Birds of Santa Cruz - (Birds of California) by Sophie Wood Brinker (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A colorfully realized guide to the birds of Santa Cruz.

This charming, full-color guide to the birds of Santa Cruz is infused with California coastal soul and the quiet fierceness of love one can only derive from ardent attention. Author-illustrator Sophie Wood Brinker profiles 25 species you're likely to spot hopping the sands or soaring overhead in Surf City, and shares what we can learn not only about them but from them. From the collective organizing of the Brown Pelican, to the community protection of the California Quail, to the Band-Tailed Pigeon flock that Wood Brinker likens to a mutual aid cooperative, these birds have stories to tell. Vivid hand-painted portraits accompanied by identification and song notes help everyone get to know their avian neighbors, with descriptions of each species that invoke reflections from Diane di Prima, Mary Oliver, and dreamers of all stripes. A joy to read and pore over, Birds of Santa Cruz shimmers with poetic sensibility and a conservationist ethos. Wood Brinker's findings, gleaned from patient observation, will enchant readers far beyond the city limits.

Review Quotes

Praise for the Birds of California Series Published by Heyday

"A meditation on beauty and survival." --Amy Tan, author of The Backyard Bird Chronicles

"More than an identification guide. It takes us beyond the who's who to why we care. Learn how to think about birds in a way that will deepen your love of feathered things. Combines scientific research, local insights, humor, and beautiful and accurate artwork. [These books] will deepen your sense of place and open insights to beauty, wonder, and connection to the natural world." --John Muir Laws, author/illustrator of The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada

"A must-have for anyone who wants to better understand and appreciate our neighbors." --Jenny Odell, author of How to Do Nothing and Saving Time

"I've always known Lake Merritt as a great place to look for birds, not knowing that it was originally designated as a bird sanctuary over 150 years ago--the first wildlife refuge in the country! [The Birds of Lake Merritt] is the perfect introduction to the lake and its birds, and it's sure to give you a new appreciation of both." --David Allen Sibley, author of What It's Like to Be a Bird

"A compact treasury of natural history knowledge." --Burr Heneman, former executive director of Point Reyes Bird Observatory

"It's not only the technical accuracy of the illustrations that make them so remarkable [...] it is the way they are presented that conveys the more important lessons to both interested bird watchers as well as to any aspiring illustrators studying the book for the improvement of their own craft. [...] Given these qualities, Birds of Berkeley is as much a reference guide as it is a work of both literary and visual art." --Johannes E. Riutta, The Well-Read Naturalist

About the Author

Sophie Wood Brinker (she/her) is a science illustrator who works with paint and pencil to communicate the brilliance and intricacy of the ecosystems that surround us. Her art scales from drawing the texture of butterfly wings to painting 15-foot protest banners. Sophie also works in a small town library, helping spread library joy and community resources. As a Quaker, Sophie grew up sitting in intergenerational circles hearing messages spoken out of silence. She has a BA in Peace and Global Studies from Earlham College and is a graduate of the Science Illustration Program at California State University, Monterey Bay. Sophie grew up in Santa Cruz, California, on unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe, and lives in Bolinas, California, on unceded Coast Miwok territory. sophiewoodbrinker.com