Book Review: A Supremely Bad Idea

 

Magnificent Frigatebirds circle above 'Bird Island' in El Salvador

In my efforts to expand the reach of this blog to more people, I've started to do some book reviews for nature and photography related titles.  The first unofficial review was for John Turner's latest book Exploring the Other Island: A seasonal guide to nature on Long Island which features a dozen of my images and is an excellent alternative field guide to Long Island an essentially New England and New Jersey (that review can be found here: Exploring the Other Island.  This post will focus on the wildly entertaining book by Luke Dempsey entitled A Supremely Bad Idea: Three Mad Birders and Their Quest to See It All.  In an interesting twist, John Turner's book has several photographs from NY's own Lloyd Spitalnik who is also an acquaintance of Luke Dempsey and is mentioned in A Supremely Bad Idea.  The birding world is a small one!

I bought this book prior to my summer visit to El Salvador and Guatemala - figuring there would be a good amount of down time that would allow me to relax and read.  To be honest, I'm not much of a reader and it's rare that I buy a book - even more so that I buy a book about birds but when I skimmed through A Supremely Bad Idea at the store I saw that Mr. Dempsey was NY based and I guess I subconsciously enjoy supporting other artists named Luke.  The book focuses on Mr. Dempsey's entry into the birding world and his subsequent whirlwind tours of the hottest birding spots in the Country with a married couple who are wholly responsible for getting him addicted to birding.  The couple is from the NY area but assume rather amusing pseudonyms in the book to protect their identities.  The authors ability to mix humor, real life, travel and birds together is truly impressive.  I caught myself laughing out loud throughout the book but to be sure there are a few moments that will tug on your heart strings.  For Mr. Dempsey, birding becomes an escape from his exceedingly stressful life.  While it kills him to not have control over his personal life, he relishes in not being able to control the natural world in pursuit of the rarest birds North America has to offer (though he does an excellent job of masking this with splashes of profanity and plenty of British humor).

Nikon D300s 18-200mm VR @ 200mm f/5.6, 1/1600s, -.33 EC, ISO 320, El Salvador

One of the things I enjoyed most was the picture that he paints with his descriptions from his birding adventures.  This certainly was amplified by the fact that I read the majority of this book on a hammock a stone's throw from a major roost for Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans.  Reading about his experiences, then looking up to the sky to see thousands of these birds circling overhead was a really cool experience that enhanced the literature.  In the middle of the book are several pages of pictures taking during the author's jaunts around the country.  While the quality may not rival mine (how could it?) they add to the personal flavor this book has.

For anyone looking for a good book, a good laugh, or an interesting read about birding and birders, you absolutely must purchase this book.  I hope one day to have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Dempsey and thanking him for writing such a wonderful book.  Perhaps I will be fortunate enough to run into him in the field while photographing some exceedingly rare bird - how fitting would that be?  For those interested - click the link below to check it out on Amazon.com

Exploring the Other Island - By John Turner

I have been meaning to do this for awhile and since I'm headed down to Florida for a few days I figured I'd take the opportunity to finally get around to talking about John Turner's latest book, Exploring the Other Island - A Seasonal Guide to Nature on Long Island.

Mr. Turner (whom I have the pleasure of working with daily during my day job) has just released his 2nd edition of his nature guide to Long Island.  I was honored that he asked me to contribute some of my photos and after a many months long process, the book finally went to print and it looks great.  While not all of my photos are of birds (there are a few mammals and plants mixed in there), you will see a few familiar images while flipping through the pages.  Other talented photographers were used as well including, New York's very skilled and well known birder/photographer Lloyd Spitalnik.

This book describes the natural beauty, wonders and secrets Long Island has to hold in surprising detail.  It's an easy read and a page Turner (pun intended) packed with tons of helpful information like plant descriptions, when to look for certain animals and what public parks and preserves they can be found at on the Island.  I know many of my blog readers are not from Long Island, but rest assured this book will have you covered for nearly anywhere in New England (and New Jersey) as the species and habitats discussed in the book are found throughout the region.

I had the good fortune of reading the book before it went to print and it was a refreshing break from the usually tedious field guides - you don't even realize you're learning all about all of Long Island has to offer with John's easy style and eloquent flow.

Below is a link to the book on Amazon.com where it can be purchased (which I highly recommend!).  Just a note, I do not receive any money for copies which are sold - I'm writing this mini-review because I'm proud to be a part of it and I want to get the word out because it truly is a good book.  I also want to mention that a significant portion of the book's profits will go toward three important conservation organizations: the Long Island Pine Barrens Society, the American Bird Conservancy, and FLAP (Fatal Lights Awareness Program); designed to reduce bird mortality from collisions with windows and buildings.

So click the link, read some other reviews and buy a book!