Book Review:
Halcyon Journey: In Search of the Belted Kingfisher by Marina Richie
Reviewed by Allison De Jong
This book is a delight.
If you’re looking for a captivating natural history tale interwoven with rich personal stories and sprinkled with myth and legend from the Greeks to the Salish, look no further. Whether you love Belted Kingfishers already or have yet to become enamored, Marina Richie’s fascinating account of tracking a kingfisher pair for seven nesting seasons will give you new love and appreciation for these uniquely wonderful birds. Marina dives as enthusiastically into her journey as a kingfisher dives into a river, and the reader can’t help but be swept along.
You’ll share her joy of finally (finally!) tracking down the location of the kingfishers’ nest, the disappointment of just missing the nestlings fledge, the thrill of making a citizen science observation never before documented. Marina takes readers around the world, seeking out kingfishers in Ndomo Game Reserve in South Africa, at Hampstead Heath in London, on the Lower Rio Grande in Texas, and more. But mostly, the story centers on Missoula’s beloved Rattlesnake Creek and the Belted Kingfishers that nest and raise their young there. For readers who know and love Missoula, this book is a particular delight.
At its heart, this book is a celebration. Of kingfishers, yes, but also of curiosity, community, and connection. It is a celebration of what happens when we let ourselves care deeply about the world around us, from the people and their stories and histories to the wild places and the wild creatures that call them home.
