Most Popular Books by Scott Weidensaul

New York Times Bestseller Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize A Library Journal Best Science and Technology Book of the Year An exhilarating exploration of the science and wonder of global bird migration. In the past two decades, our understanding of the navigational and physiological feats that enable birds to cross immense oceans, fly above the highest mountains, or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch has exploded. What we’ve learned of these key migrations—how billions of birds circumnavigate the globe, flying tens of thousands of miles between hemispheres on an annual basis—is nothing short of extraordinary. Bird migration entails almost unfathomable endurance, like a sparrow-sized sandpiper that will fly nonstop from Canada to Venezuela—the equivalent of running 126 consecutive marathons without food, water, or rest—avoiding dehydration by "drinking" moisture from its own muscles and organs, while orienting itself using the earth’s magnetic field through a form of quantum entanglement that made Einstein queasy. Crossing the Pacific Ocean in nine days of nonstop flight, as some birds do, leaves little time for sleep, but migrants can put half their brains to sleep for a few seconds at a time, alternating sides—and their reaction time actually improves. These and other revelations convey both the wonder of bird migration and its global sweep, from the mudflats of the Yellow Sea in China to the remote mountains of northeastern India to the dusty hills of southern Cyprus. This breathtaking work of nature writing from Pulitzer Prize finalist Scott Weidensaul also introduces readers to those scientists, researchers, and bird lovers trying to preserve global migratory patterns in the face of climate change and other environmental challenges. Drawing on his own extensive fieldwork, in A World on the Wing Weidensaul unveils with dazzling prose the miracle of nature taking place over our heads.

Part natural history, part poetry, Mountains of the Heart is full of hidden gems and less traveled parts of the Appalachian Mountains Stretching almost unbroken from Alabama to Belle Isle, Newfoundland, the Appalachians are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. In Mountains of the Heart, renowned author and avid naturalist Scott Weidensaul shows how geology, ecology, climate, evolution, and 500 million years of history have shaped one of the continent''s greatest landscapes into an ecosystem of unmatched beauty. This edition celebrates the book''s 20th anniversary of publication and includes a new foreword from the author.

Beyond Audubon: A quirky, “lively and illuminating” account of bird-watching’s history, including “rivalries, controversies, [and] bad behavior” (The Washington Post Book World). From the moment Europeans arrived in North America, they were awestruck by a continent awash with birds—great flocks of wild pigeons, prairies teeming with grouse, woodlands alive with brilliantly colored songbirds. Of a Feather traces the colorful origins of American birding: the frontier ornithologists who collected eggs between border skirmishes; the society matrons who organized the first effective conservation movement; and the luminaries with checkered pasts, such as Alexander Wilson (a convicted blackmailer) and the endlessly self-mythologizing John James Audubon. Naturalist Scott Weidensaul also recounts the explosive growth of modern birding that began when an awkward schoolteacher named Roger Tory Peterson published A Field Guide to the Birds in 1934. Today, birding counts iPod-wearing teens and obsessive “listers” among its tens of millions of participants, making what was once an eccentric hobby into something so completely mainstream it’s now (almost) cool. This compulsively readable popular history will surely find a roost on every birder’s shelf. “Weidensaul is a charming guide. . . . You don’t have to be a birder to enjoy this look at one of today’s fastest-growing (and increasingly competitive) hobbies.” —The Arizona Republic

"With detailed information about identification, calls, habitat, breeding, nesting, and behavior, this reference guide has the most up-to-date information about natural history, taxonomy, biology, ecology, migration and conservation status."--Book jacket.

On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the publication of "Wild America," naturalist Scott Weidensaul retraces Roger Tory Peterson''s and James Fisher''s steps to tell the story of wild America today.

The naturalist author of Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds shares stories of the rediscovery of species previously believed extinct, discussing such topics as the Indian forest owlet, the thylacine of Tasmania, cloning laboratories, and the mysterious black panthers of England.

A full-color, indispensable, and entertaining guide.

“Excitement abounds in Scott Weidensaul’s detailed history of the first clashes between European settlers and Native Americans on the East Coast.”—Nancy Marie Brown, author of The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman Frontier: the word carries the inevitable scent of the West. But before Custer or Lewis and Clark, before the first Conestoga wagons rumbled across the Plains, it was the East that marked the frontier—the boundary between complex Native cultures and the first colonizing Europeans. Here is the older, wilder, darker history of a time when the land between the Atlantic and the Appalachians was contested ground—when radically different societies adopted and adapted the ways of the other, while struggling for control of what all considered to be their land. The First Frontier traces two and a half centuries of history through poignant, mostly unheralded personal stories—like that of a Harvard-educated Indian caught up in seventeenth-century civil warfare, a mixed-blood interpreter trying to straddle his white and Native heritage, and a Puritan woman wielding a scalping knife whose bloody deeds still resonate uneasily today. It is the first book in years to paint a sweeping picture of the Eastern frontier, combining vivid storytelling with the latest research to bring to life modern America’s tumultuous, uncertain beginnings. “Exciting and revealing . . . a stirring panorama of the land and the peoples who made their mark on it from the late sixteenth to eighteenth centuries . . . This is a rich tableau that both excites and informs about the forging of early American society.”—Booklist “Weidensaul’s delightful storytelling brings to life the terrors and hopes of the earliest days of America.”—Publishers Weekly

An informative, visual guide to the natural science of birds as well as a field guide to over 150 species found in North America.

