So for starters, it should be noted that the original title of this book, “Notes from the Shore” was much more appropriate to this book in which very few birds make much of an appearance. It is more a book about the author and the shore around her home of Lewes, Delaware than anything else. I honestly would not have continued reading had it not been for the fantastic “Genius of Birds” reviewed earlier as well as the fact that it was a short book. So I held out for more bird information that did not come, but did not trap myself in a three hundred page read.

All that said, Birds by the Shore had a lot of interesting information about shoreline habitats, and the myriad of creatures who live there. There was information about various worms, crabs, fish, meiofauna, and yes, some about birds, which will be significant on virtually any trip to any shore. There was also information about the history of Lewes, Delaware and the human relationship with the land, making it a little more similar to The Pine Barrens reviewed earlier. Many nature/ecology books take a very broad approach, so it is important to also take time to read much more specific approaches to the field. Reading about birds across North America is great, but it can be too much information all together, so if you want a short read about the natural areas around Lewes, Delaware, you may want to give this one a shot.