Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder: A Memoir by Julia Zarankin is an honest, entertaining look at the author’s transformation into a bird lover while “auditioning” mid-life hobbies. She shares reflections of ten years of observing birds, yet rather than claiming expert-status, she declares herself a “lifelong beginning birder.” The book moves mostly chronologically, reflecting on her birding journey and her life. It provides an inside look at one of the most popular hobbies in America and the fervor that it brings out in dedicated birders. Many bird species are described in depth, others just enough to encourage the reader to do a quick search, to see exactly what that…