Paying attention to Minnesota’s birds is an outdoor activity enjoyed by many people. Residents across North America cherish the continent’s birdlife and have tried to formally tally it in various locations. Although Minnesota has been a vanguard in many types of environmental action, in 2000, it was the only state in the Mississippi River valley and one of only seven in the nation to lack a formal accounting of its breeding birds. That changed in 2008 when a broad coalition of public and private groups began prep work to systemically survey the state. This group included ones that Wild River Auduboners may belong to: Audubon Minnesota and the Minnesota Ornithologists Union. It recruited a multitude of skilled birders—citizen scientists and professionals—to tally birds over five breeding seasons in every corner of the state.( Three of them have mention in this newsletter: Tom Anderson, Joe Sausen and yours truly) This book is a result of their efforts.

I was blown away when I received my copy of The Breeding Birds of Minnesota. The first noticeable characteristic is its heft—the heaviest book I’ve ever encountered. But then one sees its beauty. There are stunning color bird photos taken by the state’s best wildlife photographers on nearly every page. Every one of the 250 breeding birds recorded in Minnesota has a photo and a few pages devoted to its natural history, breeding distribution, breeding habitat, population abundance and conservation. At a time when we expect climate change to affect each of these in ways we can’t always predict, this atlas is a snapshot in time that will be invaluable in the years ahead.

Should you, bird-loving Auduboner, buy this book? First, you will never bring this book into the field. It is just too heavy. Nor is it much of a coffee table book. I have trouble sitting with it in my lap. But, there is so much valuable and interesting information in it, and it has so many beautiful photographs, that I think people who love Minnesota birds will want it on their shelf. In these two ways—abundant information and gorgeous pictures—it is like T. S. Roberts’ beloved two-volume The Birds of Minnesota. Its targeted audience is the same as the Roberts book: both professionals and avid birders. In that, it is a worthy successor to the 1932 The Birds of Minnesota. Save your pennies and make an investment to your home library.

The Breeding Birds of Minnesota  launches on May 9, 20024 at 7 p.m., Bell Museum, 2088 Larpenteur Ave. West, St. Paul. The authors will be in attendance, so a signed copy is possible!