Ornithologist’s Book from Basalt Books Reflects Magic of Pacific Northwest Birds

This month, WSU Press’s trade imprint, Basalt Books, is releasing a collection of personal essays on Pacific Northwest birds by noted ornithologist Thomas Bancroft.

The author combines his wealth of scientific knowledge about birds and the Pacific Northwest with personal observations in Marvelous Wings: Reflections on Birds of the Pacific Northwest. His essays convey the delight, healing, and passion that birds can bring to people and explore species and places across the Pacific Northwest, some of them little known to even the most avid outdoor person.

Chapters range from exploring the thrill of finding a rare bird to comprehending the incredible migration of a Swainson’s Thrush. Bancroft’s greatest hope is that his readers will also be drawn into the wild through the details he shares to create a desire to discover more.

Bancroft also describes how wild birds often helped him cope with life’s challenges and rekindled his joy and solace following significant losses, including the death of his wife in 2006.

The COVID pandemic in 2020, with its isolation and confinement, was particularly devastating. Bancroft lived alone, far from his sisters in Pennsylvania and his daughter in Australia. Occasional neighborhood walks with two friends—greeting each other from 10 feet away—were his only contact with people.

“From early March through the summer, no one hugged me, and I didn’t even get a handshake. Birds were my closest companions during that period,” he said. “I sat for hours on my patio watching chickadees, nuthatches, song sparrows, and juncos come to my feeder. A Bewick’s Wren seemed to be my best friend, sometimes scolding me for sitting outside, and other times singing his heart out, delaying my trip to the grocery store.”

When Bancroft could finally leave lockdown, he took trips to local parks or camped to be near the birds outdoors. On one trip in September, he found a flock of goldfinches feeding on seeds at Union Bay.

“Their ‘po-ta-to’ chip calls brought joy, and then their undulating flights raised my spirits,” he said. “On another trip, I watched a male red-winged blackbird sing from the top of a cattail, declaring that piece of the marsh as his. Not far away was an active Cooper’s hawk nest, a bird predator. I watched this blackbird and thought if he can avoid being eaten, then I can figure out a way to venture out without contracting COVID.”

Recipient of the 2020 Mountaineers Service Award, Bancroft holds a doctorate in biology and a master’s degree in zoology, both from the University of South Florida. His research focused on birds and their conservation, and he served in leadership roles for several conservation organizations, where he championed the use of scientific information in U.S. public lands policy and stewardship decisions. He is a frequent speaker and writes regularly for the Mountaineers, Washington Ornithological Society, Audubon chapters, and the Methow Naturalists. His photographs have appeared in numerous books and publications, including Audubon, Birding, American Birds, and Mountaineer Magazine, as well as at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.

Note: Bancroft will speak at the 2026 Wings over Whidbey Bird Festival on Saturday, September 26, in Coupeville, Washington. For more information about the festival, see the Whidbey Audubon Society website.