A Year in the Fields

Born in the rolling hills of the western Catskills, he grew up amid fields, woods, and the quiet banks of the Hudson. A large, bustling farm family gave him an intimate sense of rural rhythms, and his early adulthood saw him drifting between teaching, a brief stint in Illinois, and the looming shadows of the Civil War. Yet each experience kept him tethered to the natural world, and the opening pages already pulse with vivid sketches of hawks, snow‑covered tracks, and a spider’s glistening web.

These early observations blossom into reflective essays that blend personal memory with keen natural history. With a voice both scholarly and warmly conversational, the narrator invites listeners to follow his footsteps through seasonal changes—watching birds sing, wildflowers bloom, and the quiet endurance of a solitary oak. A chance encounter with Audubon’s illustrations awakens his lifelong passion for observing birds, setting the tone for a series of meditations that capture the simple, ever‑changing drama of countryside life.