Niagara Birds – An Extraordinary New Book For Anyone Interested In The Natural Heritage Of Our Region

By Doug Draper

When Kayo Roy informed me a few years back that he and fellow birder extraordinaire John Black were working on a book on birds populating our greater Niagara region, I assumed we were in for something good.

After all, Roy and Black have always been among a handful of birders a person like me, writing about environmental issues for many years, could count on for the most detailed and up-to-date information on birds in a region where our activities – industrial, agricultural, home building and so on – can have a significant impact on their health and diversity.

So why wouldn’t I assume we would get at least a good book out of these individuals.

Then finally this fall, I obtained a copy of Roy and Black’s freshly published book and “good” is not a strong enough word to describe this tour de force of a nature book. Beginning with the fabulous cover painting of a Ross’s gull soaring over the waters of the Niagara River, and leafing through more than 700 pages, almost each and every one of them featuring beautiful, full-color photos and paintings by some of the very best artists and photographers around, words like “stunning” and “gorgeous”

 ‘Niagara Birds’ is also a beautifully written book with Roy and Black inviting a host of well-known field naturalists and others who share their passion for nature to contribute chapters on subjects ranging from the history of ornithology in Niagara going back to the 1600s, the interaction of birds and vineyards, the impact of urban development on bird populations and the effect of West Nile Virus on owls.

As is stated on the back cover of Niagara Birds, the books “is not a field guide for bird identification. … Instead, it consists of some 25 articles and 368 species accounts contributed by professional ornithologists and highly experienced amateur birders. … The species accounts, detailing both common and extremely rare birds of Niagara, will attract the general reader and specialist alike.”

Certainly, anyone interest in learning more about the natural heritage of this region or is interested in the environment and on how best we humans can go about living in harmony with the wildlife around us would value this book as much as an avid bird watcher. And at $55 a copy (with all proceeds left over from covering the lavish production of the book going to students studying biology at Brock University), Niagara Birds is a gift that will serve as a rich source of information on this region’s natural heritage for many years to come.

Copies of the book can be ordered ordered directly from Kayo Roy, 13 Kinsman Court, Fonthill, Ontario,
Canada L0S 1E3, with an added $10 mailing charge. For additional information and an order form, see
www.brocku.ca/tren/niagarabirds.

Copies can also be purchased (with cash or cheques only) when authors Kay Roy and John Black appear at special book signings scheduled, to date, at the following times and locations:
: Coles Bookstore, Niagara Square Mall, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Saturday, Nov. 20 from 1-4 p.m., Brock University Bookstore, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Wednesday, Nov. 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.,  Coles Bookstore, Pen Centre, St. Catharines, Saturday, Nov. 27 from 12-4 pm, Chapters, Fairview Mall, St. Catharines, Friday, December 3 from 6-9 pm
(More dates and locations for book signings will be posted here if and when they become available.)

You may also be interested in viewing some of the work of nature photographer Raymond Barlow, who contributed some of the great photos for Niagara Birds, at the A Mano Libera Gallery, 150 Ontario St., St. Catharines Ontario, across the street from the former Hotel Dieu Hospital. His work, along with that of 12 other nature photographers will be there until November 21. The gallery is open Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. or you can make a special appointment for a viewing by calling the gallery at 905 641-1983. You can also click here for the full sized poster for this event and more details.
For a recent article that appeared in The Buffalo News on ‘Niagara Birds’ visit the following link – www.niagarabirds <http://www.brocku.ca/tren/niagarabirds>.ca .

(Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to residents in our greater binational Niagara region.)