What makes any bird a "great" bird? For some birders, it's the rarity of a species that they've finally added to their life list after years of patient watching. Others will tell you that the great birds are the most beautiful ones. But most people know that the great birds are simply the ones we like the best, rare or common-the ones that have imprinted themselves indelibly on our lives.
This beautiful book presents exquisite paintings of forty-eight Texas birds chosen by John O'Neill and Suzanne Winckler as their own personal "greats." Some of the birds are as common as they are beloved. Others are definitely life-list birds-rare, beautiful, exotic-sounding, or all three at once. The authors have also gathered a flock of well-known Texas birders and nature writers to offer personal, scientific, or literary observations about each bird. In all, forty-eight writers, one to a bird, are included here.
These beautifully detailed paintings and the observations that accompany them make a convincing case that these are, indeed, the great Texas birds. Whether you're a serious birder or simply a backyard bird watcher, you'll find in this book a "lovely edifice" where people who care about birds can be together.
- ISBN10 0292760531
- ISBN13 9780292760530
- Publish Date 1 October 1999
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 8 May 2023
- Publish Country US
- Imprint University of Texas Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 120
- Language English