I confess, if it had not been for COVID making me stick close to home, this book would have caught my interest. But now, stuck at home, I have become a backyard birder, and I enjoyed the audiobook. Julia Zarankin’s journey from someone lucky to find a bird in a tree to a full-fledged birder with a scope to see distant birds was interesting. I loved the connections she made to her two marriages and other aspects of her life. But most of all I was struck by her feeling of wonder as she grew to love spending cold, wet days looking at birds. And from her I finally found out how to know a downy woodpecker from a hairy woodpecker if you are unable to to determine the size. The best advice be like a northern flicker. A fashion diva would say NO to the combination of stripes, polka dots, big black slash on the breast, red and orange and black, gray and brown, but the flicker wears it all well. Her book is a definition of life. “Progress is incremental. … We showed up, we paid attention … we listened, we hoped, we imagined, we waited.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this audiobook, but because I am a beginner birder, the title caught my eye and I’m glad I listened. The book moved back and forth between birding information and the author’s life very naturally and without seeming strange. I loved the anecdotes about her birding adventures, especially when her husband was involved. I also enjoyed the process the narrator goes through, all of her missteps, and what she really learns about herself in the end. As a person who also gets really excited when I am able to identify a bird that’s new to me, this book was a wonderful listen.

I enjoyed this accounting of Julia Zarankin's venture into birding. I only recently started feeding the birds in my yard but I really find pleasure in watching their antics at the feeders. Zarankin quickly falls down the rabbit hole once she starts to develop an interest in birds and even begins planning vacations around being in locales to spot new to her birds. I love that the goal is to personally see and study the various species and just learn and enjoy. As I listened, I kept googling the various birds mentioned so I could see what she was talking about and discovered a lot of birds I wasn't previously aware of. This was definitely worth the time to listen. Nan McNamara does a great job narrating the audiobook!

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

One of the great pleasures that I have had during Covid, although there are not many, has been visiting my local botanical garden on a regular basis. I love walking through the woods and being in the wetlands as these are places where I hear, and sometimes see, the birds. I recognize only a few but am learning from some of the birdwatchers that I meet, all of whom are happy to share their knowledge. I know robins, cardinals, bluejays, etc. and have now seen a hawk, a red bellied woodpecker and an owl. But enough about me since I did not write or narrate this book.

Field Notes tells a beautiful and interconnected story of a woman’s life and her evolution as a birder. It was not the expected route for an emigre daughter of classical music teachers but the journey has been memorable. Share all that the author has learned and experienced as she connected with nature and herself. The narrator is engaging; I felt as if I was listening to a friend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.