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It began with walks: Life was tough in the Spring of 2020, and the difficulties continued. Covid had set in, and the Steed family, living in Texas, were dealing with a variety of serious issues. To escape the crushing stress, the author began taking early morning walks, usually heading toward local streams and lakes, where the water provided solace. One day, he spotted a great blue heron. He named him George and watched for him on his morning walks. But George was a “friend,” not what birders call their “spark bird,” the one that precipitates their birding passion. That distinction belongs to Frankie, the pileated woodpecker Steed spotted months later when he visited his parents in Oregon. Woodpeckers had always been in the forest behind his parents’ home—the author had always heard their calls and pecking sounds, he just never paid them much mind. This time, he writes, “the Pileated Woodpecker became—for me—a symbol of midlife enlightenment. A symbol of suddenly seeing clearly, for the first time, that which has been there all along.” And so, at 49 years of age, Steed began seeking and chronicling all the birds he could find. Through watching them, he learned patience, perseverance, and appreciation of the moment, and found new inspiration during difficult times. The narrative is an amiable mix of extensive ornithological and behavioral details with assorted episodic personal memories. Each profile is accompanied by a charming, hand-drawn color illustration by Norah Steed, and chapters end with philosophical affirmations: After listening to the noisy red-winged blackbird, Steed concludes, “One person’s cacophony is another person’s symphony. Embrace transitions. Exist loudly.” Readers who are not birders will likely skim over much of the more technical information, but the vignettes that capture the joy and wonder he experiences with each discovery are quite enjoyable.

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