This slide show blends science, literature, and personal observation to explore the distinctive lives of seven bird species–in Massachusetts and beyond–and the stories they tell us about sex, family life, song, dance, and adaptability in birds and humans. 

John Nelson is the author of Flight Calls: Exploring Massachusetts through Birds. His essay “Funny Bird Sex” in the Antioch Review was awarded a 2018 Pushcart Prize, and his narrative “Coming of Old Age in Samoa” in The Missouri Review was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. A professor emeritus at North Shore Community College, John was the 2021 Visiting Writer at the college. He chairs the Association of Massachusetts Bird Clubs and the Conservation and Education Committee of the Brookline Bird Club. He lives in the woods on a hilltop in Gloucester.

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