In Wood Thrush: Harbinger of Change, ecologist Ian Davidson describes his lifelong fascination with the Wood thrush, a small, eerily musical bird that migrates from Central America to as far north as Quebec each year. Regarded by scientists as a “sentinel species,” the Wood thrush’s decline signals a worrying trend for the natural environment of the Americas. But thanks to the collective efforts of conservationists from Nicaragua, Appalachia, and elsewhere, Davidson remains optimistic about the species’ restoration.

Wood Thrush marks the first title in Birders on Birds, a new essay series published in partnership with the Pelee Island Bird Observatory (PIBO). Birders on Birds offers personal essays by notable birdwatchers on some of the 314 species that PIBO has recorded since its founding in 2005. Proceeds from the sale of each chapbook is shared with PIBO, a not-for-profit organization.

With a beautiful cover illustration by Windsor-based illustrator Julia Hall, only 200 of these hand-bound, limited-edition chapbooks have been produced.

About the Author

Ian Davidson is a Canadian ecologist who has been a leader in wildlife, nature, and bird conservation organizations throughout the Americas and the Caribbean. For over a decade, he led BirdLife International projects in Ecuador, Patagonia, the Galapagos, and the Amazon basin. In 2021, he became BirdLife International’s Regional Director of the Americas. He firmly believes conservation is local, and as such, works on the Board of the PIBO.