habits, migration patterns, everything. I so appreciate someone stopping to notice this overflowing, gracious abundance -- most writers, coming from an atheistic evolutionary perspective, just seem to go, "Hey, this is super neat!" but never bother to stop and wonder why we get to enjoy what we get to enjoy. Sadly, though, Kaufman's wonder doesn't lead him anywhere useful. He positions himself as an agnostic, unable to decide whether everything is a product of blind chance or whether it's designed by an all-powerful creator. And he's only willing to accept the latter if that creator is left undefined, because he isn't willing to say any one religious argument is correct. Instead, he falls back on saying he hopes any divine power out there knows that he's grateful for the world that power created. I find it simultaneously cold and tragic that that no man's land is where he ends up, because vague gratitude without personal knowledge is not enough -- we give to be loved and known in a personal relationship; the Giver who bestowed this wonderful, bursting-at-the-seams-with-life world on us seeks relationship, not to be treated as some impersonal force that may or may not be "out there." On the other hand, Kaufman's words are a great example of the truth that the revelation of God's character in nature is not salvific on its own; nature can in fact easily become people's replacement for God, the thing they worship as that which gives them life and to which they are finally (and only) responsible.
Kaufman ends his book with a paean to the wonderful complexity and diversity of birds, marveling at the fact that the earth is full of so much variety when, physically speaking, there's no "need" for the earth to have any life at all, and definitely no explanation for there being so many species differing in look, habitat, habits, migration patterns, everything. I so appreciate someone stopping to notice this overflowing, gracious abundance -- most writers, coming from an atheistic evolutionary perspective, just seem to go, "Hey, this is super neat!" but never bother to stop and wonder why we get to enjoy what we get to enjoy. Sadly, though, Kaufman's wonder doesn't lead him anywhere useful. He positions himself as an agnostic, unable to decide whether everything is a product of blind chance or whether it's designed by an all-powerful creator. And he's only willing to accept the latter if that creator is left undefined, because he isn't willing to say any one religious argument is correct. Instead, he falls back on saying he hopes any divine power out there knows that he's grateful for the world that power created. I find it simultaneously cold and tragic that that no man's land is where he ends up, because vague gratitude without personal knowledge is not enough -- we give to be loved and known in a personal relationship; the Giver who bestowed this wonderful, bursting-at-the-seams-with-life world on us seeks relationship, not to be treated as some impersonal force that may or may not be "out there." On the other hand, Kaufman's words are a great example of the truth that the revelation of God's character in nature is not salvific on its own; nature can in fact easily become people's replacement for God, the thing they worship as that which gives them life and to which they are finally (and only) responsible.
April 16, 2021
When I was in college, I took a bird ecology class and we visited Magee Marsh during the warbler migration. We assisted researchers with the capture and release of warblers and then visited the famous boardwalk. This book took me right back to that amazing experience, and introduced me to even more migration facts that I didn’t know. This is a fun read for anyone interested in bird migration, especially, like me, if you live in Ohio.
I alternated between the hardcover and audiobook and both make for a great reading experience.
I alternated between the hardcover and audiobook and both make for a great reading experience.
October 3, 2023
Incredible book about bird migration told with great reverence for birds. This book felt like a hug ❤️
June 15, 2024
I really enjoyed this book on birding and the uniqueness of Northwest Ohio in bird migration. If you live in the area and enjoy birds, this book is definitely one to read!
November 25, 2024
A bit long in some sections but easy to read. Discusses the patterns of spring migration and explores the science behind birds migrations.
July 7, 2022
Beautifully written book on the magic and miracles of spring migration. Took me ages to read because I kept re-reading paragraphs that were extremely moving. Might have even teared up at a few points! Have to say, one good thing that came out of Covid was a lot of people, including myself became interested in birds.
December 31, 2019
Kenn Kaufman has become quite a nature writer. I adored his "cult classic" Kingbird Highway but it was a personal story about his birding big year. This is a whole another animal.
[watching the Geminid meteor showers]
In the sharp, cold air the stars crackled with brilliance, and we stood in silence, gazing upward. Once every few minutes a glowing meteor would blaze across the sky, and we would squeeze each other's hands and keep watching. And then somewhere out in the fields the coyotes started singing. We sensed that they were also watching the sky; their cries had a pensive, solemn tone, as if they had become the voices of the lost wilderness, the voices of Earth. Unseen in the dark they went on and on, with yips, keening howls, mournful wails, an elegy to the sky, calling down the falling stars.
