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Author: Jonathan Meiburg
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 1101875704
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 401
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Book Description
“Utterly captivating and beautifully written, this book is a hugely entertaining and enlightening exploration of a bird so wickedly smart, curious, and social, it boggles the mind.”—Jennifer Ackerman, author of The Bird Way “A fascinating, entertaining, and totally engrossing story.”—David Sibley, author of What It's Like to Be a Bird An enthralling account of a modern voyage of discovery as we meet the clever, social birds of prey called caracaras, which puzzled Darwin, fascinate modern-day falconers, and carry secrets of our planet's deep past in their family history. “As curious, wide-ranging, gregarious, and intelligent as its subject.”—Charles C. Mann, author of 1491 In 1833, Charles Darwin was astonished by an animal he met in the Falkland Islands: handsome, social, and oddly crow-like falcons that were "tame and inquisitive . . . quarrelsome and passionate," and so insatiably curious that they stole hats, compasses, and other valuables from the crew of the Beagle. Darwin wondered why these birds were confined to remote islands at the tip of South America, sensing a larger story, but he set this mystery aside and never returned to it. Almost two hundred years later, Jonathan Meiburg takes up this chase. He takes us through South America, from the fog-bound coasts of Tierra del Fuego to the tropical forests of Guyana, in search of these birds: striated caracaras, which still exist, though they're very rare. He reveals the wild, fascinating story of their history, origins, and possible futures. And along the way, he draws us into the life and work of William Henry Hudson, the Victorian writer and naturalist who championed caracaras as an unsung wonder of the natural world, and to falconry parks in the English countryside, where captive caracaras perform incredible feats of memory and problem-solving. A Most Remarkable Creature is a hybrid of science writing, travelogue, and biography, as generous and accessible as it is sophisticated, and absolutely riveting.
Author: Jonathan Meiburg
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 1101875704
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 401
Get Book Here
Book Description
“Utterly captivating and beautifully written, this book is a hugely entertaining and enlightening exploration of a bird so wickedly smart, curious, and social, it boggles the mind.”—Jennifer Ackerman, author of The Bird Way “A fascinating, entertaining, and totally engrossing story.”—David Sibley, author of What It's Like to Be a Bird An enthralling account of a modern voyage of discovery as we meet the clever, social birds of prey called caracaras, which puzzled Darwin, fascinate modern-day falconers, and carry secrets of our planet's deep past in their family history. “As curious, wide-ranging, gregarious, and intelligent as its subject.”—Charles C. Mann, author of 1491 In 1833, Charles Darwin was astonished by an animal he met in the Falkland Islands: handsome, social, and oddly crow-like falcons that were "tame and inquisitive . . . quarrelsome and passionate," and so insatiably curious that they stole hats, compasses, and other valuables from the crew of the Beagle. Darwin wondered why these birds were confined to remote islands at the tip of South America, sensing a larger story, but he set this mystery aside and never returned to it. Almost two hundred years later, Jonathan Meiburg takes up this chase. He takes us through South America, from the fog-bound coasts of Tierra del Fuego to the tropical forests of Guyana, in search of these birds: striated caracaras, which still exist, though they're very rare. He reveals the wild, fascinating story of their history, origins, and possible futures. And along the way, he draws us into the life and work of William Henry Hudson, the Victorian writer and naturalist who championed caracaras as an unsung wonder of the natural world, and to falconry parks in the English countryside, where captive caracaras perform incredible feats of memory and problem-solving. A Most Remarkable Creature is a hybrid of science writing, travelogue, and biography, as generous and accessible as it is sophisticated, and absolutely riveting.
Author: Derek Niemann
Publisher: Short Books
ISBN: 1780720947
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 201
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Book Description
At Warburg, Germany, in 1941, four British PoWs find an unexpected means of escape from the horrors of internment when they form a birdwatching society, and embark on an obsessive quest behind barbed wire. Through their shared love of birds, they overcome hunger, hardship, fear and stultifying boredom. Their quest draws in not only their fellow prisoners, but also some of the German guards, at great risk to them all... Derek Niemann draws on original diaries, letters and drawings, to tell of how Conder, Barrett, Waterston and Buxton were forged by their experiences as POWs into the giants of post war wildlife conservation. Their legacy lives on, in institutions such as the RSPB and the British Wildlife Trust.
