In his Introduction to Birder's Break the author, Dr. Rising, says, "These hundred brief essays represent the kind of reading I enjoy myself when I have a break. You can pick and choose or read them in sequence: there are no order requirements. They also represent a personal lifetime of birdwatching and study of avian ecology. But they also represent the interpretations of an amateur. I am like most of you: a birdwatcher whose vocation was very different but who has devoted thousands of hours to the field study of birds. Beginning when, as a 10-year old, I was drawn to the challenge of bird identification, my interest grew during my school years through fortunate associations with remarkable men (for birdwatching was then essentially a male activity) like Gordon Meade, Allan Klonick, Joe Taylor, Howard Miller, Fred Hall and Tom Killip. My ornithological activities dipped during my four-year World War II navy service, but they picked up again when I returned to college and continued as a teacher. That interest matured through my career in education and now my over twenty years of retirement from university teaching." This book is published by William R. Parks - wrparks dot com