Birdology

Naturalist and New Hampshire resident Sy Montgomery’s new book, Birdology, is subtitled “adventures with a pack of hens, a peck of pigeons, cantankerous crows, fierce falcons, hip hop parrots, baby hummingbirds, and one murderously big living dinosaur.”  There is a chapter on each of these birds, the titles of which reflect “seven essential truths about birds.”  For example, the chapter on hummingbirds is entitled “Birds Are Made of Air.” 

Montgomery’s studies take her everywhere from assisting a hummingbird rehabilitator to apprenticing with a falconer to coming face to face with the giant, dangerous cassowary in Australia whose dinosaur lineage is strikingly apparent.  With affection for and appreciation of birds and plenty of humorous anecdotes and fascinating findings, Montgomery has penned a book that should have broad appeal for bird lovers and nature enthusiasts alike.

-Elizabeth