The Private Lives of Public Birds

The book is here!

Jack Gedney, Nature in Novato author and co-owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Novato, is the author of The Private Lives of Public Birds: Learning to Listen to Birds Where We Live. This collection of essays tells the stories of fifteen familiar and iconic birds of California. Each chapter illuminates the life of a single species, from backyard birds like California towhees, scrub-jays, and goldfinches to the less approachable but still near-at-hand like great horned owls and red-tailed hawks. Combining natural history and contemporary research with a wealth of historical, cultural, aesthetic, and first-hand perspectives on birds and how we interact with them, Private Lives provides a unique synthesis that will enrich the slightest and most everyday encounter with the avian world. 

 

Praise for The Private Lives of Public Birds

 

I’m a serious backyard birder with a library of over a hundred bird books. Gedney’s is now one of my top favorites.
AMY TAN, author of The Joy Luck Club
 
 
The Private Lives of Public Birds is an affectionate love song to our most familiar feathered neighbors. Grounded in science but watered by the heart of a poet, this intimate and personal look at the lives of the birds we see every day invites us to slow down and look again.
– JOHN MUIR LAWS, author of The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds
 
 
What an eloquent reminder that we don’t need to seek rarities to experience the wonder of birds. Jack Gedney’s book mingles science, story, and poetry, inviting readers to become immersed in the world of close-to-home birdlife—not to just look at birds, but to look again with attention, stillness, study, and curiosity. 
– LYANDA LYNN HAUPT, author of Rooted and Mozart’s Starling
 
 
“I can’t remember the last time I started smiling during a preface, couldn’t put the book down, continued smiling through chapter one (on the brown scratcher), two (the blue squawker), and beyond. What a delight! This book is filled with such wonderful perspectives on the supposedly ordinary birds all around us.”
– DONALD KROODSMA, author of The Singing Life of Birds
 
 
With lyrical prose and joy-filled stories, this wise and generous book invites us to see better, listen better, and to celebrate the miracles happening around us in every yard and garden. If birds could read, they would say, This book gets it exactly right.
– CHARLES HOOD, author of A California’s Guide to the Birds Among Us

 

Where to Get Private Lives of Public Birds

Signed copies of Private Lives are available now at Wild Birds Unlimited in Novato. You can also call the store at 415-893-0500 to place an order for home delivery.

To order online, visit our publisher Heyday, an independent nonprofit publisher and Berkeley institution dedicated to exploring California’s nature, culture, and history. 

Illustration by Anna Kus Park from Private Lives 

3 Replies to “The Private Lives of Public Birds”

  1. I’m loving it. Bought 2 copies from Heyday and it was especially timely since I now have a pair of hooded orioles in my yard every day for jelly and wanted to learn more about them as I observe them in action.

    1. Glad to hear it Susan! I just saw your comment on the other page–I am happy to sign them some day at the store!

  2. A couple of years ago, when I had just started getting aware of the Scrub jays (when we moved to Ca from VA), I had asked you a question about them and you explained it all very well 🙂 This year I graduated to falling in love with the red finches (I was so unaware of their existence!), when they started visiting my feeder. Now we have 5 feeders in our backyard- 3 for the finches/sparrows/grossbeaks, 1 for peanuts for scrub jays/sparrows….even finches love them. I have also had the pleasure of watching the humming bird sitting and sipping nectar from the feeder…yes, I am a serious birder. You book couldn’t have arrived at a better time…I bought the Kindle version and I am loving it! I read Chapters 1 and 2 and then jumped over to 6 and 8- I totally get what you wrote about the finches and mourning doves. Can’t wait to read all chapters 🙂

Leave a Reply