Flights Against the Sunset

Stories That Reunited a Mother and Son

Kenn Kaufman

I’ve only recently become a fan nature-based essays, being brought up to speed by the likes of Scott Weidensaul and books like Identify Yourself, Why Don’t Woodpeckers Get Headaches, the Tveten soon-to-be trilogy and Good Birder’s Don’t Wear White. Because Kenn’s tells his tales of passion and globe-trotting pursuit of wonderous creatures so well, this is another favorite. Because he shared this stories with his dying mother, he wasn’t preaching to the birder choir, making this a great book to give to someone who doesn’t share your passion for birding, as well as the die hard bird lovers and watchers. Hardcover, 240 pages, 5 x 7 inches, April 2008

From the publisher: “In a moving story about a son’s relationship with his mother, a world-famous birder relates the essence of his passion for nature.

At the age of sixteen, Kenn Kaufman left home to travel the world in search of birds. Now a grown man and a renowned ornithologist, he has come back to visit his ailing mother and to try to explain to her what drove his obsession with birdlife. His explanation takes the form of a series of interlocking tales from the frontier where the world of birds intersects with the world of the humans who pursue them. The stories range over settings from Alaska to Africa, from trackless jungles to parking lots. They delve into subjects from first dates to last rites, from imagination and desire to sleep deprivation, from poignant encounters with eternal mysteries to comical brushes with biker gangs and secret agents. But as the stories unfold, the ornithologist comes to realize that he can still learn some things from his mother, about life and even about the meaning of birds.

Flights Against the Sunset brings together nineteen of Kenn Kaufman’s best essays from his long-running column in Bird Watcher’s Digest. They are woven into an original story that examines how we communicate about our passions with those who do not share the same level of interest, and that celebrates the world of infinite possibilities and wonder.

About the author:

Kenn Kaufman is a legend among birders. He is the originator of the Kaufman Field Guide series, which includes books on birds, butterflies, mammals, and insects. He has also written Lives of North American Birds, Kingbird Highway, and the Peterson Field Guide to Advanced Birding.