Book Review: BIRDWATCHER The Life of Roger Tory Peterson

I was invited to write a review of this book for Altacal Audubon Society- here it is:


Birders as readers are generally pretty easy to please. A book with nothing more than the phyllogenetic ranking of bird species will occupy a coveted spot on our nightstand for months. Give us a tale of derring-do in the New Guinea highlands, a reckless cat-food eating bird-search across the continent or a comedic country-wide counting competition and we’re enraptured. There are but three requirements for a book to be successful among birders: 1. It must be about birds, or 2. It must be about birders or 3. a combination of the first two. With these lofty requirements in mind, Elizabeth J. Rosenthal’s biography entitled BIRDWATCHER The Life of Roger Tory Peterson definitely satisfies.

BIRDWATCHER takes us on a long, well-researched journey through the life of one of birdings most revered icons. As Ms. Rosenthal attests, Roger was not the sort of flamboyant character whose exploits keep you on the edge of your seat. Cited by most as a “nice quiet person, always willing to help” the narrative maintains the same low-key approach to describing his life and career. For regular readers of historical biographies this style provides for an unemotional and detailed profile of the man. For those looking for more excitement it may make for slow-reading.

The idea that if one scratches the surface of a celebrity that their many facets will be revealed is not necessarily true of Roger Peterson. RTP developed an early and intense focus on birds that was an obvious blessing and a not-so obvious curse. The same uber-focus that gave us the first and what many consider the finest field-guides ever produced, is alternately described as being “shortsighted about the entire world”, “obsessed with birds to the exclusion of all else” and “a monomaniac”. These traits at the very least made Roger something of a bore to non - birders “birds, birds, birds! He was a bit boring in that way.” and at it’s worst created significant disharmony in his personal and family life. Like sausage being made, one should not peer too closely into the personal life of their heroes, and for those who prefer only the heroic exploits of their icons this book may dwell on Peterson’s marital and family issues more than we would prefer. Roger’s legendary association with James Fisher, with whom he birded for one-hundred days around the U.S., set an early big-year record and co-wrote the story of that trip entitled Wild America provides a look at one of Roger’s more successful and harmonious relationships.

A positive quality that is seemingly shared by many of birdings best-known spokesmen is their humility. Like Kaufmann, Sibley, Dunn and others that were spawned from Roger’s success, Peterson was nearly always accessible and available to aspiring birders and peers seeking information. The same qualities that made Roger a challenging individual to spend time with for those who did not share his passion for birds, made him a joy to those who did. Countless examples of his collegiality and approachability paint a picture of a man who loved to share his love. “All the participants were thrilled….to be in his presence. He was genuine. There was nothing highfalutin or anything like that. He was just one of the crowd…It was in the evening that he really shone. He was able to relate his experiences and answer questions.”

Those of us who prefer our heroes without flaws or foibles might be best served by the fiction and fantasy genre. For any serious student of birds, or for those who have long been inspired by the combination of artistic genius and efficient identification tool that the Peterson Guides provide, BIRDWATCHER gives us a greater understanding of how a lifetime spent in high-focus created not only a lasting reference tool but the catalyst for an outdoor past-time now enjoyed by millions.