The Great Hummingbird Chase: Three Years. Fifteen Species. One Obsession

Description:

This book takes us on a passion-fuelled journey that starts in a single backyard and blooms into a full-blown pursuit across one of the richest birding landscapes in North America. When photographer John P. Schaefer realizes he has captured only a handful of the hummingbirds that zip around southeastern Arizona, he sets his sights higher. Teamed with acclaimed nature writer Ken Lamberton, the photographer and the writer embark on a three-year quest to find, observe, and photograph all fifteen species that visit Arizona's desert canyons and sky islands.

From Bisbee's feeder-lined yards to canyons in the Chiricahua, Huachuca, and Santa Rita Mountains, Schaefer and Lamberton chase rarities most birders only dream of-white-eared hummingbirds, violet-crowned jewels, the elusive plain-capped starthroat. Thanks to patience, humour, and wonder, the chase becomes an intimate encounter of light, motion, and chance.

At once a natural history, a travel narrative, and a visual feast, this work offers an immersive journey for birders, photographers, and nature lovers alike. This book is a love letter to southern Arizona - America's hummingbird capital - and to the enduring thrill of paying close attention to the wild.