Author: Bernd Brunner
Publisher: Greystone Books Ltd
ISBN: 1771642785
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 295
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Book Description
"An exquisitely beautiful book ...These stories about birds are ultimately reflections on the curious nature of humanity itself" — Helen Macdonald, author of H Is for Hawk There is no denying that many people are crazy for birds. Packed with intriguing facts and exquisite and rare artwork, Birdmania showcases an eclectic and fascinating selection of bird devotees who would do anything for their feathered friends. In addition to well-known enthusiasts such as Aristotle, Charles Darwin, and Helen Macdonald, Brunner introduces readers to Karl Russ, the pioneer of "bird rooms", who had difficulty renting lodgings when landlords realized who he was; George Lupton, a wealthy Yorkshire lawyer, who commissioned the theft of uniquely patterned eggs every year for twenty years from the same unfortunate female guillemot who never had a chance to raise a chick; George Archibald, who performed mating dances for an endangered whooping crane called Tex to encourage her to lay; and Mervyn Shorthouse, who posed as a wheelchair-bound invalid to steal an estimated ten thousand eggs from the Natural History Museum in Tring. As this book illustrates, people who love birds, whether they are amateurs or professionals, are as captivating and varied as the birds that give flight to their dreams.
Author: Howard A. Norman
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780152019822
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 78
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Book Description
The creators of The Girl Who Dreamed Only Geese provide an illustrated collection of folktales from around the world, all of which have a bird as a main character.
Author: Sandy Stark-McGinnis
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1526603144
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 226
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Book Description
Eleven-year-old December knows everything about birds, and everything about getting kicked out of foster homes. All she has of her biological mum is the book she left behind, The Complete Guide to Birds, Volume One, and a photo with a message: 'In flight is where you'll find me.' December knows she's truly a bird, just waiting for the day she transforms and flies away to reunite with her mum. The scar on her back must be where her wings have started to blossom – she just needs to practise and to find the right tree. She has no choice; it's the only story that makes sense. When she's placed with Eleanor, a new foster mum who runs a taxidermy business and volunteers at a wildlife rescue, December begins to see herself and what home means in a new light. But the story she tells herself about her past is what's kept December going this long, and she doesn't know if she can let go of it ... even if changing her story might mean that she can finally find a place where she belongs.
Author: Megan Mayhew Bergman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451643357
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 242
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Book Description
From a prizewinning young writer whose stories have been anthologized in "The Best American Short Stories" and "New Stories from the South" comes a heartwarming and hugely appealing debut collection that explores the way our choices and relationships are shaped by the menace and beauty of the natural world.
Author: Kate Bernheimer
Publisher: Coffee House Press
ISBN: 1566892821
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 184
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Book Description
"Each of these spare and elegant tales rings like a bell in your head. memorable, original, and not much like anything you've read."—Karen Joy Fowler “A strange and enchanting book, written in crisp, winning sentences; each story begs to be read aloud and savored.”—Aimee Bender "Horse, Flower, Bird rests uneasily between the intersection of fantasy and reality, dreaming and wakefulness, and the sacred and profane. Like a series of beautiful but troubling dreams, this book will linger long in the memory. Kate Bernheimer is reinventing the fairy tale."—Peter Buck, R.E.M. In Kate Bernheimer's familiar and spare—yet wondrous—world, an exotic dancer builds her own cage, a wife tends a secret basement menagerie, a fishmonger's daughter befriends a tulip bulb, and sisters explore cycles of love and violence by reenacting scenes from Star Wars. Enthralling, subtle, and poetic, this collection takes readers back to the age-old pleasures of classic fairy tales and makes them new. Their haunting lessons are an evocative reminder that cracking open the door to the imagination is no mere child's play, that delight and tragedy lurk in every corner, and that we all "have the key to the library . . . only be careful what you read."
Author: Gina Capaldi
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books ®
ISBN: 1467738131
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 40
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Book Description
"I remember the day I lost my spirit." So begins the story of Gertrude Simmons, also known as Zitkala-Ša, which means Red Bird. Born in 1876 on the Yankton Sioux reservation in South Dakota, Zitkala-Ša willingly left her home at age eight to go to a boarding school in Indiana. But she soon found herself caught between two worlds—white and Native American. At school she missed her mother and her traditional life, but Zitkala-Ša found joy in music classes. "My wounded spirit soared like a bird as I practiced the piano and violin," she wrote. Her talent grew, and when she graduated, she became a music teacher, composer, and performer. Zitkala-Ša found she could also "sing" to help her people by writing stories and giving speeches. As an adult, she worked as an activist for Native American rights, seeking to build a bridge between cultures. The coauthors tell Zitkala-Ša’s life by weaving together pieces from her own stories. The artist's acrylic illustrations and collages of photos and primary source documents round out the vivid portrait of Zitkala-Ša, a frightened child whose spirit "would rise again, stronger and wiser for the wounds it had suffered."
