Readers of Walden will remember Thoreau’s account of chasing a loon across the surface of Walden Pond and his observation, “I rejoice that there are owls. Let them do the idiotic and maniacal hooting for men.”

Those passages grew from the close observations of birds he made in his Journal from 1837 to 1861. Thoreau once said his Journal could be called “Field Notes,” and most of it is devoted to descriptions of his daily walks in Concord, including descriptions of dozens of species of birds. 

Courtesy of the author

A Year of Birds: Writings on Birds from the Journal of Henry David Thoreau, published by Mercer University Press, showcases this work. Edited by Geoff Wisner, illustrated by Massachusetts nature artist Barry Van Dusen, with a foreword by Concord native Peter Alden, A Year of Birds underlines the fact that Thoreau was not just a naturalist but a Transcendentalist, finding spiritual meaning in birds and their lives. 

Unlike previous works on Thoreau and birds, the meticulously curated A Year of Birds explores Thoreau’s writings on birds by the day of the year, offering an exploration of the relationship between birds, their environment, and the essence of the changing seasons. 

Courtesy of the author

In addition to its personal value to Thoreau, his Journal serves as a vital historical record of bird activity, offering valuable insights into ecological changes over time and providing today’s scientists with a valuable resource for understanding the impact of environmental shifts on avian populations.

Geoff Wisner, the editor of A Year of Birds, is an author, editor, book reviewer, and board member of the Thoreau Society. His previous two books, Thoreau’s Wildflowers and Thoreau’s Animals, also drawn from Thoreau’s Journal, were published by Yale University Press. 

“I first read Thoreau’s Journal in college, and I continue to dip into it every day,” Wisner says. “I love that it’s not only an enormous work of literature in itself, but that readers like me can still create new and interesting works from it, just as Thoreau drew from it to write A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, Walden, and his essays and lectures.” 

The book includes the best of Thoreau’s descriptions of birds, from the red-tailed hawk to the Blackburnian warbler, as well as descriptions of bird hunting, birds in museums, and birds as metaphor. Special sections are devoted to the now-vanished passenger pigeon and to Thoreau’s mysterious “night warbler.”

Courtesy of the author

As Peter Alden notes in his foreword, the birds Thoreau saw were not all the same as those that Concordians see today. Alden, who grew up in Concord and spent much of his life reflecting on Thoreau, has written fifteen books on birds, nature, and travel. He is a world-renowned naturalist and has always been, in his own words, “hooked on birds like my hometown hero Henry.” Alden’s Great Walden Bioblitzes have found 3,600 species of flora and fauna within five miles of Walden Pond. He is also a board member of the Thoreau Farm Trust, the organization that preserves Thoreau’s birthplace, and works at the Thoreau Society’s Shop at Walden Pond. 

Alden comments that the whippoorwills have vanished, olive-sided flycatchers and purple finches no longer breed in Concord, and hermit thrushes and wood thrushes have become rare. On the other hand, bald eagles and ospreys nest in Concord, and formerly southern birds like the Carolina wren and red-bellied woodpecker can now be seen. 

Thoreau’s observations come to life in A Year of Birds, reminding us of the profound connection between nature, literature, and the human spirit—the birds may have changed, but the powerful effect of closely observing nature has not. As Thoreau once said, “Even as the birds sing tumultuously and glance by with fresh and brilliant plumage, so now is Nature’s grandest voice heard, and her sharpest flashes seen.” 

The celebration of this new book is not merely confined to its pages. Thoreau Farm, the birthplace of Henry David Thoreau, and the Walden Pond State Reservation Visitor Center, with support from the Walden Woods Project, will host an exhibition of original watercolors and sketches by Barry Van Dusen, the talented artist behind the book’s illustrations. The exhibition at Thoreau Farm and Walden Pond is an invitation to listen to “Nature’s grandest voice” and witness the flashes of brilliance that unfold when art and nature converge.

Courtesy of the author

Van Dusen is a Massachusetts-based artist and the author of Finding Sanctuary, in which he describes and illustrates sixty-one of Mass Audubon’s wildlife sanctuaries, nature centers, and museums. He is known for working directly from life, even when sketching difficult subjects like wild birds.

 “When Geoff Wisner approached me with this project,” Van Dusen says, “we both agreed that Thoreau’s vivid descriptions of birdlife would live nicely alongside my direct-from-life approach to recording birds with pencil and watercolor.” 

Thoreau believed in the transformative power of observing nature, asserting that it was through such contemplation that individuals could attain a deeper understanding of themselves and the interconnectedness of all living things. Van Dusen’s artwork demonstrates that deep understanding and invites viewers to see nature anew. 

From May to July, visitors to Concord can explore Van Dusen’s beautiful nature sketches displayed at both Thoreau Farm and at the Walden Pond State Reservation Visitor Center. At Thoreau Farm, the exhibition focuses on the birds of Concord that are chronicled in Thoreau’s Journal. Each piece on display will be an original illustration from A Year of Birds. At Walden Pond, the exhibition will expand to include a wide variety of nature subjects from Concord. 

“Birds & Beyond: A Journey Through Thoreau’s Landscape with Barry Van Dusen”

Exhibition on view May through July 2024

For more details about the exhibition and related events, please visit Thoreau Farm’s website: Thoreaufarm.org/birds-exhibit. Additional details can be found at the website for the Walden Pond State Reservation Visitor Center: Mass.gov/locations/walden-pond-state-reservation

A Day of Birds at Thoreau Farm

Saturday, May 11

3:00 pm: Artist Talk at Thoreau Farm. Free to the public. Pre-registration suggested. 

4:00 - 6:00 pm: Birding Saunter with Peter Alden. $30/person. Registration required. 

6:00 pm: Thoreau and the Birds of Concord: A book launch with Geoff Wisner. $15/person to attend in-person at Thoreau Farm OR $10/person to attend online. Registration required.