Think of some of your favorite Pacific Northwest critters. What’s at the top of the list? Maybe some of the region’s great birds, like the bald eagle, Steller’s Jay, belted kingfisher, or the iconic tufted puffin. What about the pigeon guillemot? Probably not, right? 

The pigeon guillemot is a rather common seabird around Puget Sound and all along the Pacific Coast. But they’re not super well-known, which is why Maria Mudd Ruth set out to document them in her new book. 

This month, the KUOW Book Club is reading Maria’s book “The Bird with Flaming Red Feet: Seasons with an Uncommonly Common Seabird.” We're sharing this interview with Maria early in June, rather than the end of the month, to give birders plenty of time to put the book to work and see the pigeon guillemot while they’re near Puget Sound shores this summer. 

Join the KUOW Book Club at kuow.org/books. 

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