Feathered Forest

Marina Richie's writing career began in the early 1980s as a reporter for a weekly newspaper in northeastern Oregon. That led to a journalism master s degree in 1988 from the University of Montana, a complement to her undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Oregon in 1981. Halcyon Journey was her first book for adults, and it earned the 2024 John Burroughs Medal, a National Outdoor Book Award (gold) and a Foreword Indies Award (silver). She has written two children s books (under a prior name), Bird Feats of Montana and Bug Feats of Montana. The latter was selected as the one Montana book to represent the state at the National Book Fair in Washington, D.C. in 2009. She has worked as a journalist, writer of interpretive signs, wildlife viewing coordinator, and communications director for national wildlife initiatives Teaming With Wildlife and the Sage Grouse Initiative (2011-2015). She's written for the National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, American Birding Association, National Wildlife Refuges, and Oregon Wild. She gives environmental presentations, teaches nature writing workshops, and serves on the board of the Greater Hells Canyon Council.

“Luminous. You can feel the deep, cool shadow of the great Western forest and the flicker of bird color flashing across it. The kind of book that inspires contemplation but also action.”—Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes the Sun“In a feast of wonder and winged delight, Marina Richie takes us from the heights of towering old-growth forests to the depths of their tangled roots, and from the past of her childhood to a future of unraveling—or renewal. Reminding us that the choice is ours, her fascinating and well-researched book is particularly important in a harrowing time. Highly recommended.”—Kathleen Dean Moore, author of Earth’s Wild Music “Many people have written about birds, and many people have written about trees, but almost no one has written about birds and trees. Travel along with Marina Richie as she brings both these subjects together on her journeys through the forests of the Northwest. Without trees, we would not have the birds that live among us today, and without birds . . . well, we cannot imagine.”—Joan Maloof, author of Nature’s Temples“The trees are the forest’s framework, the birds its vibrant soul. Together they comprise an ecological whole. While Marina Richie is not the first to make this juxtaposition between birds and their environment, her refreshing take breathes new life into our understanding of the interrelationships that are a forest. From somber-eyed owls to raucous jays to the ethereal song of Varied Thrushes, Richie brings readers to understand the splendor of the forests she calls home. “Not since Loren Eiseley has a writer so effortlessly integrated the intellect of a scientist with the soulful insights of a poet. If you are reading this line, then Marina Richie already has you by the hand. Let her guide you through the enchanting landscape she knows so well: cathedral-like canopies and birds whose songs are the ‘om’ of the forest.”—Pete Dunne, author of Under Their Wing; former director, Cape May Bird Observatory “The title of Marina’s book reflects her complete love for the birds and the trees that support them. Her evocative writing brings to life the Pacific wilderness and amplifies the fact that her words are from the heart.”—David Lindo, The Urban Birder; vice president, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust“Marina Richie’s life-long love of trees, abundant curiosity, and decades of forays into the Pacific Northwest forests imbue her stories with wisdom, authenticity, and delight. If you’re looking for the perfect guide to the ancient forests of Cascadia, look no further. Feathered Forest engages all our senses so that we both lose and find ourselves in each chapter, in each forest, and in each of the precious lives of the birds within it.”—Maria Mudd Ruth, author of The Bird with the Flaming Red Feet and Rare Bird“‘As alarmingly fewer birds trace our skies,’ Marina Richie writes, ‘isn’t it time we looked up . . . and took notice?’ In an adventure both personal and expansive, Richie lifts us from our earthbound anchors to explore the intricate, often unseen, and always astonishing world of birds. We witness the whirling dance of swifts, feel the drumbeats of woodpeckers, and hear the haunting music of thrushes. Within each vivid encounter with wild birds, there is a trace of deep concern for the wildness of the world. With lyrical descriptions and fine-tuned science, Richie shows a deep love for and expansive understanding of these ‘troubadours of rebirth.’ She tunes our ears and our hearts to hear the stories sung within the feathered forest.”—M. L. Herring, author of Born of Fire and Rain “With evocative imagery and a poet’s flair, Richie blends natural history and personal experiences to illuminate the threads that weave together Cascadia’s ancient forests and the captivating birds that dwell in them. A story of community and connections—and the power of ancient forests to sustain biodiversity while nurturing our own well-being in a fast-changing world.”—Sophie Osborn, author of Feather Trails “What a glorious tangle! In these pages, Marina Richie brazenly dissolves false boundaries—between bird and forest, human and wild, observer and observed. In her beautiful telling, communion is not a metaphor but a practice: witness, listen, be changed. As the ancient forest sings a chorus of relations—owl! pine! fungus! finch!—Richie guides us along a path that leads inexorably from wonder to belonging to action.”—Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Rooted and Among the Birds “Bird by bird and tree by tree, Marina Richie weaves a magical world of our forests and the birds that require them—just as we do—for survival and well-being. A must-read for tree and bird lovers alike.”—Lynda Mapes, author of The Trees are Speaking; 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist“In Feathered Forest, Marina Richie delights readers with her eloquent and atmospheric prose, imagery, and sensory detail. Her lyrical language leads us on a journey through the vertical layers of the old-growth forests and giant trees of the Pacific Northwest, introducing us to the elusive birds who depend on these threatened ecosystems for their survival. She unveils the significance of sound, sight, observation, and even smell to revealing their unique biodiversity. She immerses us in the world of feathers—avian and arboreal—until the dividing line between her beloved birds and trees becomes muted and interlocking, like the barbs and barbules of her subjects. As we meet the denizens of her forests and learn about the threats that plague them today, we become as invested as she is in protecting their fragile existence. By book’s end, Marina has become our teacher, our guide, our interpreter, and, most importantly, our forest companion. She has beckoned us with a call to action that we are ready to follow as we delight in this captivating and informative scientific memoir.”—Tina Morris, author of Return to the Sky“By rhyming bird and tree, environmental and personal history, and close observation and activism, Marina Richie has created a literary refugium. Here, readers can find a moment of respite from capitalism’s disastrous monoculture and consider how we might return to interconnectedness with other species.”—Theo Downes-Le Guin, literary executor for Ursula K. Le Guin and head, Ursula K. Le Guin Foundation“Through richly detailed stories of birds and trees, Marina Richie’s deeply personal account brings readers into close connection with the worlds that are ancient forests. This wonderful book is an homage to refuge and refugia, to close observation, and to the beauty of interlocking systems: feathers, ecosystems, and kinships.”—Marguerite Holloway, author of Take to the Trees“Starting with a riveting climb up an ancient Douglas-fir and ending with the tree’s destruction and a devastating fire, Feathered Forest is nature writing at its best: alive, absorbing, and full of consequence. The vivid, verb-driven language, where ‘wings flare with fire’ and the songs of finches are ‘like chips of sunshine freed from clouds,’ invites us into a world of birds and branches, full of bustling life. Science mixes with wonder in this beautiful book, which offers hope in our hard world.”—David Gessner, author of Return of the Osprey and All the Wild That Remains