Bird City: Adventures in New York’s Urban Wilds

For readers of What an Owl Knows and The World Without Us, this infectiously impassioned tour of the five New York City boroughs offers city dwellers and bird lovers everywhere a surprising, delightful new view of the concrete jungle--through its abundant and diverse bird population

Ryan Goldberg came to birding unexpectedly, but as many first-timers do after seeing their ＂spark＂ bird, he fell hard. Enamored with the incredible variety of species that pass through his hometown of New York City, and with the other passionate birders he meets, he embarks on a year of reporting on the natural wonders hiding amidst the skyscrapers. He learns that millions of birds migrate through the city each year--more than four hundred different species have been found in New York, many more than in Yellowstone National Park.

Through the four seasons, Goldberg takes readers to all five boroughs, through the city’s most famous parks and landmarks. He pursues rare and common species alike, increasing his count and deepening his understanding of how and why birds make their home in this smoggy, noisy, concrete-coated environment. Along the way, he meets many delightful and idiosyncratic characters, both human and feathered.

Richly textured, informative, and uplifting, Bird City will inspire fast-walking New Yorkers, the ever-growing birding community, and readers everywhere who think of ＂nature＂ as just a place to visit on Saturdays to slow down and look around them. There’s a lot more than pigeons in our city skies.

Ryan Goldberg is an award-winning journalist and aspiring naturalist, with bylines in the New York Times, Texas Monthly, The Intercept, ProPublica, Vice, Deadspin, Popular Science, the Village Voice, among many others. He is a proud member of the Brooklyn Birding Club.