Out of the Woods: A Bird Watcher’s Year

Out of the Woods: A Bird Watcher’s Year is a journey through the seasons and a joyous celebration of growing old. In fifty-nine essays and poems, Ora E. Anderson, birder, bird carver, naturalist, and nature writer, reveals the insights and recollections of a keen-eyed observer of nature, both human and avian. The essays follow the rivers and creeks, the highways and little-known byways of Appalachia, and along the way we become nearly as familiar with its numerous bird, plant, and animal species as with the author himself.

These are not the memories of a single year, however, but of a long lifetime spent immersed in the natural world. Out of the Woods, presented with humor and passion, is an account of a well-lived, productive, and satisfying life. The essays offer an intimate portrait of a half century of life on Anderson’s beloved old farm (more nearly a nature preserve), where he lived in harmony with birds and nature and followed the rhythm of the seasons. We are invited to share the joys—and the disappointments and sorrows—inherent in such a life.

Generously illustrated with Julie Zickefoose’s detailed drawings and evocative sketches, this book will delight bird watchers, artists, naturalists, backyard gardeners, and anyone who is sometimes tempted to take a rutted, overgrown, and unused path just to see where it leads.

Customer Review: One of This Year’s Favorites
Too much of the time, in these days of instant gratification, we don’t take time to be still and truly observe the natural world around us.
We also don’t take time to listen to those who have been around long enough to see and experience, what once was.
This book was an inspiration!
If you don’t want to go for a walk in the woods (birder or not) after reading just one of his magical stories, well then, check your pulse.
How I wish I could’ve known this wonderful man, who had such a pure and optimistic outlook on the world.
If this is as close as I can get, then it will have to do.
The poetry is a song of love for nature, and those he loved.
Of course, Julie’s illustrations (pencil only) are a marvel.
I will be buying a copy of this book for my mother’s birthday. She’s the one that taught me to appreciate the natural world. She’s in her eighties. This is one way I can give back to her, what she gave to me.
Thank you Ora.
Customer Review: A treasure by a birdwatcher and bird lover, for birdwatchers and bird lovers.
Written by journalist, conservationist, and naturalist Ora E. Anderson, Out of the Woods: A Bird Watcher’s Year is a memoir reflecting upon the joys of birdwatching, the majesty of growing old, and the wondrous natural diversity of Appalachia. Wit, gentle humor, and an abiding appreciation for avian life from geese to woodpeckers to songbirds fill this appreciative guide, lovingly illustrated with beautiful black-and-white sketches of feathered friends feeding, migrating, flying, or raising their young. A treasure by a birdwatcher and bird lover, for birdwatchers and bird lovers. Buy from here…