Diary of a Left-Handed Bird Watcher

Poet Nathan, who took up the hobby late in life, here ponders on the physical and philosophical aspects of birdwatching as he argues with an ornithologist friend about the meaning of epiphany. With a group of experienced birdwatchers, he spends hours in a Manitoba swamp waiting to see the small and secretive Yellow Rail; on another outing, he seeks the elusive snow bunting. Frequently, Nathan spends hours under wretched conditions only to glimpse the blur of a wing. He dreams about birds and longs to compile an anthology of poems about them. Birders at any level will enjoy his account of field trips, and more serious thinkers will appreciate his commentary on the basic nature of birdwatching. (Oct.)