Love of birds started for the late Harlan Reynolds when he was just a little boy. When he and his dad would go out in the woods, he would crawl through briars and thickets just to try to find a bird that he might hear nearby. His mother also had a big influence on his love of birds. She loved nature and preferred to be outside rather than in the house. She took him on walks, and he liked to try to identify the birds that he heard. “Those early experiences began his quest to know all he could about birds,” said his widow, Linda Reynolds. “He was not a professional, but had a world of knowledge about birds.”
According to Reynolds, her late husband had lots of bird feeders at their home and also went on birding trips. He drew birds as well and even entered the duck stamp contest one year. One of his drawings graces the front cover of Don’t You Hear the Birds Calling? He also loved carving birds. A sample of his carvings are on display at Seasonings, the restaurant that Reynolds runs.
His last project before his death was to write a book. He had a lot of stories of childhood and beyond that he wanted to tell, most of them connected in some way with birds. “My husband was ill with a brain mass, and he had only a short time left. He had all of his stories written down but needed help getting them into book form.” His good friend Donny Sims suggested his wife, Ceressa. She would come to the restaurant, and they would work in his office for several hours at a time, getting the stories into book format. “He would sometimes tell Ceressa not to change some things even though they were grammatically incorrect. He told her that is the way he wanted it written down,” laughed Reynolds.
Although it was unlikely at times, her husband and Sims were able to finish the book before he died. “I am so thankful that he was able to see it finished,” said Reynolds. After he died, Sims completed the work by getting it to the publisher.
“I miss Harlan every day, and this book is a good way to honor his memory,” commented Reynolds. Don’t You Hear the Birds Calling? is available at Seasonings for $15.
