Virtual Event "Birds of Maine" with Scott Weidensaul and Barbara Vickery

Description

“Birds of Maine” is the first comprehensive guide of Maine’s rich birdlife published in almost seven decades. The book features detailed accounts of all 464 bird species that have been recorded throughout the state. Join the book’s co-editors Barbara Vickery and Scott Weidensaul as they talk about the “Birds of Maine” during a virtual book talk on Thursday, March 11 at 7 p.m. on Zoom with the Jesup Memorial Library.
 
“Birds of Maine” started to take shape 17 years ago when the late Peter Vickery began working on this guide which offers a detailed look at the state’s birds including everything from the Wild Turkey to the Arctic Tern. The book features information on migration patterns and timing, current status and changes in bird abundance and distribution, and how Maine’s geography and shifting climate mold its birdlife. It delves into the conservation status for Maine’s birds, as well as the state’s unusually textured ornithological history, involving such famous names as John James Audubon and Theodore Roosevelt, and home-grown experts like Cordelia Stanwood and Ralph Palmer. Peter, who worked for Massachusetts Audubon and earned a PhD in wildlife ecology from UMaine, enlisted the help of three ornithologists to be his co-authors, Charles D. Duncan, Ph.D., founding director of the Institute for Field Ornithology; William J. Sheehan, who worked the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and is the acknowledged expert on the birds of northern and eastern Maine; and Jeffrey V. Wells, Ph.D., Vice President of Boreal Conservation for the National Audubon Society and author of several books including “Birder’s Conservation Handbook.”
 
When Peter passed away in 2017, his wife Barbara and Scott Weidensaul stepped in to finish the book as co-editors. At the time of Peter’s death he had fully written more than 300 accounts and there was rough data for collection more than 100 other birds. Together Barbara and Weidensaul worked with the co-authors to finish the species accounts and added information for new species birds that visited Maine in the past few years, like the Great Black Hawk. Alongside the information on each bird, the guide features watercolors by Lars Jonsson and the line drawings by Barry Van Dusen.
 
David Sibley, author and illustrator of “The Sibley Guide to Birds” writes, “The long and rich history of bird study in Maine is brilliantly summarized in this book. The intricate details of each species’ occurrence are presented with clarity and context. To top it all off, the drawings and paintings by Barry Van Dusen and Lars Jonsson make the book a pleasure to browse. Highly recommended.” David Yarnold, the President of the National Audubon Society, writes “From the gorgeous artwork to the stunning maps, fascinating essays, and authoritative chapters and species accounts, this remarkable book sets a new standard for state-level bird books. Birds of Maine showcases both the rich past and the present state of birds—and bird conservation—in a style and format that raises the bar for state bird books.”
 
Peter Vickery Ph.D. (1947-2017), was one of New England’s leading ornithologists and worked on “Birds of Maine” for several decades before his death. He wrote and edited three previous books, including “A Birder’s Guide to Maine” with Elizabeth and Jan Pierson, and authored many academic papers and reports. Barbara Vickery, Peter’s life partner and a longtime supporter of this book project, was the conservation director for The Nature Conservancy in Maine for 33 years. Weidensaul is the author of more than 30 books on nature and a longtime instructor at Maine’s famed Hog Island Audubon Camp.
 
This talk is co-sponsored by Sherman’s Books and copies of the books can be purchased at any of their locations, online at shermans.com or by calling 207-288-3161. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link for this event. To register visit jesuplibrary.org/events/birdsofmaine and fill out the form or email kchagnon@jesuplibrary.org