A World On The Wing by Scott Weidensaul

This is a book that looks in detail at the migration of birds on a global level. There is so much to learn and enjoy in this volume, and what happens to birds is a good model for the interconnectedness of our planet. As an example, he tells the amazing tale of bar-tailed godwits, some of which make the longest non-stop migration known– up to 7,500 miles from the Arctic to New Zealand in a continuous, feverous flight lasting eight or more days. They gather the strength for it by gorging themselves on marine worms on the tidal flats of the Alaskan peninsula, doubling their weight within two weeks and making themselves “so obese that they jiggle when they walk”. What happens next is nothing short of a superhero comic scene. Digestive organs “shrink and atrophy”. Pectoral muscles, heart and lungs all double in size until the godwit is ready for flight. The particulars of their trip, and the effects that climate change can and will have on this are discussed, but the end result for me is that while I am not a birder, and know very little about them, but the author makes it so interesting that any reader could see themselves getting hooked and wanting to know and see more.