Date: 1/12/26 2:53 pm From: Ann Kramer via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: Re: [Tweeters] how birds fly
Hi Dennis,
Thank you so much for that comprehensive and well deserved review of *How
Birds Fly*, by Peter Cavanagh. I saw Peter's name on Tweeters several
months ago regarding a presentation at a library, and contacted him for a
presentation at Skagit Audubon. He generously consented to a Zoom call and
he consented to do a presentation with us for our June 9th member meeting
(which is open to nonmembers as well). I subsequently ordered his book and
was astonished at the detail, both in his photography and the science and
detail he offers about flying. As an intermediate photographer myself, who
has made many trips to Bosque del Apache, he has one of the most
beautifully detailed portraits of a flying Sandhill Crane I've ever seen.
All of his images are superb and I find myself in awe, page after page,
with both the images and the content.
The details of how birds use thermals, the aerodynamics of upstroke, how
they chase prey, formation flying, the aerodynamics of the tail, in flight
maneuvers, and focus on specific bird flight characteristics of specific
species are covered in digestible detail. Peter, by the way, among other
things, is himself a pilot. One could easily get mired in all this
aerodynamic detail but he is able to present it in understandable language
for almost anyone and perfectly accompanied images.
After reading some of the book, I excitedly and briefly presented it at one
of our large membership meetings. Your review is confirmation that my
excitement is warranted, and I am grateful to read it!
By the way, as I said earlier, Peter will be a presenter on How Birds Fly
at our June membership meeting at Skagit Audubon, which will be both in
person and on Zoom. I will post a reminder on Tweeters.
Ann Kramer, Program Chair, SAS
On Mon, Jan 12, 2026 at 11:46 AM Dennis Paulson via Tweeters <
<tweeters...> wrote:
> I've just finished looking through a new book, *How Birds Fly*, by Peter
> Cavanagh. Peter is one of us, a resident of Lopez Island. This 336-page
> large format book is without question the best book on birds I have seen in
> a long time, surely one of the best books ever. I wanted to share my
> enthusiasm, so I have written this as a sort of review of the book.
>
> It seems to me that the author has explored all the angles you could
> possibly think of for understanding this wonderful adaptation. Humans have
> long been fascinated with flight, and he spends a lot of time comparing
> birds and airplanes, which is great for all of us who thrill to see any
> flying object. Let's face it; our great interest in birds surely stems in
> part from our envy of their ability to fly!
>
> I can't get over how thorough this book is. We all know about drag and
> lift, right? Read this book to learn so much more about what make flight
> possible. It even treats flightless birds in detail, explaining why and how
> some winged wonders evolved to stay out of the air. Learn about feather
> structure, flocking, migration, and so much more involved in the aerial
> world of birds.
>
> Each of the 13 chapters ends with a page "FROM THE LAB." Each one deals
> with an aspect of research on bird flight, each a superb example of the
> scientific method. "Can aerodynamic forces be measured?" "How do pigeons
> turn in slow flight?" "Are swifts designed for gliding or flapping?" "What
> is the altitude profile of a migration flight?"
>
> He even has a section on researchers who have studied bird flight,
> something rarely included in general books. Also, he includes the latest
> word about the many ways we have tried to copy bird flight. And the photos
> with which the book is so lavishly illustrated are by the author, from
> hummingbirds to albatrosses and all over the world. I especially like
> learning where each photo was taken. Peter Cavanagh is a superb
> photographer and writer.
>
> The profusion of photos, their educational captions, and the many, many
> diagrams will allow you to delve into bird flight widely, with an even
> deeper knowledge from reading the text. Of course, this should be combined
> with doing a lot of birding. Learn about flight, and then go out and
> understand better what you are seeing!
>
> Dennis Paulson
>
> Seattle
>
> dennispaulson at comcast dot net
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