Reviews

Book Review: No Island Too Far by Michael Brooke

November 18, 2025 by Erika Zambello No Comments

I love islands. I was born and raised in Maine, known for its thousands of coastal islands of all shapes and sizes. After moving to Florida, I fell in love with the Gulf Islands National Seashore, which encompasses a multitude of islands across the Sunshine State’s panhandle region. So I was delighted to read Michael Brooke’s No Island Too Far, detailing his bird adventures on islands across the world.

Each chapter is devoted to a different island, from the Faroes to the Seychelles. I am in awe of his career across so many ecosystems and landscapes, as well as his commitment to the birds he studied (he banded 350 shearwaters in the middle of a rainstorm…at night) and his sense of adventure. He introduced me to the Juan Fernandez islands, with 100 endemic plants as well as the endemic firecrown hummingbird. It’s spectacular. Brooke also once biked more than 100 km across Iceland from his study site back to the main city, at times pushing the bike through snow and ice and fording a freezing river with only terns and skuas as witnesses. As a knitter, I appreciated the way he chose to celebrate: “I treated myself to the purchase of an Icelandic sweater and confirmed that my waistline had diminished by an inch and a half.”

I will be honest – I am the perfect reader for this particular book. If you’re like me and enjoy journal-type books, travelogues, descriptions of field work, and don’t require an overarching narrative, this book is for you. If you’re a general reader or don’t have a ton of bird knowledge yet, parts may be too dense. I already had a good grasp on the subject matter and thus could enjoy the deep dive, but it might not be for everyone. I also enjoyed reading this work slowly, one chapter at a time, versus barrelling through it (you can ask Kai how long it took me to finish this review). Overall, it’s a great addition to birdy books, and I’m glad to have read it! There are certainly a lot more places on my birding bucket list now.

No Island Too Far: Searching for Seabirds on Remote Specks of Land
By Michael Brooke
ISBN-13: 978-1784275921
Pelagic, September 15, 2025

Written by Erika Zambello
Erika is a writer, artist, and communications specialist living and birding in North Florida. Growing up in Maine, she spent summers swimming in chilly Atlantic Ocean waters, hiking fir-covered mountains, and rock-hopping within clear-running streams filled with trout. Quickly falling in love with the natural world, she has been hooked on outdoor exploration ever since. She has written for BirdWatching Daily, National Geographic Adventure, National Parks Traveler, the Maine Sportsman, the Florida Sportsman, and more.