A wetlands willet serves as a living alarm clock. Hudsonian godwits migrate from the bottom of South America to the top of North America, often nonstop. The raven preens its prestige as well as its long black feathers. Here Wood gives us a year in bird watching, month by month, and we find that the willets, godwits and ravens are only a few of the astonishing creatures who generally live just over our heads. She tracks their migration, lore, and habits, and what they contribute to the minds and spirits of the curious humans who watch them. Given the ways of the chickadees and swallows who live amongst us largely unnoticed, it may be said that sometimes the birds do most of the watching. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)