And read his description of the courtship display of the pectoral sandpiper:
Standing atop a high hummock, a male makes growling, squawking, coughing sounds, then puffs his body to a ridiculous degree by inflating special air sacs under the feathers of his throat and chest. Launching into the air, he flies with slow, deep, exaggerated wingbeats, looking like a blobby brown balloon, making a series of low, throbbing hoots: doob doob doob...The whole thing is bizarre and more than a little comical. So graceful and strong in normal fight, the pectoral sandpiper transforms himself into a dorky showoff in courtship.
But of course none of this is what the book is about. If you think you know anything about bird migration, think again. There's a lot more to it than "birds fly south for the winter."
Some fly a little south, to the southern U.S.; some fly all the way to southern South America. Some species that you see year round actually do migrate a little, you just don't notice it. When I lived in Kentucky I thought the robins went south for the winter--until I encountered a flock of them skulking around in the woods. And if you think there are invisible "flyways" the birds migrate along...nope. Some ducks stick to well established routes, but they're just as likely to be west to east, northeast to south, and crisscrossing all over. Hawks migrate in the daytime when they can float on the thermals; they dislike crossing the dead-air of big lakes. Some birds migrate in flocks but many more go singly. Little songbirds migrate at night and are just as likely to shoot across the gulf of Mexico as not, coming down on the other side with most of their excess fat storage spent.
There are places where migrating birds seem to congregate but they're mostly accidents of geography. Kenn Kaufman has located himself in a prime spot--on the south shore of lake Erie. It's a region he has made famous as a spring migration stop-off for warblers and other long-distance migrants. When they arrive at Lake Erie at daybreak, they have to make a choice whether to go on across the water or stop off for a day to eat and regain energy. Apparently a lot of them stop to take a break--in April, it's a miraculous place for bird watchers. And--as he explains many times--a terrible location for wind turbines.
We didn't use t know that many songbirds migrate at night, nor did we realize just how many of them there were. Picture a large cloud of birds moving north in the dark, and remember--most diurnal birds can't see any better in the dark than we can. They can see the stars overhead and the lights below, but not an invisible blade of deadly whirr right in front of their eyes.
[watching the Geminid meteor showers]
In the sharp, cold air the stars crackled with brilliance, and we stood in silence, gazing upward. Once every few minutes a glowing meteor would blaze across the sky, and we would squeeze each other's hands and keep watching. And then somewhere out in the fields the coyotes started singing. We sensed that they were also watching the sky; their cries had a pensive, solemn tone, as if they had become the voices of the lost wilderness, the voices of Earth. Unseen in the dark they went on and on, with yips, keening howls, mournful wails, an elegy to the sky, calling down the falling stars.
And read his description of the courtship display of the pectoral sandpiper:
Standing atop a high hummock, a male makes growling, squawking, coughing sounds, then puffs his body to a ridiculous degree by inflating special air sacs under the feathers of his throat and chest. Launching into the air, he flies with slow, deep, exaggerated wingbeats, looking like a blobby brown balloon, making a series of low, throbbing hoots: doob doob doob...The whole thing is bizarre and more than a little comical. So graceful and strong in normal fight, the pectoral sandpiper transforms himself into a dorky showoff in courtship.
But of course none of this is what the book is about. If you think you know anything about bird migration, think again. There's a lot more to it than "birds fly south for the winter."
Some fly a little south, to the southern U.S.; some fly all the way to southern South America. Some species that you see year round actually do migrate a little, you just don't notice it. When I lived in Kentucky I thought the robins went south for the winter--until I encountered a flock of them skulking around in the woods. And if you think there are invisible "flyways" the birds migrate along...nope. Some ducks stick to well established routes, but they're just as likely to be west to east, northeast to south, and crisscrossing all over. Hawks migrate in the daytime when they can float on the thermals; they dislike crossing the dead-air of big lakes. Some birds migrate in flocks but many more go singly. Little songbirds migrate at night and are just as likely to shoot across the gulf of Mexico as not, coming down on the other side with most of their excess fat storage spent.
There are places where migrating birds seem to congregate but they're mostly accidents of geography. Kenn Kaufman has located himself in a prime spot--on the south shore of lake Erie. It's a region he has made famous as a spring migration stop-off for warblers and other long-distance migrants. When they arrive at Lake Erie at daybreak, they have to make a choice whether to go on across the water or stop off for a day to eat and regain energy. Apparently a lot of them stop to take a break--in April, it's a miraculous place for bird watchers. And--as he explains many times--a terrible location for wind turbines.
We didn't use t know that many songbirds migrate at night, nor did we realize just how many of them there were. Picture a large cloud of birds moving north in the dark, and remember--most diurnal birds can't see any better in the dark than we can. They can see the stars overhead and the lights below, but not an invisible blade of deadly whirr right in front of their eyes.
