Welcome to Litsy!

#12Booksof2025 November / Book 11 : surprise twist! This was not my highest rated read of the month (that honor goes to the new WWII historical fantasy A Resistance of Witches) but it has stuck with me enough that I am pursuing research at work related to the information I learned about pigeons in WWII from this author. Inspiration should always be celebrated!
Read with the incomparable @AllDebooks and #NaturaLitsy

Pretty good, but I really just want a book full of owl pictures!

This one completely pulled me in. I devoured it in 2 days! Roxie Laybourne feels like a fully realized character even though this is nonfiction, and all the side paths into feather forensics, the Smithsonian, bird strikes, misogyny, and conservation made the world feel rich and alive. Some parts broke my heart, but I came away with real admiration for people who choose these quiet, obsessive corners of science.

This one‘s for @kspenmoll who enjoyed the robin pic i posted earlier… though now I want to read the tagged book!

Take a deep dive into different aspects of bird intelligence. I enjoyed learning about many birds native to my area from blue jays and chikadees to crows, and many I am not familiar with as well. The author takes a look at intelligence in birds' natural habitats, as well as intelligence shown for human purposes. #Birds #Nature #Nonfiction

Spix‘s macaw, rarest
parrot in the world; still in
the mix, not out yet.

This gorgeous bird is the Spix‘s macaw, native to Brazil. They were classified as extinct in the wild in 2019, but they have been successfully bred in captivity. A program was started in 2022, releasing some back into the wild. Let‘s hope they thrive once again!

#haikuhive #haikuaday #poetry #birds #Spixmacaw

#HaikuADay #HaikuHive

Today‘s haiku is inspired by the spotted dove cooing & singing this morning. (I borrowed this picture). Not native to Hawaii, the spotted dove was introduced from Asia in the 1800s.

Morning Sounds

The spotted dove coos
A soft plaintive melody
Outside my window

This outstanding book chronicles the life and work of Roxie Laybourne, a woman who was just trying to do work she loved. She had a knack for taxidermy and was hired by the Smithsonian (unpaid for a while, of course) and found she was especially good at birds. This segued into her pioneering a way to ID bird species from airplane bird strikes. I can‘t emphasize how good this book is—amazing woman with fantastic writing.

Excited to read these new nonfiction books. The Feather Detective is about an alumna of Meredith College (where I work) and her pioneering work as a forensic expert on feathers. The other is narrative nonfiction that was featured this week on The Stacks podcast and it sounded right up my alley.

#haikuhive #haikuaday