ONE WILD BIRD AT A TIME Portraits of Individual Lives

The clearing and woods around Bernd Heinrich's Maine cabin were his research center. As he studied, the author got to know birds as individuals. He could recognize the twang of a particular blue jay, for example. Narrator Rick Adamson brings a clear, interested voice to stories of starlings grooming themselves or woodcocks standing up to predators. He reads with a sense of innocent wonder. That's maintained even as the author proves to be an expert who does bird autopsies and collects grouse scat. The audiobook covers all aspects of bird life. The author's story of following sapsuckers through the woods may bring a smile, but the slow attrition of an egg brood in harsh conditions makes for a sad puzzle. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2016]