Lyanda Lynn Haupt is an ecophilosopher, naturalist, and author of several books, including The Urban Bestiary, Crow Planet, Pilgrim on the Great Bird Continent, and Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds. A winner of the Washington State Book Award and the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award, she lives in Seattle with her husband and daughter.
A compelling blend of natural history, biography and memoir * Sunday Express * This is a charming book, and a nuanced one, too. Carmen herself offers a unique window on both the avian and musical worlds, and in so doing leaves us in doubt that this much-maligned species is also blessed with many charms. * The Lady, Book of the Week * A delightful book, whose pages are enlivened by the subversive presence of [Haupt's] pet starling, Carmen. * Evening Standard, Our Pick of the Books This Year *