Page 32 - Alumni Horae: Vol. 94, No. 3 Spring 2014

COMMUNITY
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
A Piece of Home Reception, Liberty Hotel, May 7
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Beloved Community Weekend, St. Paul’s School,
April 11-13
Spring Convocation, St. Paul’s School, May 8-9
GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT
A Piece of Home Reception, Field Club of Greenwich,
May 14
HONG KONG
Rector Reception, hosted by Sabrina Fung ’89,
China Club, March 4
LONDON
SPS Choir Performance and Reception, co-hosted
at the home of Michael and Suzanne Ferlic Johnson ’86
with Constanza Mardones and Toby Ali ’85, March 18
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
A Piece of Home Reception, Pictures in a Row, April 24
NEW YORK CITY
Alumni Association Annual Meeting and Awards
Presentation, Harvard Club, April 2
A Piece of Home Reception, Millennium Broadway
Hotel, May 6
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
Young Alumni Dinner, Angkor Restaurant, April 26
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
A Piece of Home Reception, Aquarium of the Bay,
April 23
SEOUL
Seoul Family Dinner, Grand Hyatt, hosted by
Hyun-Joon Cho ’87, March 6
Asia Council Meeting, Hyosung Building, hosted by
Sabrina Fung ’89 and Hyun-Joon Cho ’87, March 7
WASHINGTON, D.C.
A Piece of Home Reception, Columbus Club at
Union Station, May 13
This splendid book, a collaboration be-
tween Will Russell ’59 and two esteemed
birding colleagues, has 41 introductory
pages analyzing the reasons for vagrancy
and its frequency over time, with maps
and definitions of disorientation, dispersal,
“mirror-image migration,” and other
phenomena, all supported by citations
from world literature.
Russell is co-founder and director of
the international birding tour company
WINGS. He is one of America’s top birders,
whose skill set relies on a potent combi-
nation of the SEEK virtues: Skills (acute
vision and hearing), Experience, Effort,
and Knowledge. It’s no exaggeration to
say that Russell is a legend and, devoid
of any aggrandizement, I like to think of
him as the Wayne Gretzky of birding. He
was the most important mentor to David
Allen Sibley, before Sibley’s Field Guide
series became a blockbuster.
Howell is the author of a Mexican field
guide and other titles on seabirds, hum-
mingbirds, and the molt process. Lewing-
ton, acclaimed by many as the world’s
preeminent bird artist, is illustrator of
A Field Guide to the Rare Birds of Britain
and Europe.
Their book admirably fills a big North
American ornithological void. It describes
and depicts 262 species with five or fewer
documented sightings since 1950. For each,
there are sections explaining identification,
status, distribution, taxonomy, habitat,
and behavior. The text is enhanced by
marvelous color paintings and extensive
general commentary.
Russell provided most of the work on
strays from the Old World (especially prev-
alent in Alaska), Howell concentrated on
those from Latin America and the seas,
and Lewington, not simply an artist, is
knowledgeable enough to bring con-
structive commentary to the text as well.
The occurrence of rarities is often more
than just of interest for birders. The de-
cline of these species can often be symp-
tomatic of a vanguard, or else temporary,
adjustment, as a result of major habitat
degradation, drought, fire, extreme weather,
or climate change. Thus, they may con-
vey an importance beyond their distinct
qualities. Detecting such phenomena is
one of the contributions of birding and
citizen science.
REVIEWS
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