Greater Lansing libraries and bookstores are partnering for a new community reading initiative called One Grand Read.
The first selection is the book: "Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black man in the Natural World" by author, comics writer and birder Christian Cooper.
Cooper says he started birding as a child when he was deeply closeted. The time he spent outside looking for birds helped deal with that stress.
"It gets you outside your own head. I'm no longer focused on that problem, because if I am, I'm not going to see any birds."
He adds the stress of the pandemic and the fact that we were cooped inside may have also led to a recent resurgence in popularity for birding.
"A lot of things were closed. So, what do you do with yourself? You take a walk in the park, and you start listening and hearing and seeing things."
And his advice for beginning birders? Learn how to use binoculars correctly.
"Do not look down to your binoculars to bring them to your eyes, you will lose the bird. Keep your eyes on the bird and bring the binoculars to your eyes," he said. "Takes a little practice, but once you master that, you'll be like, boom, the bird will be right there."
Cooper will be doing an author visit September 20 at Michigan State University's Kellogg Center as part of One Grand Read.
Interview Highlights
On the joy of spotting a Kirtland's warbler in New York City
It is extraordinarily rare, probably our rarest songbird. The idea that one in traveling from its wintering grounds in the Bahamas back to Michigan should happen to take a left hook and end up in Central Park, and that somebody in Central Park happened to stumble across it, knew what they were seeing and was able to get the word out to the rest of us birders the odds are so infinitesimal, and yet it happened, and we were beside ourselves.
On how birding can lead to better living
One of the big escapes for me was birding. It gets you outside your own head. I'm no longer focused on that problem, because if I am, I'm not going to see any birds. So, I have to pay attention with intention to the world around me. I've got to look. I've got to listen, and then I'll see birds, and then I'm experiencing the joy of the natural world, and suddenly, at least for a little while, whatever your problem is, whether it's being buried in the closet or paying taxes or whatever, I don't have a job right now, whatever your problem is, it goes away just for a little while
On using binoculars correctly to spot birds
Find the bird with your naked eye first. Then most important of all, keep your eyes on the bird. Do not look down to your binoculars to bring them to your eyes, you will lose the bird. Keep your eyes on the bird and bring the binoculars to your eyes. Takes a little practice, but once you master that, you'll be like, boom, the bird will be right there.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: Greater Lansing libraries and bookstores are partnering for a new community reading initiative. It’s called One Grand Read.
The first selection is the book "Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black man in the Natural World" by author, comics writer and birder Christian Cooper.
He joins me now about a month ahead of a visit to East Lansing as part of the initiative. Thanks for being here, Christian.
Christian Cooper: Happy to be here. Nice to meet you. Sophia.
Saliby: Your book actually starts with a story about a native Michigan bird, the Kirtland's warbler, that you saw in New York City's Central Park. So, why was the experience of seeing this bird so impactful?
Cooper: Because there's only about like 6,000 Kirtland's warblers in the entire world, and they all breed in a little tiny sliver of almost exclusively Michigan. I think maybe there's one or two that spill into Wisconsin or something like that. So, it is extraordinarily rare, probably our rarest songbird.
The idea that one in traveling from its wintering grounds in the Bahamas back to Michigan should happen to take a left hook and end up in Central Park, and that somebody in Central Park happened to stumble across it, knew what they were seeing and was able to get the word out to the rest of us birders the odds are so infinitesimal, and yet it happened, and we were beside ourselves.
Saliby: Why do you think birding has seen such a resurgence in popularity over the past few years?
Cooper: Well, I think the pandemic was a big factor in driving people outside. A lot of things were closed. So, what do you do with yourself? You take a walk in the park, and you start listening and hearing and seeing things. And bird activity actually ramped up a bit during the pandemic because human activity was reduced.
So, the birds spilled back into spaces, maybe where they where they hadn't been before. So, I think that helped drive a lot of people into birding. And I don't know, we're kind of having a moment. We're in the zeitgeist, so people are turning to birding, and that's great because it's a really fun hobby.
Saliby: Your book is not just about birds, but also about your life and how you've kind of created code of living for yourself. So, to take it back to the title, why do you think birding can help people live better?
I've got to look. I've got to listen, and then I'll see birds, and then I'm experiencing the joy of the natural world, and suddenly, at least for a little while, whatever your problem is, whether it's being buried in the closet or paying taxes or whatever, I don't have a job right now, whatever your problem is, it goes away just for a little while.
Cooper: Birding gets you outside of your own head, and that was really important to me, for example, when I was growing up as a kid because I've been birding since I was about nine or 10 years old. and from the age of about five years old, I knew I was queer.
I knew I was a gay boy and that was just the way things were. And I also knew enough to keep it completely secret in very conservative Long Island, New York, the suburbs outside of New York City where I was growing up. So, that was really awful, though, the parable or the metaphor I use for the experience is that it was like being buried alive, because you know you're there, you know you are trying to get out of this coffin that's six feet under, and people are walking across your grave and have no idea that you're down there screaming to be let out.
So, for something that horrible, one of the big escapes for me was birding. It gets you outside your own head. I'm no longer focused on that problem, because if I am, I'm not going to see any birds.
So, I have to pay attention with intention to the world around me. I've got to look. I've got to listen, and then I'll see birds, and then I'm experiencing the joy of the natural world, and suddenly, at least for a little while, whatever your problem is, whether it's being buried in the closet or paying taxes or whatever, I don't have a job right now, whatever your problem is, it goes away just for a little while.
Keep your eyes on the bird and bring the binoculars to your eyes. Takes a little practice, but once you master that, you'll be like, boom, the bird will be right there.
Saliby: You have a lot of tips for beginning birders in the book, but if you have one piece of advice to share in the short time we have together, what is that piece of advice?
Cooper: All right, how to use binoculars properly. Find the bird with your naked eye first. Then most important of all, keep your eyes on the bird.
Do not look down to your binoculars to bring them to your eyes, you will lose the bird. Keep your eyes on the bird and bring the binoculars to your eyes. Takes a little practice, but once you master that, you'll be like, boom, the bird will be right there.
Saliby: Last question, do you plan to do any bird watching while you're in Michigan next month?
Cooper: I am. Whenever I go to some place, I'm always bringing my binoculars, and I'm always planning to bird. I was actually going to try and head up to see Kirtland's warblers while I'm in Michigan, but it's like, two hours away, which is too far I don't drive, and it's the wrong time of year. So, yeah, no, I'm not going to be hunting for Kirtland's warblers, but I'll take whatever I can get.
Saliby: Christian Cooper is the author of "Better Living Through Birding."
The book has been selected for the One Grand Read initiative here in Greater Lansing, and Cooper will be doing an author visit on September 20 at the Michigan State University Kellogg Center. Christian, thank you for joining me.
Cooper: Thanks, Sophia.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
