When we started Flying Lessons four years ago, the focus was on what we’re learning from the birds, everything from the wonders of migration to the remarkable mechanics of flying. Since then, a vast amount of knowledge has been uncovered on how birds are faring in a changing world, how bird research itself is evolving and how conservation solutions are developing.
We’ve redesigned our website with this in mind. You’ll find a new section with advice from around the country on how to help safeguard birds. We’ve brushed up our Birding Basics pages providing practical tips for the waves of people discovering the joys of birding. We’ve also expanded the photo and video collections from our 25,000 miles of travel over the past two years. Many of our favorite birds are splashed across the top of all the pages and sections.
We’ve also added a section on our book, “A Wing and a Prayer: The Race to Save our Vanishing Birds,” that hits bookstores April 18. Published by Simon & Schuster, it’s a 310-page tour of the action across the hemisphere to confront the dramatic loss of birds. This is where we’ll post the details of our events, articles, reviews and podcasts.
If you’d like a copy of “A Wing and a Prayer,” we encourage you to pre-order, (here are links to the major sellers), since advance orders help get the book off to a good start. We’re putting together readings and book signings that so far include stops in Miami, Raleigh, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Western Massachusetts and Asheville.
Publishers Weekly called the book an “eye-opening account’’ that is both uplifting and sobering. Kirkus Reviews headlined its piece: “Passionate reportage from the world of birds and a cautionary tale for the future of Earth.’’ The Booklist review wrote: “Written partially as a travelogue as the authors journeyed thousands of miles by road around the continent, the combination of personal story and scientific reportage is compelling.’’
We hope you enjoy the new site — and please let us know if you have thoughts or run into anything that needs fixing, which is often the case with a remake as ambitious as this. Here’s a link if you’d like to sign up for our occasional newsletter with latest posts. Meanwhile, here’s a list of events and interviews planned so far for the release of “A Wing and a Prayer.”
- April 19: Interview on Wisconsin Public Radio, The Larry Meiller Show, 12:45 p.m. eastern time. You can tune into the show through its website.
- April 20: Interview with South Florida Public Radio, Sundial, with host Carlos Frias, 1 p.m. WRLN-91.3 FM
- April 25: Books & Books, Coral Gables, 7 p.m. Presentation and book signing.
- May 4: Politics and Prose, Washington, D.C., 6 p.m., Presentation and book signing.
- May 10: Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, N.C., 7 p.m. Presentation and book signing. For tickets, click here.
- June 25: Reads & Company, Phoenixville, Pa, 4 p.m. Presentation and book signing.
- July 6: West Stockbridge Historical Society, West Stockbridge, Mass. Presentation and book signing.
- July 17: Montreat Conference Center, Montreat, N.C., Reading and discussion.
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