Suddenly the shadow of a hawk passed over, and the blackbirds exploded upward, almost as one, and swirled away. I watched the whole shimmering sheet of them dark against the sky, wheeling, twisting, eddying in intricate movements with the cohesion of a single organism…

I didn’t know much about birds; this book has given me a new respect for them. It’s dry at times, but contains a lot of interesting information. It would really have benefited from including some photos, though.