“I wanted to know where I had come from, and whom.”
birds
Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Human ingenuity in the face of crumbling infrastructure. One man’s quest to save a bird that might already be extinct. The cultural schism dividing a major musical genre. A personal essay braiding space and family. And a jungle trek gone horribly, horribly awry. These are our editors’ favorite reads of the week. 1. The Balkans’ […]
An Icelandic Town Goes All Out to Save Baby Puffins
“Kids and senior citizens alike rally to rescue beloved young seabirds that have lost their bearings.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, our editors recommend notable features and essays by Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Justin Heckert, Gloria Liu, Sharon Levy, and Mychal Denzel Smith.
How the Yurok Tribe Is Bringing Back the California Condor
“The reintroduction of the long-lived, highly social birds has offered insight into the importance of parenting in the species.”
Off the East Coast, a Massive Network of Wind Turbines Is Coming—Along With New Risks for Migrating Birds
“Species journeying over the Atlantic Ocean will soon have to navigate wind farms. But without clean energy, their futures are more imperiled.”
My Friend Goo
When the pandemic upended her daily life, Deb Olin Unferth started walking, and one day met a goose. A measured, tender tale of loss and love and difficult friendship — one that warns you throughout that a sting is coming, but manages to sneak up and wallop you anyway. He was feisty, the town bully, […]
Plovers Quarrel: A Tiny, Endangered Bird Returns to Sauble Beach to Find Sunbathers Dug Into the Sand
After a 30-year absence, the plover, a tiny bird, returned to touristy Sauble Beach on the Ontario Peninsula. Now, the town’s residents are arguing over what the beach should be — and how both humans and these endangered birds can share the sand. Pristine white sand is the preferred backdrop for sunbathing, picnics, sandcastles and […]
The Strange, True Story of John Williams and Charles Pennock
“In the early 1900s it wasn’t unusual for men to suddenly go missing. Among them were two accomplished bird experts whose lives turned out to be surprisingly intertwined.”
The Dark Side of Birding
“Undeniably, eBird … brings birders together and allows for rapid information sharing. It’s also created new—and sometimes contentious—etiquette and social dynamics.”
