Written by Patricia O’Brien, CMG 2018
One day, as I perused new selections at our Pueblo public library, I picked up this lovely hardback with sketched birds on the cover. Surprisingly, it was created by one of my favorite fiction authors (best known for The Joy Luck Club, also made into a movie).
While sitting in a nearby chair I read that in 2016, Amy (not a birder at the time) was looking for a project and like many of us at that time, feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world. She said that she was looking for “peace” when she was distracted by the movement of ordinary birds outside her window behind her dining room table. Thus began a six-year “obsession” where she would fill nine journals of the daily dramas she intentionally observed on her back patio and yard.
While the book includes a good amount of information about the 60 species of birds that visit her oasis, the delight of its reading lies in the sometimes-quirky and thoughtful description of the mishaps at the feeders, the crimes committed by threatening blue jays, and the constant “wildlife challenges” including “Fagin the thief.” Along the way we are also educated about the correct way to feed hummingbirds, the magic of suet, and an innovative use of chile to stave off squirrels. Her last entry, on December 15, 2022 celebrates when an eating bird pauses, “looks and acknowledges I am there.”
Despite how charming I found Tan’s creation of birds in word and picture, what does it have to say to plant-lovers? Well, to be sure there are plenty of plants in her California paradise, and likely much more rain than we see. She mentions oaks, periwinkle vines, birch, Japanese maple, and fuchsia shrubs and I found a luscious picture online showing me her plants. But more than what she witnessed in her project and evolution as a passionate birder, it was her sense of wonder and gratitude for all beings, those named and unnamed. No doubt, Tan gained the peace she hoped for in her birdwatching as I did in turning page after page in her book. Check it out!