If you’ve ever paused mid-step at the trill of a wren or tilted your head skyward at the flash of a Red -tailed Hawk, then you already know the magic Lili Taylor invites us to rediscover in Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing. In this beautifully woven debut, the award-winning actress and lifelong observer trades scripts for songbirds, shifting her gaze to the branches above—where feathered lives unfold in their own unscripted, breathtaking drama, quietly, constantly, and full of wonder.
We recently had the pleasure of hearing Taylor read from her book at the cozy Morton Memorial Library in Rhinecliff, NY—a picture-perfect setting for a conversation about birds, books, and the wild interior life that connects them. The event was hosted by Susan Fox Rogers, herself no stranger to the birding beat. Rogers, author of Learning the Birds and editor of When Birds Are Near, set the tone for the evening with warmth and wonder, perfectly teeing up Taylor’s reflections.
Taylor’s Birding Credentials
Taylor, who you may know from screen and stage (Six Feet Under, Outer Range, I Shot Andy Warhol, and American Crime), has quietly built an impressive life in the birding world as well. She sits on the boards of the National Audubon Society, the American Birding Association, and the New York City Bird Alliance. But Turning to Birds isn’t about credentials—it’s about curiosity, noticing, and the kind of humble reverence that birders of all stripes will recognize.
Written as a series of essays, the book traces Taylor’s journey into birdwatching during a personal reset—what she describes as a necessary silence from acting. What she found instead was a whole new frequency of life: woodpeckers drumming in oak trees, Blue Jays claiming their corner of the city sky and birds that captured her imagination, like the Gambel’s Quail and the wonderfully strange American Woodcock. Each chapter offers an intimate window into how simply paying attention to birds becomes a daily act of mindfulness—a portal to awe.
Joyful Birdwatching Journey
But what makes this book so engaging isn’t just the subject matter—it’s Taylor’s voice. Earnest yet unpretentious, lyrical without being overwrought, her writing is as grounded as the nest of hatchlings in her backyard and as poetic as the flight of a migrating Blackburnian Warbler. You’ll feel like you’re right there beside her, binoculars in hand, marveling at the resilience of a tiny nest or laughing at the mischief of a clever jay.
In person, Taylor is exactly what you’d hope—funny, open-hearted, and radiating a quiet joy. After the reading, we had the chance to chat with her, get our book signed, and gift her one of our handcrafted wood journals engraved with a Pileated Woodpecker—her favorite bird, as we’d read. (It tracks—like the Pileated, Taylor is bold, memorable, and unmistakably present.) We also gave her a wood engraved Catbird card, a nod to the bird featured on the cover of her book.
If you’re lucky enough to catch her on the book tour, do it. Taylor’s readings are not just author events; they’re communal celebrations of nature, art, and that gentle but revolutionary act of noticing. Whether you’re a seasoned birder or just someone trying to slow down and see the world anew, Turning to Birds will leave you lifted.
It’s a love letter to birds—but also life, in all its unexpected song.
Birders & Bookworms Alike Will Love:
- The vivid storytelling that captures both birds and the emotional terrain of paying attention
- Taylor’s unique perch between celebrity and citizen scientist
- Unexpected moments of humor, humility, and insight that remind us we’re all part of the same flock
A Favorite Passage
“One of the lovely things about being in the zone as an actor is the intrinsic fact that the zone is shared with another, be a fellow actor or the audience. An actor can’t act alone. When I’m in the zone, observing a bird, it’s a wonderful feeling, but it’s private, personal. Yet if I keep paying attention, I’ll become more and more – “more than me,” to borrow a poetic word from E. E. Cummings.”
Final Word
Turning to Birds doesn’t just chronicle one woman’s path into birding—it reminds us how we can all begin again simply by looking up.
Support a beloved independent bookseller in New York’s beautiful Hudson Valley—grab your copy of this delightful book from Oblong Books online. Both the hardcover and audiobook editions are available.