There are two basic patterns of thought when it comes to field guides of bird species. The first is to obtain one that covers a large number of species, including any possible rarities, so that any bird seen while afield is within the scope of potential reference. The other is to select one that is much more local; one that includes only the species that are reliably found within a given area. While the latter option does admittedly eliminate possible rarities, I’ve long been an advocate of it nevertheless as most who go afield with binoculars in search of birds will not likely be faced with such phenomena. I also find that more localized field guides are much better suited to beginners – either to the activity itself or those unfamiliar with a particular geographic location – as the number of options presented will not be overwhelming, thus both reducing frustration and increasing enjoyment.
Ordinarily, a “local” field guide to birds in the United States will encompass no smaller an area than a state. In areas where there are particularly active, well-organized, and well-funded birding organizations, county guides can sometimes be found, and in major metropolitan areas even city-specific ones are possible.
Recently, a copy of Oliver James’ Birds of Berkeley reached my desk, and after only a short time spent with it, I quickly saw that, contrary to the words of its author in the introduction, who cites its audience as being limited to the people of Berkely, I found myself agreeing much more with the famous words of James Joyce’s famous words “in the particular lies the universal,” for it is a book with noteworthy qualities that extend its value to an audience far beyond its identified geographic area.
An avid bird watcher since the age of five, Mr. James possess a wealth of experience from both his academic and professional studies, as well as his time spent as a guide for birders, that he has brought to the this field guide. In truth, it isn’t his first; his Birds of Wesleyan – an even more localized field guide – was published in 2014 and covers only the sixteen most commonly seen species on the campus of Wesleyan University. The style of limited included species and brief, playful narrative descriptions is the same that he has brought to Birds of Berkeley.
Including just the twenty-five most reliably seen and readily identifiable birds to be found in the city, Mr. James presents each one to his readers in a style that is clear, concise, effective, and – given the delightfully creative and often humorous metaphors he employs in explaining them – truly charming to read. There are no range maps as the geographic area covered is too small for such to be reasonable – or accurate. Each species is presented in a combination of physical descriptors and observable behaviors, as would be expected, combined with a clever and witty assortment of unexpected references and allusions that help to convey the Zeitgeist of the species, making them easier to remember. It is this unconventional presentation style that is the first reason I find Birds of Berkeley to be applicable to a much wider audience than Mr. James’ asserts, for in it he teaches his readers a new way to imagine and explain the natural world, something that is clearly applicable to a very wide and geographically ranging readership indeed.
These well-wrought species profiles are coupled with Mr. James’ absolutely brilliant colored pencil illustrations that at times are difficult to distinguish from photograph (indeed, he can render his subjects more effectively with his pencils that I generally can with a camera). However it’s not only the technical accuracy of his illustrations that make them so remarkable – and this is my second reason for proclaiming this a far more widely applicable book than that to which its author’s introductory statement would confine it – it is the way he presents them that conveys the more important lessons to both interested bird watchers as well as to any aspiring illustrators studying the book for the improvement of their own craft.
While most field guide illustrators would normally present an included species using conventional full body positioning that enables key field marks to be clearly seen, Mr. James’ doesn’t even include the entirety of some of his species on the full pages dedicated to their presentation – and for very good reason. The Wrentit is positioned at the bottom of the page with only its upper half visible. As it is a notoriously skulking little bird, this well conveys how it will likely be seen by observers. The always flitting Ruby-crowned Kinglet perches on a wire crossing the upper corner of its page. The Forster’s Tern drops onto the page from above. Bushtits are shown in a group (should there even be a grammatical singular for Bushtits?) along the outer edge of their page. Given these qualities, Birds of Berkeley is as much a reference guide as it is a work of both literary and visual art.
Make no mistake about it; Birds of Berkeley is indeed an excellent choice for beginning birdwatchers taking to the parks, gardens, and streets of Berkeley, California, and a handy book for any bird watchers visiting the area, however I remain steadfast in very much recommending it for any and all who simply enjoy a work of natural history that is visually delightful as well as filled with well-written and entertaining presentations of its subjects, as well as all who would through the study of the techniques employed by its author improve their own skills in nature interpretation and illustration. And, given the recent announcement by the American Birding Association of the Burrowing Owl – the same species that graces the cover of Birds of Berkeley – as their 2022 Bird of the Year, this new book is a particularly appropriate as well timely one to add to any naturalist’s library.
Title: Birds of Berkeley
Author: Oliver James
Publisher: Heyday
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 80 pp., w/ many full color illus.
ISBN-10: 159714407X
ISBN-13: 978-1597144070
Published: February 2018
In accordance with Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255, it is disclosed that the copy of the book read in order to produce this review was provided gratis to the reviewer by the publisher.
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