Parnell’s newest book really is for the birds
Author Marc Parnell recently published his newest book “The Birding Pros Field Guides Birds of Maryland” through independent publishing house Naturalist & Traveler Press, which specializes in nature and ecology writing.
The book is the latest in his The Birding Pro’s Field Guides bird-identification book series.
Parnell, who lives in Cleveland, spent many summers as a youngster with family in the Annapolis and Bethesda area and three members of his immediate family graduated from University of Maryland College Park. He said he still regularly frequents the area on his travels and added that Maryland “has always held a very, very special place in my heart.”
He is an active hiker and reader and enjoys spending time with his family. He added his life tends to be “a relatively simple and streamlined one: travel, observe birds, write about birds, repeat.”
The book is available at www.amazon. com/dp/1954228295/ and www.barnesandnoble. com/ w/ birds- of- marylandmarc-parnell/1140873770.
How long have you been writing, and how did you get started?
I have been writing for a number of years. My interest in birds was piqued at a very young age, and I was the beneficiary of a number of summer wildlife camps and community nature excursions that spawned a deep appreciation and curiosity for the avian world at large.
What inspires you to write?
Writing is one of the most beautiful art forms, and I have always appreciated prose writers who can achieve a delicate, dancing touch with their words across the page. Good nonfiction writing, in my opinion, should effortlessly captivate a reader while shouldering the burden of also informing. As a passionate birder, writing serves as a creative outlet that allows me to describe the birds that I so truly love: and all of their complex, interwoven, and multifaceted behavioral backstories.
Do you consider writing to be a career?
Writing is absolutely a career, but it seems that the nonfiction field is increasingly valuing specialization. Everyone wants to learn, but it has to be eminently readable and concise, and also friendly to
readers of all knowledge levels.
What kind of writing process do you use?
When I am in the field studying birds, I try to keep a mental catalog of what I have seen and the visceral feelings that accompanied each wildlife encounter. Some time later, I write an essay in my travel diary detailing the notable highlights of my excursion. Some of this serves as source material for my books, but all of my notes help to capture those moments in the field for later reference. For me, it is as much about identifying with a bird’s personality as it is describing their physical characteristics.
Who are some of your favorite authors and why?
For sentimental reasons, I would first have to cite the naturalist Roger Tory Peterson. Peterson was instrumental in igniting my passion for birds and other wildlife (in fact, his guide to reptiles and amphibians was one of my first books as a child). From a broader perspective, I also admire and enjoy the works of Herman Melville, Jorge Luis Borges and Jack London.
What are you working on now?
Currently, I am completing my field guide series, which covers a series of states, cities, and provinces across eastern and central North America. This entails a great deal of field observation and research, statistical analysis, and personal reflection.
Please include a brief description of your book.
The Birding Pro’s Field Guide series introduces a number of innovative, never-before-seen features to the birding field guide scene. This guide offers the most complete description available for each species’ daily life and behavior, and each entry also includes a month-by-month birding forecast and a full page of highly identifiable color photographs. Perfect for novices and intermediates, but also serves as an invaluable reference for advanced birders. The book features:
• 140 of the most common birds to Maryland
• Sorted by size, for quick and easy ID
• Birding forecast for each species, every month of the year
• Sections on behavior, diet, habitat and nesting
• Feeding guide customized for each species
• Fun facts and answers to FAQs
• Full page color photos for each species
• Tips to become a better birder
Please include an excerpt from the book.
The following excerpt is from the Behavior section for the Darkeyed Junco, a very common winter sparrow which can be found near backyard feeders all across the state:
“This species is most often associated with its flocking behavior during the winter months, when hosts of up to several dozen drip from the trees and populate clearings on the ground — all the while singing with soft, sweet, whistled trills. At foraging sites with ample resources, other species of sparrows may associate with juncos, forming busy, mixed flocks. Females tend to winter farther south than many males, as they are socially subordinate given their slightly smaller size. Like many small, flocking birds, this species tends to be a prime target for Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned Hawks, which may surreptitiously monitor suburban feeders with particularly well-established avian denizens.”