Books

“This is superb nature writing:  engrossing, enlightening and illuminating – and heralds the introduction of a new, powerful voice of the genre.” – National Outdoor Book Award for Halcyon Journey

Listen to Marina read the introduction to Halcyon Journey.

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Halcyon Journey: In Search of the Belted Kingfisher

Winner of the 2024 John Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Natural History Writing
Winner of a 2022 National Outdoor Award
Winner of a Foreword INDIES Award

More than one hundred species of kingfishers brighten every continent but Antarctica. Not all are fishing birds. They range in size from the African dwarf kingfisher to the laughing kookaburra of Australia. This first book to feature North America’s belted kingfisher is a lyrical story of observation, revelation, and curiosity in the presence of flowing waters.

The kingfisher—also known as the halcyon bird—is linked to the mythic origin of halcyon days, a state of happiness that Marina Richie hopes to find outside her back door in Missoula, Montana. Epiphanies and a citizen science discovery punctuate days tracking a bird that outwits at every turn. The female is more colorful than the male (unusual and puzzling) and the birds’ earthen nest holes are difficult to locate.

  • “This is superb nature writing: engrossing, enlightening and illuminating – and heralds the introduction of a new, powerful voice of the genre.”
    National Outdoor Book Award 2022
  • “Richie is a gifted storyteller, and the many threads weave together seamlessly. The result is what I describe as deep birding.”
    Matt Miller, Cool Green Science Summer Book Review 2022
  • “We come to know birds and ourselves in new light through this passionate and inspiring exploration. Wonder emerges from meticulous and loving observation of the bright lives of kingfishers.”
    David George Haskell, author of Pulitzer finalist The Forest Unseen, Burroughs medalist The Songs of Trees, and Sounds Wild and Broken: Sonic Marvels, Evolution’s Creativity, and the Crisis of Sensory Extinction
  • “As a bird wedded to clean, fish-bearing waters, the belted kingfisher could serve as the poster child for North America’s waterways. Those whose lives are enriched by periodic deep dives into the natural world will be enchanted by Marina Richie’s insightful treatment of this very special bird—a favorite of mine.”
    Pete Dunne, author of Hawks in Flight, Gulls Simplified, and Bird Families of North America
  • “In a world that is rapidly losing its birds, we need reminders of how glorious they really are – their songs, their colors, their eagerness for life. Halcyon Journey is a lively, joyous celebration of kingfishers and rivers, by a writer whose love for birds sings on the page.”
    Kathleen Dean Moore, author of Earth’s Wild Music and Take Heart, Encouragement for Earth’s Weary Lovers
  • “In exquisite prose, Marina Richie takes the reader on a meditative and dynamic dive into her search for the kingfisher. Some stories wake us up in time to make a difference. Halcyon Journey is one of those stories. It is also a wondrous story that will transport you.”
    Debra Magpie Earling, member of the Bitterroot-Salish tribe, author of Perma Red and The Lost Journals of Sacajewea
  • “The kingfisher has long deserved a queen from our own kind, and here she is: Marina Richie. This sharply observant author has written a book that can draw us all into the fascinating and secret lives of the fresh-water king. My own cherished moments in seeing these birds along rivers will forever be enhanced by the stories told here and the insights revealed.”
    Tim Palmer, author of America’s Great River Journeys, Rivers of Oregon, and other books
  • “Much is still unknown about the belted kingfisher, surprisingly—hence the gift of this beautifully-written book, which offers the best of citizen science and lyrical observation. If curiosity is the definition of love, then this is a true love story, for it is born of pure inquisitiveness. From Montana to South Africa, from the Smithsonian to a creek, from studying flight to nesting to migration to myth, this story soars with Richie’s graceful observations of the bird and eloquent words on the page.”
    Laura Pritchett, author of PEN USA Award winner Hell’s Bottom, Colorado
  • “In this crazy world, it’s good to have a teacher, a spirit guide, a guardian. Marina Richie has found hers in the blue ball of fire called the kingfisher. In Halcyon Journey we join her quest to know this bird through startling science, resonant field observation, and a storyteller’s knack for putting us breathless into the presence of this divine bird.”
    Kim Stafford, author of Singer Come from Afar
  • “Marina Richie’s unsentimental yet passionate quest to know the belted kingfisher delights the senses, with descriptions of the natural world that are both photographic and poetic. Getting to know this elusive and storied bird produces an unexpected suspense—not only for the author reflecting at the midpoint of her life, but for all of us and our common planetary fate. With sustained and sustaining attention, this “citizen scientist” shows us what it means to be present in our lives and in the world.”
    Suzanne Matson, author of Ultraviolet
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Bird Feats of Montana

Including Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks

Discover the Big Sky’s fastest, largest, smartest, and boldest birds in Bird Feats of Montana, Including Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.

Written for children ages 8 to 12, this playful and informative book covers 40 of the state’s birds, from calliope hummingbirds to trumpeter swans in sections covering a variety of bird feats, ranging from birds with the niftiest nests to birds with the wildest behaviors. Learn how bobolinks navigate by the stars with an internal compass of magnetic crystals. Discover the secret to the crane’ s dance. Find out why magpies have the messiest nests.

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Bug Feats of Montana

Including Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks

Get the buzz on bugs! Are you ready to meet the fastest flyers, the loudest buzzers, and the sneakiest ambushers in Montana? Meet forty of Montana’s most mind-boggling bugs and their incredible feats, including :

-A giant bug that attacks fish and frogs, injecting its digestive juices then sucking out the liquefied organs!
-A bug that has antifreeze in its blood, allowing it to live on the snow in winter!
-A bug that lives inside a home made of spit?!
-And many more! Robert Rath’s beautiful color illustrations bring these amazing creatures to life.

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