An unexpected and belated mid-life love affair with birds and nature and finally discovering one’s place in the world – Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder illuminates the joyful experience of a new discovery and the surprising pleasure to be found while standing still on the edge of a lake at six a.m.

When Julia Zarankin saw her first red-winged blackbird at the age of thirty-five, she didn’t expect that it would change her life. Recently divorced and auditioning hobbies during a stressful career transition, she stumbled on birdwatching, initially out of curiosity for the strange breed of humans who wear multi-pocketed vests, carry spotting scopes and discuss the finer points of optics with disturbing fervour. What she never could have predicted was that she would become one of them. Not only would she come to identify proudly as a birder, but birding would ultimately lead her to find love, uncover a new language and lay down her roots.

For books that have inspired Julia Zarankin read her article here: https://lithub.com/the-accidental-hobby-on-the-books-that-made-me-a-birder/