An original snowbird: the adventures of a special Sanderling
A conversation with children's author Susan Levine.
Susan Levine is the author of four wonderful children’s books about birds. She blends her interest in wildlife with her imaginative storytelling to entertain and teach young children, while being a great resource for teachers and parents. Susan now lives in Naples, Florida, where she is enchanted by the wildlife, particularly the birds. She sat down with me for a conversation about storytelling and shorebirds. Her latest book is Gilbert’s Migration Vacation.
TWiB: What prompted you to start writing children’s books in 2010? Have you been writing and birding for long?
SL: I started writing in Columbus, Ohio, when my children were young. My first books were about Ohio cities (Columbus and Cincinnati) and the landmarks and attractions in each. As I was looking for a main character for these stories, I discovered the Midwest Peregrine Falcon restoration program. Both Columbus and Cincinnati had nest boxes downtown. Thus Packard and Harriett came to life in my first two books—Packard Takes Flight, a Bird's Eye View of Columbus, Ohio and Harriett's Homecoming, a High-Flying Tour of Cincinnati. Both books taught children about the amazing Peregrine Falcon and how the restoration program brought them back from the brink of extinction. It was also at this time that I perfected my “signature” style of combining a fast-paced fictional story with fact boxes for the older, more curious child.
Fast forward to 2016 when I became an empty nester (no pun intended!) and started spending more time in Naples, Florida. I was delighted by all the wading birds in my neighborhood and surrounding preserves. I was introduced to the Florida Master Naturalist program and started taking the classes to learn more about the local flora and fauna. That’s where I first heard about physical adaptation and resource partitioning as they relate to wading birds....the science concepts highlighted in Jenny's First Catch. It was amazing to me how all these wading birds have evolved different shapes and sizes of bills and necks that allow them to fish for different things, at different depths, so as not to overfish their ecosystem. Mother Nature is so clever! I had been wanting to write some Florida books—and here was my idea. This was a story that I wanted to tell (and a Google search confirmed that there was no similar book). Once I had written Jenny and it was so well received, it was natural to look to shorebirds for inspiration for a second, companion book.
TWiB: Jenny was a Roseate Spoonbill, and Gilbert is a Sanderling. You could have picked any number of wading and shorebird species, but why these two?
SL: I chose a spoonbill as my main character for Jenny since her bill is so unique. It fits the story perfectly. It is also a bird that children love because of its pink color and while not super common, children can find them in southwest Florida and beyond. For Gilbert, I chose the Sanderling because they are a super common shorebird that undergoes an amazing migration. Also their “wave chasing” behavior is so distinctive that children always know what bird I am talking about. One of my main goals with Gilbert is to teach children (and their parents!) not to chase or flush the birds on the beach, but give them space. I am hoping that if they realize just how far these little birds have come to feed and rest for the winter, they will treat them with more respect and kindness.
TWiB: I’m especially glad you picked Sanderling, because it’s a fairly common species continent-wide, but receives a little less attention than, say, the Piping Plover, a species I know quite a bit about.
One of my favorite passages is when the birds are thrown off-course by a storm and end up in a field in Virginia. It’s similar to a scene in my film FLUDDLES. This is based on the actual 2018 Hurricane Florence and a real fallout event, isn’t it?
SL: Yes, the fallout event on the polo field in Crozet, Virginia, is based on a true story as reported by Pete Myers who served as my Sanderling expert for the book. There is information about him in the dedication and special thanks sections at the beginning of the book.
TWiB: We also share a home state of Ohio, which is an outstanding state for birding. Any favorite experiences to share from the Buckeye State?
SL: My favorite bird stories from Ohio all relate to the Peregrine Falcons. I was lucky enough to be invited a few times to bird banding events for the chicks. It was so fun to see how they had to “fend off” the adults with umbrellas so they could grab the chicks from a 41st floor window ledge—to bring in for weighing, bloodwork, and banding.
TWiB: Where are some of your favorite places to go birding now, in Florida? Elsewhere?
SL: My favorite birding sites in southwest Florida are in the back of the book. Ding Darling is amazing if you go at low tide in the morning (be sure to check the Ding Darling tide chart, not just Sanibel). I also love to go to Trafford Lake and do the airboat ride in the winter months. The sunset cruise on Rookery Bay to watch the birds come into roost at dusk is also a life event! Elsewhere would have to be the Galapagos or Costa Rica.
To learn more about Susan’s books, please visit https://www.susanlevinebooks.com/.
Checking in on Sandhill Cranes
A big, big push of Sandhill Cranes—a huge percentage of the Eastern population of the species—moved south to Indiana’s beloved Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area in the last 10 days. By last Tuesday, there were 32,938 birds at the site, almost three times the total cranes present a week earlier.
If you haven’t been, Jasper-Pulaski is well worth the visit. It’s a miniature version of the great crane migration along Nebraska’s Platte River, though perhaps no less astounding. My advice is to go just before sunset and stand at the observation platform. The cranes descend on the area after having spent the day feeding in the surrounding farm fields. This is one of my most viewed clips on YouTube:
There isn’t anything outwardly remarkable about the terrain around the Indiana parcel, other than it’s a mostly filled in section of what once was the Grand Kankakee Marsh. The story of that marsh has echoes of the content in FLUDDLES, and in fact a photo in the film showing a marsh being filled in depicts the filling and ditching of Indiana wetlands.
In other news, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel took a closer look at Sandhill Cranes after another banner nesting season—around 40,000 cranes reside in American’s Dairyland. However, there is a desire of some in Wisconsin to hunt Sandhill Cranes due to concerns about crops.
Christmas Bird Count season is upon us
Christmas Bird Counts get under way as early as December 14, and there is likely a count in your area that needs volunteers. It will be the 75th edition of the Lisle-Arboretum count, taking place on December 17, and you can sign up for that one here. The count doesn’t require any special skill level, all it takes is a pair of binoculars, warm clothes, and snacks. The National Audubon Society organizes the count, and you can learn more and find local counts here.
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A call for Encouragers
Mark Catesby relied on the support of subscribers, or Encouragers, to pay for his work. Rather than waiting to complete an entire volume, he would regularly send illustrations to Encouragers for years and years. This way he could afford to continue his passion for depicting the birds of the Americas. With This Week in Birding celebrating its third anniversary, you can become an Encourager, too—of this newsletter. Just click the button below to begin the process of becoming a Paid Subscriber. Subscriptions start at $50 per year and are also offered at $5 per month.
Upcoming screenings
Thanks very much to everyone who has attended a recent screening, from Peoria to Baraboo to Crystal Lake! Here are the latest. To learn more about my newest film, FLUDDLES, please click here.
December 6 - THE MAGIC STUMP, Thatcher Pavilion, 8030 Chicago Avenue, River Forest, Ill., 6 p.m.
December 9 - FLUDDLES, Rock Springs Nature Center, 3939 Nearing Lane, Decatur, Ill., 2 p.m.
Thanks as always for reading (and watching)!