Not for beginners only: Two new birding books
By Ilana DeBare
There are birding books that are great for beginners, and then there are birding books that are great for beginners AND.
The past several months saw publication of two unique bird guides that will charm experienced birders as well as novices—especially those of us living in the Bay Area. These are Birds of Lake Merritt, by Alex Harris, and Neighborhood Birding 101 by Seymore Gulls.
Birds of Lake Merritt
Birds of Lake Merritt (Heyday Press, $25) continues the format of Birds of Berkeley, which was also published by Berkeley-based Heyday Press three years ago. Written and illustrated by Alex Harris, this slender volume features simple yet striking watercolors of 15 local bird species and a page of description about each one.
It also offers a detailed history of Lake Merritt’s development from a tidal estuary and the country’s first publicly-designated wildlife refuge to its current status as—in Outdoor Afro founder Rue Mapp’s words—”nature’s heartbeat in Oakland.”

Harris’ path to creating this book was not direct. He started out trying to teach himself hawk ID by painting raptors. But painting hawks from photos didn’t prepare him for actual field identification. “It turns out that you mostly see hawks from beneath, hundreds of feet away, a blurred silhouette circling in the skies above,” wrote Harris, who lives in Oakland. “I decided I should look a little closer to home, so I rode my bike over to the bird sanctuary at Lake Merritt.”
Harris includes natural history tidbits such as Green Herons using breadcrumbs and insects as lures to attract the fish they’re hunting, and the fact that Canvasbacks were once so plentiful here that a Spanish map from 1775 refers to “forests of the red duck.” He also includes observations by some well-known local birders including Golden Gate Bird Alliance youth educator Clay Anderson, former GGBA Executive Director Cindy Margulis, and “How to Do Nothing” author Jenny Odell.

This book is no substitute for a comprehensive field guide. But its illustrations will bring a smile to birders on days when it’s too rainy to venture out in the field. (Let’s hope we have more of those days this winter!)
And it’s a great, eye-opening gift for non-birder Oakland residents who enjoy walking, jogging, or picnicking alongside the lake.
Neighborhood Birding 101: An Identification Guide to Washington, Oregon, and Northern California’s Most Common Neighborhood Birds
Don’t ask me if Seymore Gulls is really this writer’s name.…