Santella presents some of the greatest bird-watching venues in the United States and around the world through interviews with prominent birders, from tour leaders and conservationists to ornithologists and academics.
Interviewees include ornithologist Kenn Kaufman, David Allen Sibley, Rose Ann Rowlett, John Fitzpatrick, and Steve McCormick.
The places vary from the urban (New York City's Central Park) to the mystical (the cloud forests of Triunfo in Chiapas, Mexico) to the extremely remote (the sub-Arctic islands of New Zealand). The book includes 40 photographs that capture the vibrancy of our feathered friends, and the beautiful places they call home.
Chris Santella is a freelance writer and marketing consultant whose work has appeared in the New York Times among other publications. He is also the author of STC's Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die, Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die, and Fifty Places to Sail Before You Die. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
"[...] Widely traveled birders won’t get much out of this book, although some of the stories and experiences recounted here would still be worth reading. But anyone aspiring to be widely traveled will find a great deal of inspiration here. Personally, I greatly enjoyed reading about all of these locations, from the ones I’ve visited to the ones I had never heard of. I have only birded six of these places, and am looking forward to crossing more off this list."
- Grant McCreary (14-01-2008), read the full review at The Birder's Library