Author: Darryl McGrath
Publisher: SUNY Press
ISBN: 1438459262
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 382
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Book Description
How a small group of New York biologists brought the peregrine falcon and bald eagle back from the brink of extinction. In the late 1970s, the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon were heading toward extinction, victims of the combined threats of DDT, habitat loss, and lax regulation. Flight Paths tells the story of how a small group of New York biologists raced against natures clock to bring these two beloved birds back from the brink in record-setting numbers. In a narrative that reads like a suspense tale, Darryl McGrath documents both rescue projects in never-before-published detail. At Cornell University, a team of scientists worked to crack the problem of how to breed peregrine falcons in captivity and then restore them to the wild. Meanwhile, two young, untested biologists tackled the overwhelming assignment of rebuilding the bald eagle population from the states last nesting pair, one of whom (the female) was sterile. McGrath interweaves this dramatic retelling with contemporary accounts of four at-risk species: the short-eared owl, the common loon, the Bicknells thrush, and the piping plover. She worked alongside biologists as they studied these elusive subjects in the Northeasts most remote regions, and the result is a story that combines vivid narrative with accessible science and is as much a tribute to these experts as it is a call to action for threatened birds. Readers are taken to a snow-covered meadow as an owl hunts her prey, a loon familys secluded pond, an eagle nest above the Hudson River, and a mountaintop at dusk in search of the Bicknells thrush, one of the planets rarest birds. Combining a little-known chapter of New Yorks natural history with a deeply personal account of a lifelong devotion to birds, Flight Paths is not only a story of our rapidly changing environment and a tribute to some of New Yorks most heroic biologists, but also a captivating read for anyone who has ever thrilled to the sight of a rare bird. In Flight Paths Darryl McGrath weaves together science, politics, personal struggle, and the emotional gravity of permanent loss into poignant tales of survival. She reminds us that our actions and determination can have a huge impact on birds and other wildlife that make their homes in the Adirondack Park. She brings a fresh perspective to modern conservation efforts and reminds us why birds matter in our everyday lives. Anyone who loves the Adirondack Park, or just appreciates wild places, will enjoy reading this book. William C. Janeway, Executive Director, Adirondack Council Not since David R. Zimmermans To Save a Bird in Peril has there been a popular book on rare and endangered birds so well researched and documented as this one. McGrath writes the story of the remarkable restoration of our national bird in New York, a saga that is largely the story of a few unique people who devoted their lives to this endeavor. She writes similar stories about the peregrine falcon, the common loon, the Bicknells thrush, and the short-eared owl, emphasizing the special problems and solutions for each species. Anyone interested in the details of what it takes to save rare or endangered species from extinction should read this sympathetic and well-written book. Tom J. Cade, Founding Chairman and Director, The Peregrine Fund In Flight Paths, Darryl McGrath tells the compelling story of New Yorks legacy as a national and international innovator in modern bird conservation. In an engaging style that often reads more like a novel than typical historical reporting, she focuses on the successful efforts to save the peregrine falcon and bald eagle from extinction in the Lower 48 states. Her conversations and field experience with the dedicated scientists and conservationists whose tireless efforts brought these magnificent birds back from the brink bring a rare depth and richness to the narrative. The pioneering work described in this well-told tale give some hope that when courageous and innovative scientists simply refuse to take no for an answer, seemingly intractable problems will yield. Kenneth P. Able, editor of Gatherings of Angels: Migrating Birds and Their Ecology
Author: Danielle Blenken
Publisher: BUSHEL PECK
ISBN: 9781638190417
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 96
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Book Description
Did you know that J.K. Rowling came up with Harry Potter while waiting for a delayed train? Or that Winnie the Pooh was inspired by a real bear who lived in the London Zoo? Or that Dav Pilkey's teacher once ripped up his drawings as a kid and told him he'd never make a living making silly comics? (Maybe we should introduce her to Captain Underpants.) In The Stories Behind the Stories, you'll hear all these incredible stories about your favorite kid's books and authors and much more! Includes full-color illustrations plus other fascinating facts and tidbits to satisfy even the most curious reader.
