Synopses & Reviews
Armchair travelers can journey with author and naturalist Robert Winkler as he experiences amazing wildlife encountersall within reach of his own backyard. An avid nature writer with field experience spanning more than 25 years, Winkler writes about his beloved New England, where he has logged more than 20,000 miles on foot exploring the woods, fields, and shores he knows so well.
This beautifully lyrical book describes Winkler's firsthand encounters with goshawks, copperheads, flying squirrels, Kinglets, Chickadees, Nuthatches, and other birds and animals as he travels into areas many may have overlooked or forgotten. Winkler weaves anecdotes and stories about his own life into each chapterhow he discovered nature, why he watches birds, and why his suburban surroundings have held his interest. To quote the Author - Living in society's overpopulated, paved-over worldwith all its rules, regulations, and traffic jamsI think we envy the birds' wild freedom. We want that freedom and wildness for ourselves. And so we birders watch, listen to, identify, count, list, house, feed, and photograph birds. Going Wild is an irresistible invitation to follow in Winkler's footsteps and revel in the wonders on our own doorsteps.
Review
The Philadelphia InquirerA book urban dwellers with a taste for nature should take to heart...filled with fascinating bits of information...What makes Going Wild: Adventures with Birds in the Suburban Wilderness so interesting is that practically all of the adventures [Winkler] recounts took place in Fairfield County, Conn., where he lives, between 50 and 75 miles from New York City.
Review
Christopher Perrins
president of the British Ornithologists' Union, in The Times Literary Supplement (London)
An account of Winkler's trips and observations might sound unexciting, especially since most Europeans will not know many of the birds that he is speaking about. Yet that is not the case; Going Wild provides a thoughtful and well-informed account of nature...[and] will appeal to lovers of natural history, especially birds.
Synopsis
A veteran birder and gifted nature writer is our guide in this charming, surprising, informative, and unexpectedly exciting foray into the wild kingdom that flourishes quietly just beyond our backyards. Logged within a few miles of his suburban Connecticut home, Robert Winkler's local life list runs to hundreds of birds, from familiars like American Robins and Blue Jays to such rarities as American White Pelicans and Sandhill Cranes. He's been attacked by a Northern Goshawk, watched a pair of Bald Eagles perform a mid-flight mating dance, stumbled over a wriggling den of copperheads, and spotted such shy and elusive creatures as red foxes, coyotes, and flying squirrels.
These vivid anecdotes and many more are woven into a fascinating tapestry of bird lore and birding wisdom, embroidered with an abiding, observant love of all animal life. A book that will delight birders everywhere and fascinate nature lovers of all stripes, Going Wild celebrates the often-overlooked yet amazingly rich world that starts so close to home.