Birding for Life
Humorous, compelling, and insightful, these pages are a guide to living a life that is good for oneself and the planet by immersing oneself in the world of birds. LoraKim draws on experiences and knowledge from a lifetime of working with birds as a conservationist to summarize this book in a provocative way:
“If you are reading this book, shut the cover and go out and be with birds. If you still persist, I warned you. The beauty is in more than in words, but in birds.”
About the Cover: The cover was designed by renowned artist Rebecca Guenter at Near Bird Studios. It depicts a black vulture and a crested caracara, an example of an unusual cross-species behavior that occurs in the wild between these two species.. Birder, photographer Lora Reynolds captured this exciting behavior in February 2023 in Phil Hardberger Park in San Antonio, Texas. Interspecific allopreening is rare and may serve to remove parasites, reduce aggression, reinforce associations, and bond socially. On the back cover is a flock of yellow-naped parrots flying over the valley’s and mountains.
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Multispecies Experiential Learning Guide
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Packed full of practical wisdom and deep compassion, Dr. LoraKim Joyner’s book is a timely, empathic guide. She identifies the ways our five forms of intelligence allow us to appreciate the interconnected beauty and wonder of the earth that we, birds, and other animals call home. Birding for Life is both guide and clarion call for urgent caring action to save ourselves and life on the planet.
- Lori Gruen, American philosopher, ethicist, author, and the William Griffin Professor of Philosophy at Wesleyan University
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When LoraKim asked me to give a quick read to an early draft of her newest book, I had no idea it would change my listening skills and awareness of the birds I could hear and when I could hear none. My world took wings, and I finished the last page wishing for more as a converted birder.
- Jane Arrowsmith Edwards, editor, playwright, novelist, and novice birder
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LoraKim Joyner reminds us that nature and the planet are at a precipice - and we need to change the way we're doing things. By saving the birds we save such a large and integral piece of our planet. This book inspires us to see avian life differently, pathing a road to hope.
- Colet Abedi, bestselling author
