Julie Zickefoose lives for the moment when a wild, free living bird that she has raised or rehabilitated comes back to visit her; their eyes meet and they share a spark of understanding. Her reward for the grueling work of rescuing birds—such as feeding baby hummingbirds every twenty minutes all day long—is her empathy with them and the satisfaction of knowing the world is a birdier and more beautiful place.
The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds is about the change that’s set in motion by one single act, such as saving an injured bluebird—or a hummingbird, swift, or phoebe. Each of the twenty five chapters covers a different species, and many depict an individual bird, each with its own personality, habits, and quirks. And each chapter is illustrated with Zickefoose’s stunning watercolor paintings and drawings. Not just individual tales about the trials and triumphs of raising birds,The Bluebird Effect mixes humor, natural history, and memoir to give readers an intimate story of a life lived among wild birds.
A Harvard educated biologist with the soul of a poet, Ms. Zickefoose has become beloved to countless readers, as well as National Public Radio listeners, as a keen interpreter of the natural world who brings to her work a level of attention to not only the subtleties and intimate details of her subjects but also the effects the interaction with them has upon her, and by extension her readers, as well. Included in this new book alongside her essays will also be a wide-ranging collection of her sketches, finished drawings, and paintings (examples of which can be viewed in her online portfolio).
The Bluebird Effect will be officially released for sale in both clothbound as well as electronic book formats on 20 March 2012.
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