Keith Hansen’s newest book “Birds of Point Reyes,” recently published by Heyday Books, provides an essential guide to better understanding our avian neighbors with beautiful and detailed illustrations. The book is delightfully specific, offering insights into the stories of the many birds that migrate through or reside in West Marin. Author Amy Tan wrote that each essay in the book “deserves to be reread often as a meditation on beauty and survival.”
Hansen is a Bolinas resident who illustrated and co-authored the 2021 “Hansen’s Field Guide to the Birds of the Sierra Nevada,” a field guide companion to “Birds of the Sierra Nevada: Their Natural History, Status, and Distribution.” His images have been featured in “Discovering Sierra Birds,” “Birds of Yosemite and the East Slope,” and “Natural History of the Point Reyes Peninsula,” among other books.
In the introduction to his latest guide, Hansen reflects, “Were someone to ask me to describe Point Reyes, I’d likely find myself pausing for a moment and feeling somewhat perplexed as well as endlessly inspired. A smile would doubtless find its rightful place, and I would probably look off into the distance and consider the sweep of the question. Point Reyes is one of those exceptional places on Earth that can be regarded and revered from a broad array of perspectives.”
After the introduction brings us to this unique geographical destination, the author moves on to some bird identification basics and finally into descriptions of many of the Point Reyes “regulars.” From the vantage point of Point Reyes as a biodiverse route on the Pacific Flyway, the reader gets to know the frequent flyers, hungry hunters and occasional drop-ins.
Birding field guides often cover a wide range of species, with limited notes on nesting, migration and feeding specifics. “Birds of Point Reyes” gives a more intimate view of place, seasonal migration and species cohabitation. Hansen notes early on that there are birdwatchers who are keen to identify a sighting and move on to the next bird, while others seek to observe and understand. This book is not so much about labeling—though it is certainly a great reference. It is more about understanding behaviors, habitats and seasons.
Whether gaining familiarity with the snowy plovers and great horned owls at Kehoe Beach and Abbotts Lagoon or watching hawks feed in grazing lands, Hansen invites us to go deeper. For many birdwatchers, identifying gulls is so challenging that “I don’t do gulls” is a common refrain. But Hansen encourages us to look for keys like flight style, location and what the gulls are doing—are they sedentary, social or quietly foraging? Are they alone or in a group?
Among the many facts that would go unmentioned in a more general birding guide is that the tricolored blackbird, while seemingly abundant, is actually in decline. Or who knew that the western bluebird and yellow-rumped warbler do indeed flock together? The two species have a symbiotic relationship, with the larger bluebird scaring up insects and keeping a watchful eye for the smaller and plentiful yellow rumps, also known as butter butts.
The Point Reyes National Seashore’s grazing lands provide a perfect mixed habitat for regulars and transient drop-ins from the sky. A blend of common and arcane facts comes to light in Hansen’s observations, and he is quick to encourage others to share their identification tips, making sure to note the time and date for future reference.
There are many hiking guides, nature books and other writing on Point Reyes. Hansen’s addition is destined to become a staple for both novice and avid birdwatchers. If you have ever watched a bird and tried to understand the story behind its actions, this book is for you. Watching a pelican as a pesky Hermann’s gull tries to pilfer fish from its overflowing pouch while an elegant tern chases along in the gull’s wake now has new meaning.
At 80 pages, you can read the book from cover to cover and then keep it nearby as the seasons change in this place between sea, stars and land that falls on many birds’ compass. Hansen’s advice: Before you go, respect. “Pay attention to the cues birds give, and respond accordingly,” he writes.
“Birds of Point Reyes” is available from your local bookseller and at Heydaybooks.com.
Pamela Biery is a freelance writer and communications professional who divides her time between Grass Valley and Marin County.