Afield
Alan L. Contreras
Illustrations by [[Ramiel Papish]].
For 40 years, Alan Contreras has studied birds and natural history in the West. In Afield, he recounts his bird-watching experiences — primarily in Oregon, but also in Alaska, Arizona, California, and Texas. Sprinkled with comments made by ornithologists and early explorers of the West, his essays offer elements of natural history, personal memoir, and adventure travel.
In the largest sense, Afield is a love story, reaffirming the practice of unhurried observation of nature. It is a chronicle of growing up as a person interested in the natural world. From encounters with Oregon's first Eurasian Dotterel to the inspiring but unsuccessful search for Spruce Grouse, Afield describes the experiences of a birder and the life of an explorer.
Contreras records his observations largely from the perspective of a lifelong birder, but the people he encounters — and their perceptions about nature — also inhabit Afield. The reader inspired to visit the locations described in Contreras' stories will be pleased to find useful information about them. Afield will appeal to birders — and to anyone who loves the outdoors.
About the author
ALAN L. CONTRERAS is a fourth-generation Oregonian who has been visiting the Malheur-Steens region for five decades. A graduate of the University of Oregon and its law school, he is retired from work in higher education. He is the author of several books published by Oregon State University Press, including Afield and Birds of Oregon, and has also published three poetry collections, a book on state regulation of colleges, and others. He lives in Eugene.
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“This is a beautiful and moving piece of writing. Alan Contreras has an extraordinarily keen eye for nature in all its subtle detail, and writes about what he has seen and heard and felt with a sure hand.”