Scarlet macaws weave in and out of the rainforest canopy... The elegant silhouette of a Kori bustard appears ont he African savanna... Internationally acclaimed wildlife artist and naturalist Robert Bateman has sketched and painted bird life in every corner of the globe. And a lifetime of observing an extraordinary range of species has given him a wealth of knowledge about bird habitats, behavior, and survival skills. Now, in this unique volume, Robert Bateman's newest paintings are combined with his insightful reflections on bird life in splendid pages that will delight nature and art lovers alike. This personal birding odyssey begins atBateman's easel on an island off Canada's Pacific coast, where herons, kingfishers, and bald eagles pass by his studio windows. From there it proceeds to a variety of North American destinations ranging from a seabird colony on Alaska's Pribil of Islands to the waterways of Florida's Everglades. Bateman has also explored many international wildlife sanctuaries and his unforgetttable experiences there are re-created in evocative color painting and vivid first-person recollections. Lavishly illustrated and informatively written,Birdsis an intimate appreciation of some of the planet's most beautiful and fascinating creatures by an artist who has been capturing them on canvas for over forty years.