Yes, it’s been a long while since I’ve written a blog. But a I have really good excuse: I’ve written a book!
The Bird with the Flaming Red feet is the biography of a charismatic seabird known as the Pigeon Guillemot. It’s not a Pigeon and it’s last name is pronounced gill-uh-mott. It’s also the story of what happens when you focus on a single bird species for thirteen years, which is a lot of years for someone (me) who describes herself as “not a birder.” During those thirteen years, I was one of some 250 volunteers collecting data on the guillemots for a community science project focused on these birds during their summer breeding season on the Puget Sound coastlines of Washington State.
With several other volunteers, I counted guillemots, took notes on their behavior, and identified the types of fish they carried whole to their chicks sitting in natural burrows and crevices in our coastal bluffs. Our data is used by many scientists and agencies studying these seabirds and the Puget Sound ecosystems.
While I was collected data—once a week for just an hour—I started wondering what the guillemots were doing the other twenty-three hours a day when they weren’t in my binoculars. I became curious about how they lived during the spring, fall, and winter when we weren’t collecting data or paying any attention to them. And then I became a bit obsessed about the guillemots and increasingly devoted to my fellow community scientists. And I became a birder—a one bird-birder. Through the Pigeon Guillemot, my sense of place deepened as did my commitment to understanding and protecting birds (and all wildlife) and their habitats. I learned to slow down (at least for an hour each week) and pay attention to the clues the guillemots revealed about their lives.
I wrote the Bird with Flaming Red Feet to honor the Pigeon Guillemots—a seabird that has brought me so much joy over the years,—and to share stories of a wildly successful, long-term community science project. I hope readers will find my book educational, entertaining, amusing, and inspiring.
But don’t take my word for it. Here’s some advance praise of The Bird with Flaming Red Feet:
“I love everything about this glorious tribute to the Pigeon Guillemot. Swimming effortlessly between lyrical prose and meticulous research, The Bird with Flaming Red Feet captures the wildness, complexity, and charm of these extraordinary birds. Beyond this individual species, Ruth draws us into a wider story—connecting sea, cliffs, curiosity, care, and community—and celebrates what it means to pay attention, to watch, and to fall in love with the wild world. Readers will emerge enchanted by guillemots and the ecological connections that bind us all.” —Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Rooted, Crow Planet, Mozart’s Starling, the Urban Bestiary, and more.
“I very well remember discovering the funny and interesting Pigeon Guillemots soon after I first saw the Pacific Ocean on aroad trip after college. I instantly fell in love, because who can resist these flitty, flirty little coastal companions—and Iinstantly fell in love with this beautiful, companionable book about them. I wish this book had been written much sooner,but it was well worth the wait.” —Carl Safina, author of Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe
“Finally, a book about Pigeon Guillemots! Engaging, informative, and imbued with deep affection for its subject, The Birdwith Flaming Red Feet is a classic natural history of a classic Northwest seabird.” —Thor Hanson, author of Feathers, Hurricane Lizards, Buzz, and Close to Home
“You may never have heard of a Pigeon Guillemot, but after reading The Bird with Flaming Red Feet, you’ll fall in love with these pudgy little seabirds. A lovely blend of natural history and memoir, this fun and enjoyable book recounts onewoman’s infatuation, as well as reveals how anyone can make important contributions to conservation.” —Scott Weidensaul, author of The Return of the Oystercatcher, A World on the Wing, Living on the Wind, and more.
“The Bird with Flaming Red Feet shines with creative wordplay and storytelling. Centered on a single species of seabird, the Pigeon Guillemot, this book is about finding joy in the natural world, and the huge rewards that come from learning topay attention.” —Kim Heacox, author of The Only Kayak, On Heaven’s Hill, Jimmy Bluefeather, and more.
“A wonderfully inspiring story of how a citizen science project on a little-known but charismatic seabird transforms the author into a knowledgeable auk enthusiast and seabird conservationist.” —Tim Birkhead, author of The Great Auk: Its Extraordinary Life, Hideous Death, and Mysterious Afterlife, The Most Perfect Thing, Birds and Us, The Wisdom of Birds, and more.
You can pre-order your copy now through these brick-and-mortar and online booksellers. You’ll be glad you did.
Mountaineers Books (my wonderful, non-profit publisher based in Seattle, WA)
Browsers Bookshop (my wonderful brick-and-mortar indie bookstore in Olympia, WA). They’ll even ship a signed copy to you.
Bookshop.org (support your local indie bookstore)
Barnes & Noble (in the book biz since 1971)