April 14, 2021
Wonderful read for any birder or new birder out there. So educational and a fun read.
May 13, 2019
When you read this book, have a good bird guide at hand, unless you are a birder in the Ohio area. I grew up in Chicago but we did not have so many of these birds there unless they were city dwellers. (I did do the Girl Scout bird badge!) My mother always fed the birds in winter, though in my memory they were mostly sparrows and pigeons.From her I developed an interest in birds.
What I liked most about this book was KK's explanation of what constraints birds face in migration--apart from human-imposed constraints. He has vivid descriptions of what it is like going out on the reserve he lives by and works with to see the earliest migratory birds of each species. He includes comments on their songs and noises; patterns of migration; reasons for their staying on the reserve; where they go to once they leave, etc. The second thing I liked was his analysis of the human-imposed constraints (a mild term, that!) that endanger a number of species and of course each individual bird. The chapter and comments on wind turbines were particularly apropos and explanatory and explained my surprise when our local Sierra Club president attacked me at the showing of Gore's second climate change movie when I brought up the fact that, though I supported renewal energy and specifically wind turbines, I was very concerned about their deadly effect on migratory birds. The SC person pooh poohed this effect and gave me the impression I did not know what I was talking about. Now I know why he did not know (purportedly) of the effect.
There is a small section of color photos of mostly birds the average non-birder would not know of, and particularly warblers. I now intend to take a bird migration experience course next spring at a regional "folk" school to see what KK sees (allowing for the fact that I do not live in the Ohio area). I believe his book will interest more in birding. Thank you, KK!
What I liked most about this book was KK's explanation of what constraints birds face in migration--apart from human-imposed constraints. He has vivid descriptions of what it is like going out on the reserve he lives by and works with to see the earliest migratory birds of each species. He includes comments on their songs and noises; patterns of migration; reasons for their staying on the reserve; where they go to once they leave, etc. The second thing I liked was his analysis of the human-imposed constraints (a mild term, that!) that endanger a number of species and of course each individual bird. The chapter and comments on wind turbines were particularly apropos and explanatory and explained my surprise when our local Sierra Club president attacked me at the showing of Gore's second climate change movie when I brought up the fact that, though I supported renewal energy and specifically wind turbines, I was very concerned about their deadly effect on migratory birds. The SC person pooh poohed this effect and gave me the impression I did not know what I was talking about. Now I know why he did not know (purportedly) of the effect.
There is a small section of color photos of mostly birds the average non-birder would not know of, and particularly warblers. I now intend to take a bird migration experience course next spring at a regional "folk" school to see what KK sees (allowing for the fact that I do not live in the Ohio area). I believe his book will interest more in birding. Thank you, KK!
May 22, 2020
Beautifully written and brimming with insight and reverence for the natural world, A Season on the Wind is Kenn Kaufman’s ode to the marvel and awesomeness of bird migration. Kaufman combines his vast knowledge of birds with a keen sense of wonder. The book focuses on his beloved home turf along the shoreline of Lake Erie in northwestern Ohio, a major stopover area for migratory birds on their way to breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska.
I already knew from reading Kaufman’s earlier classic, Kingbird Highway, that he writes with great poignancy and detail about bird migration. It is a topic he finds endlessly fascinating. I deliberately timed my reading of A Season on the Wind for early May so that my own local spring birding excursions would be enhanced by Kaufman’s observations and knowledge. It worked out perfectly and I ended up reading it during the precise time period Kaufman focused on in the book. It was fun to read about warblers, for example, during the same calendar period when my own neck of the woods in northern Virginia was also experiencing influxes of warblers. I also gained a greater understanding of how weather patterns affect bird migration.
I look forward to spring migration every year, anticipating the arrivals of wood ducks, red-winged blackbirds, warblers, purple martins, yellow billed cuckoos, and on and on. As Kaufman notes, it really is a kind of miracle unfolding before us each and every spring. I’m by no means an expert birder, but I am an avid one. I enjoyed this book a lot, and now I’m eager to make an early May pilgrimage one of these years to northwestern Ohio to experience the springtime wonders of Magee Marsh and surrounding area along the southern shore of Lake Erie.
I already knew from reading Kaufman’s earlier classic, Kingbird Highway, that he writes with great poignancy and detail about bird migration. It is a topic he finds endlessly fascinating. I deliberately timed my reading of A Season on the Wind for early May so that my own local spring birding excursions would be enhanced by Kaufman’s observations and knowledge. It worked out perfectly and I ended up reading it during the precise time period Kaufman focused on in the book. It was fun to read about warblers, for example, during the same calendar period when my own neck of the woods in northern Virginia was also experiencing influxes of warblers. I also gained a greater understanding of how weather patterns affect bird migration.
