John Yow, author of The Armchair Birder and The Armchair Birder Goes Coastal, will be the guest speaker at our special May Birdathon program. John's presentation promises, like his books, to be both entertaining and enlightening. He'll delve into the concepts behind his books and what makes them unique and of interest to both the casual and the serious birder. He'll highlight some fascinating bird species from the books, as well as insights he has discovered in the work of great bird writers past and present. Expect lots of audience participation and a birder-busting Birdsong Identification contest, with prizes! 

With the exception of a decade spent in the book publishing business, John has been a career freelance writer. He has authored a wide range of books covering everything from the highway-building industry, to global economic trends, and even golf. Watching a red-bellied woodpecker cache sunflower seeds in a cherry tree outside his window convinced him to write about something he was actually interested in. The results were The Armchair Birder and The Armchair Birder Goes Coastal, both published by the University of North Carolina Press. He and his wife, Dede, live in the woods outside of Acworth, Georgia, just north of Atlanta.