Events

Spring 2007 Cal will be signing books and/or speaking at the following events:

February 22nd at 6pm at the Katharine Gibbs School.

April 7th at Belvedere Castle from 2-4pm as part of the Urban Park Rangers "On a Wing" series.

April 25th at the Sierra Club at 6:30 pm
Location: 405 West 59th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY. Speaking on "Predators of New York City."

May 6th at the The Dairy in Central Park for a book signing from 1-3 pm under the auspices of the Central Park Conservancy.

 

Reviews & News

Arthur Morris Reviews "Birds of Central Park"

Arthur Morris, renowned wildlife photographer and photo tour leader reviewed "Birds of Central Park in his July 29, 2006 newsletter:

"Cal Vornberger, who attended a St. Augustine IPT a few years back, was kind to send me a copy of his fine book, The Birds of Central Park.”   In the mid-1980s I photographed a bit in Central Park with my first telephoto lens, the Canon 400 f/4.5 FD (manual focus) lens.  It was a tough place to photograph.  Cal began photographing in the park just after 9/11.  He is to be commended for amassing a representative collection of the birds of Central Park in such a short time. 

The book is a seasonally-arranged photographic collection with just a bit of text... My absolute favorite image is on page 137.  It features a Red-winged Blackbird chasing a Great Egret in flight.  Both birds are in sharp focus and the background of reeds is quite appealing.  That this image was created right in the middle of my old home town, the Big Apple, is simply astounding.  And the same could be said of the Eastern Screech Owl on page 139, the Mourning Warbler on page 84, and the Ovenbird on page 68.  Ordinarily you would not think it possible to create such excellent images in the middle of a huge metropolis.  Some of the images that were obviously taken in a large city are quite wonderful, most notably the cover image depicting the nationally famous “Pale Male,” a red-tail that nested high up on a large apartment building.  (When the building’s owner let it be know that Pale Male and his mate were slated for eviction, a firestorm of protest arose and the bird and its nest were saved.)

If you would like to own this quite remarkable collection of bird photographs, you can order a signed copy here: http://www.birdsofcentralpark.com/shop.htm"

Birds of Central Park Wins Design Award
Birds of Central Park placed second in the trade book category in the annual New York Book Awards in March 2006. Design firm Dillon|Thompson is responsible for the unique design of the book and designer Kate Thompson accompanied Cal Vornberger to the awards ceremony on Tuesday, March 22nd.

The New York Times
March 26, 2006
Reading New York

Amid the Rubble and on the Wing
By Sam Roberts

Who knew? Pale Male has been a household name for more than a decade, but only the Regulars, as they are described by Marie Winn, whose 1998 book chronicled the celebrity hawk, might be aware that Central Park is one of the nation's top spots for birding.

In 1886, the park's first official bird census counted 121 species. Since then, 282 have been observed. Twice a year, more than 200 species — one-third of all those found in the United States — fly though this Manhattan oasis as they migrate.

Cal Vornberger's vivid photographs of 116 of those native and visiting species, arranged artfully by season and accompanied by a pocket guide, practically fly off the pages of "Birds of Central Park" (Abrams, $35). Though published late last year, the images are, like Pale Male, perennial.

Mr. Vornberger, a television and theatrical designer, turned to photography full time in 2001, but the attacks of Sept. 11 doomed his prospects as a travel photographer. That October, walking in Central Park, he was captivated by a great egret in the Turtle Pond. So began his odyssey.

"I tell people that I don't take bird photographs — I take photographs with birds in them," he writes. "I would rather have a good expressive photo of a common bird than a dull snapshot of a rare bird."

In her forward, Ms. Winn describes Mr. Vornberger as "a tree in human disguise," one who can lure birds from their hiding places. "For Cal Vornberger," she adds, "patience, almost beyond human understanding, is the magic flute."

Scientific American
October 2005
"The surprise here is that New York City's Central Park is one of the country's top birding sites. The 843-acre park is a magnet for more than 200 species on their migratory routes. Author/photographer Vornberger has caught the birds in action and interaction; he includes information about how he got some of his spectacular shots and a small pocket guide."


Library Review
October 2005
"Who knew that New York City's beloved Central Park-"a vast green oasis in the middle of a sea of cement"-could host such a plethora of birdlife? Turns out that the 843-acre sanctuary is a mighty magnet for over 200 migrating species looking for a place to rest and replenish before continuing on with their journey. Photographer Vornberger's rich and remarkable volume is the result of a three-year project to take pictures of birds through all the seasons. His photos of the glitzy, colorful spring visitors are vibrant and stunning.

For Vornberger, though, the park offers avian treats year-round, and he skillfully illustrates his point that expressive photos of common birds are better than dull snapshots of rare birds. A family of robins nesting in a statue of Romeo and Juliet provides the emotional payoff he's looking for: the robins appear spellbound as they gaze at the figure of Romeo bending over to plant a kiss on Juliet. Pale Male (the headline-stealing red-tailed hawk residing on the exterior of a Fifth Avenue apartment building) is featured here, but he's not alone-nearly 100 other species are also artfully presented. Engaging text by the photographer accompanies the prints; a removable fold-out pocket guide, with a map and photos of 106 bird species, is included. Highly recommended for all birding and natural history collections."
-Howard Katz, Library Journal

Booklist
October 15th, 2005
Central Park’s 843 acres—with its ponds and lake—is one of the top birding spots in the country. Vornberger, a wildlife photographer who also wrote the informative text, has captured the beauty and elegance of the park’s birds in 175 stunning color photographs. He divides the book into four seasons, telling readers—for instance—which species can be seen during spring migration or which ducks stick around during the winter after moving south from their summer breeding grounds. Summer is the nesting season for birds that breed in the park; fall is again migration time, and many species stop by on the way south. The photos include a great blue heron feeding on a crayfish, a mallard sharing a pond with a turtle, and Canadian goslings in their nest. There is a removable foldout pocket guide of color photos of the birds, and a color-key indicates the primary season during which each bird can be seen in the park. Birdwatchers will be captivated. —George Cohen

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