I look forward to spring migration every year, anticipating the arrivals of wood ducks, red-winged blackbirds, warblers, purple martins, yellow billed cuckoos, and on and on. As Kaufman notes, it really is a kind of miracle unfolding before us each and every spring. I’m by no means an expert birder, but I am an avid one. I enjoyed this book a lot, and now I’m eager to make an early May pilgrimage one of these years to northwestern Ohio to experience the springtime wonders of Magee Marsh and surrounding area along the southern shore of Lake Erie.
May 17, 2021
I have literally combusted with knowledge learning about birds lately! I was in Barnes and Noble looking for a foreign country map and when I turned around it was as if the bird section was just right there calling to me. I ended up buying the book Bird Note based on the popular podcast and snapped a picture of A season on the Wind and started listening and reading both together. I feel like Kenn was able to paint a great picture of the spring migration for me and the plight of these small birds. I absolutely loved it. Having driven from the United States to Uruguay it painted an even clearer picture of the journey that these birds take. I especially loved to listen to the Mexican gulf crossing and even looked up youtube videos about it. I am a novice wild bird lover and would love to make the journey to the Magee Marsh boardwalk during the spring migration to see and hear the birds in all of their glory. This book has also prompted me to make plans for purple martin swallows as well as build a bunch of bird houses to help these guys out after such a journey (although I have always wanted to build bird houses). I have found renewed wonder in reading this story and am glad that there was such a successful fight against putting up wind turbines on migration routes. I now find myself turning my head to the sky to listen for the call of these birds and I am in so much awe of all they go through yearly based on instinct!
March 8, 2020
This is a light and easy book on the spring migration of birds. The author, Kenn Kaufman, mostly focuses on the area well known for watching migratory birds – the Magee Marsh on the shores of Lake Erie. The author writes on aspects of bird migration, the landscape, the birding community and the harmful effects of wind power on birds (when not planned well). This book is a long statement from a leader of the birding movement - about the nature of birding, its beauty, the necessity of it, the players and the threats.
I picked this book as a light read ahead of the birding season, but not sure if this will be of that much interest to anyone less than curious about birding. Kaufman’s autobiographical ‘Kingbird Highway’ helped my budding interest in birding many years ago and I enjoyed getting back to his simple and folksy style again. Kenn does a wonderful job explaining things around birding - the habitat, the technology, effect of weather, the details of migration and many other things. But, he still shines best when he expresses his wonder about the lives of the birds themselves. In this book, there is some of it and I wish there had been some more. Overall, a useful book for me.
I picked this book as a light read ahead of the birding season, but not sure if this will be of that much interest to anyone less than curious about birding. Kaufman’s autobiographical ‘Kingbird Highway’ helped my budding interest in birding many years ago and I enjoyed getting back to his simple and folksy style again. Kenn does a wonderful job explaining things around birding - the habitat, the technology, effect of weather, the details of migration and many other things. But, he still shines best when he expresses his wonder about the lives of the birds themselves. In this book, there is some of it and I wish there had been some more. Overall, a useful book for me.
April 17, 2019
The marvels of bird migration up close and personal!
I’ve looked forward to this book about bird migration as experienced in Northwest Ohio from the first I heard it was in the works. I’m an avid birdwatcher who coincidently grew up in Toledo (alas, before my birding hobby formed. Kenn gives a wonderful introduction to the local area, its natural history and regional context.
His marvelous descriptions of the wonders of bird migration are both informative and inspiring. He grounds it all in the day-to-day, week-to-week lived experience of observing birds in the marshes along the shore of Lake Erie. The collateral history and phenomenon of the roles of birders, hunters, scientists, farmers and local citizenry, including their contributions to the protection and enjoyment of an increasingly endangered ecosystem
I give this book the highest of recommendations - especially for any and all birders - but also for anyone who enjoys nature more generally, Northwestern Ohio homies and readers in general.
I’ve looked forward to this book about bird migration as experienced in Northwest Ohio from the first I heard it was in the works. I’m an avid birdwatcher who coincidently grew up in Toledo (alas, before my birding hobby formed. Kenn gives a wonderful introduction to the local area, its natural history and regional context.
His marvelous descriptions of the wonders of bird migration are both informative and inspiring. He grounds it all in the day-to-day, week-to-week lived experience of observing birds in the marshes along the shore of Lake Erie. The collateral history and phenomenon of the roles of birders, hunters, scientists, farmers and local citizenry, including their contributions to the protection and enjoyment of an increasingly endangered ecosystem
I give this book the highest of recommendations - especially for any and all birders - but also for anyone who enjoys nature more generally, Northwestern Ohio homies and readers in general.
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