Baby Birds

January 11, 2016
Artist and wildlife rehabilitator Zickefoose (Letters from Eden) follows the development of 17 different wild bird species, 16 of which nest in the author’s private bird sanctuary in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio. Each chapter tells the story of her personal interactions with the nesting, hatching, and fledging of various species, including Carolina wrens, eastern bluebirds, tree swallows, house sparrows, mourning doves, and yellow-billed cuckoos. Illustrated lavishly with more than 400 highly detailed watercolor paintings showing the development of the birds, Zickefoose’s book serves as an resource for bird watchers and aficionados, and as a memoir of a person who finds joy in the beauty and wonder of nature. Birdwatchers will appreciate her tender attention to every developmental aspect of her feathered subjects, and the casual reader will enjoy the lyrical quality in her writing, which is calming and informative. Color illus.

February 1, 2016

Naturalist and painter Zickefoose records 13 years of her daily observations of 17 species of baby birds here through illustrations and text. Drawing on decades of observing avian behavior, bird-rehabilitation experience, and bird box management, the author fulfills her belief that to draw is to see and comprehend. Fully invested in cavity-nesting baby birds, she intervenes in nature: feeding them, disinfecting the nests, and guarding them against predators. To care for and observe the young birds on her 80-acre lot in Appalachian Southeast Ohio, she put her family life on hold from two to four weeks at a time, observing the birds every day, usually carrying them to her studio and chronicling the creatures' physical and behavior changes in over 400 watercolor paintings and in field notes. The author's values about nature, birds, bird watching, and her enthusiasm for this subject are evident throughout this title, and the focus on baby birds makes it unusual. VERDICT This is not a field guide; rather, it is for learning about baby birds and savoring watercolor paintings of them in more contemplative settings. It will appeal to lovers of nature art and bird-watching enthusiasts.--Mark Jones, Mercantile Lib., Cincinnati

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2016
We've all been taught not to disturb birds' nests, and as a result, few of us have ever seen birds while they are still in their infancy. In addition, no artist has ever depicted the development of nesting birds until now. In this marvelous new work, wildlife rehabilitator, artist, and author (The Bluebird Effect, 2012) Zickefoose rectifies this woeful lack by producing beautifully rendered watercolors and drawings illustrating the enormous changes nestling songbirds undergo every day as they grow up. As Zickefoose says, there's magic in the nest, and the immediacy of her mostly drawn-from-life images will grab readers and immerse them into the nestlings' daily reinvention. She worked with 17 species, including the well-known (eastern bluebird, cardinal, house sparrow, mourning dove) and the less-obvious (indigo bunting, eastern phoebe, prothonotary warbler, yellow-billed cuckoo). Accompanying the daily portraits are delightful observations of each chick, musings on their differing personalities, and the occasional quotation from a scientific paper. Grab this one for the illustrations, then get pulled in by the prose.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)