Ostensibly about birds and birdwatching, this enormously appealing book is a memoir by a talented writer of his father, a father who happens to be in the elite cadre of major birders. Dan Koeppel chronicles his father's growing interest in birds in this enormously appealing memoir of a life devoted to birds. Richard is a member of an elite group who have tallied more than 7,000 species. Koeppel includes his own travels tagging along and brief profiles of other eccentric listers.  (BRD28, $14.00)