Drawn from the collections of the California Academy of Sciences, the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley, and the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, these 50 nests from around the world are rare treasures. Through Beals'' loving lens, each becomes both a work of art and a natural artifact. Almost seeming to glow against velvety black backgrounds, every detail offers insight into the behavior and ingenuity of the nests'' creators. From the tiny cup-shaped cocoon of the Anna''s Hummingbird to the downy pillow of the Magnolia Warbler, every nest offers an intimate portrait of the bird that built it. -- DUST JACKET.

Contains lists, entries, charts, anecdotes, illustrations, and photos.

Advising not only where to go but when to go, Weidensaul takes readers on a first-person tour to view the natural events of every month in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. Photos and illustrations.

Handsome full-color collection of Ned Smith''s wildlife art selected and with biographical information by acclaimed nature writer Scott Weidensaul First-ever book on this popular and respected wildlife artist Renowned wildlife artist Ned Smith painted hundreds of covers and illustrations for the Pennsylvania Game News and created the magazine''s beloved "Gone for the Day" column. Now for the first time, his wildlife paintings, pen-and-ink drawings, and field sketches are collected and presented in a handsome full-color format; many have never before been published. From big-game mammals and predators to songbirds, raptors, and freshwater fish, the animals depicted by Smith are stunningly lifelike and appear in settings and situations created by someone who knows the outdoors. This collection includes Old Orchard Buck, Deep Wooks Drummer, A Little Bit Cautious, Waiting for Dusk, and much more. The art appears here accompanied by journal entries and sketches, as well as background information that describes how Smith worked and what he tried to accomplish with his art.

Max Bonker, adventure dog, sets out in his hot air balloon for the jungles of South America where he attempts to solve the mystery of the unhappy rain forest.

Color photos and accompanying text describe reptiles and amphibians.

Illustrated study of day-flying birds of prey, a classification that includes hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures, exploring their physical and evolutionary attributes, details of their ecology and natural history, history and techniques of conservation, and their influence on human lives and cultures.

Introduces techniques of nature study, suggests a variety of basic and advanced activities, and recommends useful equipment.

Discusses important events and accomplishments, and reveals some startling information about the struggle for human and civil rights.

"Features 94 freshwater species, including most gamefish, and many of the significant bait and rough fish encountered in North America. Includes full descriptions and detailed information on range, habitat, and habits. Specially commissioned color illustrations ... identify each fish"--Jacket

Discusses mammals, birds, and reptiles that live around bodies of water.

Explores the world of venomous creatures throughout the earth.

„Scott Weidensaul erhebt mit schnörkelloser Eloquenz die Ökologie auf das Level der Philosophie.“ Los Angeles Times Milliarden Vögel umrunden jedes Jahr die Erdkugel. Der spatzgroße Strandläufer fliegt ohne Halt von Kanada nach Venezuela – das entspricht 126 aufeinanderfolgenden Marathons ohne Nahrung, Wasser oder Schlaf. Dabei ziehen er Feuchtigkeit aus seinen Muskeln und Organen und nutzt das Magnetfeld der Erde mittels einer Form von Quantenverschränkung, die Einstein nervös gemacht hätte. In den letzten zwanzig Jahren ist unser Wissen über Zugvögel sprunghaft gewachsen. In seinem elegant erzählten Meisterwerk zeigt der preisgekrönte Autor und Ornithologe Scott Weidensaul, dass wir mehr über die Lebewesen auf Erden verstehen, wenn wir uns mit dem Naturwunder über unseren Köpfen beschäftigen. Und wie wir trotz Klimawandel unsere fragilen Ökosysteme schützen können. „Der preisgekrönte Autor sprüht vor Freude und Begeisterung, ein meisterhafter Erzähler.“ The Guardian

Bird migration is the world''s only true unifying natural phenomenon, stitching the continents together in a way that even the great weather systems fail to do. Scott Weidensaul follows awesome kettles of hawks over the Mexican coastal plains, bar-tailed godwits that hitchhike on gale winds 7,000 miles nonstop across the Pacific from Alaska to New Zealand, and myriad songbirds whose numbers have dwindled so dramatically in recent decades. Migration paths form an elaborate global web that shows serious signs of fraying, and Weidensaul delves into the tragedies of habitat degradation and deforestation with an urgency that brings to life the vast problems these miraculous migrants now face. Living on the Wind is a magisterial work of nature writing.

Contains Appendix and index and acknowledgements.

An introduction to birds and birding is followed by information on the appearance and behavior of fifty North American birds.