Wings Over Water: Water Birds of the Atlantic

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Tingley’s and Barrett’s love of birds is evident on every page of
this intriguing book. Part of the attraction comes from the criteria for
including a particular bird species. “Water birds” is a category of
their own creation. In it they place birds of the open ocean, alcids,
shore and marsh birds, gulls, ducks, loons, osprey, and even the bald
eagle, an eclectic grouping, indeed. The selection of photos is also
intriguing: the numerous color plates range from the sublime to the
amateur. Many of the photos are works of art, capturing the essence of a
species’ behavior. Others are professional-quality portraits of birds
in their particular habitat. Incongruously, a few are snapshots.

The trend in coffee-table books is to move in tight on the birds,
excluding the setting. Wing Over Water bucks that trend, presenting
birds as the human eye would see them, as part of their environment. The
context is always part of the message. The birds do not give the
impression of being posed for the camera but are glimpsed as they go
about the business of being birds—feeding, grooming, flying, diving,
etc.

The text is packed with detail, leading the reader to an increased
appreciation of both the birds and their place in the Atlantic
landscape.