Marin native opens bookstore for bird lovers
If you’re a birder, there are a lot worse places to live than Marin County. Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands is a famed viewing site for raptors during their seasonal migrations, while the shores of Richardson Bay are home to all manner of waterfowl and long-billed shorebirds. Take a hike out to West Marin and you’re practically guaranteed to see turkey vultures soaring overhead and diminutive California quail scurrying in the underbrush. And with the opening of Buteo Books in San Rafael this summer, birders have a new North Bay destination.
Named for a genus of raptors that includes common Bay Area birds like the red-shouldered hawk and red-tailed hawk, Buteo Books has been active since 1971 as a specialty mail-order service for birders and ornithologists. When San Anselmo native and veteran publisher Lyzy Lusterman acquired it this year, it became a brick-and-mortar store for the first time in its 53-year-old history. (Buteo Books’ catalog of specialty and antiquarian birding books is still available online.)
“Sometimes you want to hold a book in your hand or browse the shelf to discover things,” says Lusterman on her rationale for opening Buteo Books’ first location in downtown San Rafael. “I think talking to people can sometimes be better than browsing online. It’s wild how many books exist about this niche topic.”
Lusterman is no stranger to the world of specialty media. Her father, David Lusterman, founded String Letter Publishing in 1986 to publish magazines like Acoustic Guitar and Strings. An avid musician herself, Lusterman has worked for String Letter since 2009 and assumed the role of publisher in 2022.
Though she’s always loved hiking and the outdoors, Lusterman only developed a serious passion for birding while living in Richmond during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I would get up early every morning to go for a walk. It was sort of my one time going outside,” Lusterman says. “It was so quiet, and I really just started noticing birds in a different way and observing them in a different way. Once you start noticing them, it’s addictive.”
While browsing a birding magazine last winter, Lusterman noticed an ad: “Have You Always Dreamed of Owning a Bookstore?”
“The answer was yes,” says Lusterman, who soon found herself immersed in the world of specialty ornithology literature.
Buteo Books was founded by Joyce and Byron Harrell in Vermillion, South Dakota, in 1971 and initially consisted of a single sheet of paper: a list of about 50 ornithology books. The mail-order bookstore’s collection eventually expanded into the largest selection of used and rare ornithology books in the country.
In 1991, the business was purchased by Allen Hale and moved to Nelson County, Virginia. When Lusterman responded to the ad, the business was in the hands of Hale’s daughter-in-law, Jamie Hale, and the two were soon in talks.
“It just seemed a really good fit,” Lusterman says. “It brought different passions of mine together. I’m a birder and lifelong reader, and I’ve worked in publishing my whole career. It felt like a good fit, and I know we have a really big and enthusiastic and awesome bird community here.”
The store hosted its first event last week: a book signing with Sneed B. Collard III, the author of “Birding for Boomers: And Anyone Else Brave Enough to Embrace the World’s Most Rewarding and Frustrating Activity.”
The subtitle of Collard’s book sums up the relationship many birders have with their chosen pastime. Birding requires a great deal of patience due to the unpredictable nature of birds, and it takes a great deal of specialized knowledge to differentiate between, say, a Clark’s grebe and a Western grebe from a distance. The rewards aren’t material so much as spiritual: the thrill of seeing a rare species and the communion with other birders.
“Birding helps me slow down, observe and better understand the environment where I live,” Lusterman says. “Identifying birds can give the same satisfaction as solving a puzzle or mystery. And they’re just delightful, incredible, inspiring creatures to watch. It’s rewarding to connect with nature and also to connect with other nature lovers.”
At 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25, the bookstore will host its second event: a book talk with Novato resident and IJ columnist Jack Gedney, who will be speaking about his new book “The Birds in the Oaks.” Admission is free with RSVP at buteobooks.com.
“Marin has a great bookstore scene,” Lusterman says. “I’ve discovered so many new things and met so many people and learned so many things in bookstores. I’m hoping it’ll grow into a community space as well. It’s not just a place to come buy books about birds but also a place for the birding community to gather and learn.”
• Details: Buteo Books is open from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays at 2240 Fourth St., suite A, in San Rafael. For more information, call 510-215-0030 or go to buteobooks.com.