Praise for The Delightful Horror of Family Birding
“Eli Knapp’s essays capture the special, quirky, inquisitive nature of bird watchers. Whether he’s teaching his sometimes-receptive college students about birds or mixing birds and nature into a family outing, he weaves engaging tales of these experiences, leaving the reader wanting more of his well-told stories. He’s at the head of the class among the new generation of nature writers.”
—Bill Thompson III, editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest
“I have a secret crush on Eli Knapp. Although I have never met him, he is truly charming, and through his stories, I feel like I know him—and I adore him. He is a masterful storyteller—self-depricating, witty, and always eager to learn life lessons from his experiences. His stories are fun, funny, moving, clever, and always full of birds! It is a brighter day when I receive a new story by Eli Knapp and get to spend a few minutes in his life.”
—Dawn Hewitt, managing editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest
“Eli Knapp’s engaging stories surge from a deep spring of humor and insight into nature (both human and wild). His curiosity and sense of wonder will send you eagerly outdoors, binoculars in hand and family in tow, to see what the birds are doing. Light-hearted and astute, witty and wise, these charming essays reveal the joyful possibilities of a meaningful connection with the wild world.”
—Julie Hammonds, writer and birder
“Eli J. Knapp lets nature lead him and thereby—in this important collection of essays—he leads us to deeper perceptions of the bounty of nature. Humorous, a little irreverent. You learn about birds without even knowing.”
—Peter Kahn, author of The Human Relationship with Nature
“An engaging and witty self-portrait of one man’s amiable obsession—and an honest exploration of how he attempts to transmit this passion to his children and his students. A very fun read—and you’ll learn a good deal of bird biology along the way.”
—Thomas Lowe Fleischner, Executive Director of the Natural History Institute and editor of Nature, Love, Medicine
“In this collection of short, smart, humorous, easily digestible essays, birds are the stars of the show and also the vehicle Knapp uses to share wisdom, inspiration, and awe.”
—Melanie Bishop, author of My So-Called Ruined Life
The DELIGHTFUL HORROR OF Family Birding
SHARING NATURE WITH THE NEXT GENERATION
The DELIGHTFUL HORROR OF Family Birding
SHARING NATURE WITH THE NEXT GENERATION
By Eli J. Knapp
Illustrations by John Rhett
TORREY HOUSE PRESS
SALT LAKE CITY • TORREY
First Torrey House Press Edition, October 2018
Copyright © 2018 by Eli J. Knapp
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or retransmitted in any form or by any means without the written consent of the publisher.
Published by Torrey House Press
Salt Lake City, Utah
International Standard Book Number: 978-1-937226-91-6
E-book ISBN: 978-1-937226-92-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018932506
Illustrations by John Rhett
Cover design by Kathleen Metcalf
Interior design by Rachel Davis
Distributed to the trade by Consortium Book Sales and Distribution
To Linda
Contents
PART I: THROUGH A CHILD’S EYES
5 • Birders Can’t Ride Shotgun
8 • Searching for a Landscape Identity
10 • The Delightful Horror of Family Birding
