The Life of the Robin

by David Lack

Early book by an avid ornithologist who was passionate about studying birds from a young age (wikipedia tells me by the age of nine he could recognize and name most birds, and already had a written life-list of ones he wanted to see). This book is his study of european robins. Lack was notable for being one of the first scientists to study the behavior of living birds (as opposed to measuring and comparing lifeless stuffed specimens, I imagine). He tagged many with bands on the feet, to track where they returned to each year. The book is full of facts about the little birds, but it is engaging and easily accessible to lay readers who approach it out of pure curiosity, like myself. Plus, the cover image is really endearing.

Rating: 3/5   224 pages, 1943