Kingbird Highway
by Kenn Kaufman
Paperback; 336 pages; published Aug, 2000
As ornithologist Kenn Kaufman recounts in his lively
memoir Kingbird Highway, he's managed to do what
other birders only dream of doing: take a year and chase
winged creatures from one end of the country to another.
The year in question was 1973, when Kaufman was 19
years old, and a few dollars and an outstretched thumb
could go a long way. Armed with binoculars, notebook,
and the blessing of birder patron saint Roger Tory Peterson,
Kaufman set out to capture the record for most species
spotted in a single year. He came close, closing with
666 species sighted from Alaska to Florida and back
again. More important, he racked up a lifetime's worth
of adventures on the road.
These stories form the heart of his book, a narrative
in which Spotted Redshanks, White-eared Hummingbirds,
Marbled Murrelets, and Black-capped Gnatcatchers are
among the chief supporting players.
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