Introducing: Birds on the Brink
This is possibly my favourite Bird Book Ever, there is loads to read in it, it is extremely personable, and filled with facts and photographs about our endangered birds. Birds on the Brink is not just beautiful book, it an essential book. This book is connecting complicated dry scientific studies to your regular garden bird lover, and every kind of bird lover in between. This book brings over 150 species of birds, from the Red Data Book of Threatened Species, into the hands of nature and conservation lovers, everywhere.
The book is extremely readable. Every spread of the book contains the relevant information about a particular species, full colour photographs and a well documented map, that includes so much more about a particular species and it’s activites.
Also, and here is the magic, for almost every bird there is a personal article written by someone who works with that particular species. These real workers, who are protecting birds on the daily, bring the book to life. Conservationists, research scientists, citizen scientists, eco-tourism experts, pilots, wildlife photographers, environmental lawyers, biodiversity officers, volunteers and so many more, who take the bird out of the Red Data Book, and into your heart.
The book is divided into regions: Marine and Terrestrial birds. The Marine birds are divided into the pelagic and coastal birds and I was thrilled to discover the birds of Southern Ocean Islands, which stole my heart as a marine science student. The terrestrial birds are divided into several geographical regions of Southern Africa, from wetlands to savannahs, from the desert and Karoo to coastal forests. And all of these regions have one thing in common… several bird species are under threat as their habitats are threatened, so their numbers are dwindling. While this book is a ray of hope in a overwhelming world, it is also a wake up call… I love that so many of the personal anecdotes are from scientists who are doing everything they can to come up with innovative ideas to save and protect our birds for the future.
Meet the Authors: Alan Lee and Shamiso Banda
Alan Lee is an ornithologist and conservationist, and works for Bird Life Africa. His personal contributions were about lessons learned about Killing Kestrels in the Northern Cape (p 131) and the fact that he has never seen a Black-Rumped Button Quail (p273). Shamiso Banda is a conservationist, specialising in Science Communication, her personal story is about the Sooty Albatross, which she has never seen, even though she did spend her Masters Degree studying vomit collected from South Atlantic Sooty Albatrosses (p47).
The Best Feature
I recently attended the book launch for Birds on the Brink, hosted by Struik Nature, a wonderful evening of questions and answers. Just from the audience, you can tell that this book is already loved by bird enthusiasts, from garden birders to ornithology students. My favourite feature of this book, while it is filled with fascinating bird facts, was the fact that so many personal stories were included in the book. I was thrilled to meet a contributor, Sandiswa Kula, and read her story with the Green Barbet.
This book changes the narrative from one of distress and despair to one of hope, I love the optimism presented between the pages. Any birder, from young enthusiast to dedicated scientist, would love this book… it is packed with science and hope for future generations, as well as a call to action for all of us. Definitely a book to gift and share on and on, I love it!!!
This book was given to us for review purposes by Struik Nature. This is not a sponsored post and opinions expressed are entirely our own.