Average customer rating:
- Absolutely Wonderful
- Life With an Indian Prince
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Life With an Indian Prince: By Archives of American Falconry
John J. Craighead , and
Frank C., Jr. Craighead
Manufacturer: Hancock House Pub Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0961983922 |
Customer Reviews:
Absolutely Wonderful.......2005-06-18
The fact that this book is so richly illustrated is amazing. The images were printed, using slides of photos that the Craighead brothers took over 60 years ago, yet they are absolutely beautiful. (a testament to the legitimacy of their involvement with National Geographic)
The experience of reading this book is truly like tagging along on the adventure vacation of a lifetime. You will yearn for time in India, and for time with enthusiastic naturalists.
If you're in need of a cheap vacation... buy this book.
Life With an Indian Prince.......2003-11-01
This is the best book I've ever read! It's the next best thing to time travel. The Craigheads were invited to visit India as the special guest of a Maharaja's brother, with National Geographic footing the bill. They kept daily logs of their, thoughts, experiences, observations and political debates as they traveled to and from India by ship, just before the US entered World War II. The Craigheads were young collage students who were defining the state of the art in wildlife photography. They experience falconry in India a level that is no longer possible, hunt with Cheetah and attend a lavish royal wedding.
Book Description
A Bird's-Eye View of Life with ADD & ADHD was written expressly for teenagers and children by twelve teens and a young adult who are living with this challenging condition. These young people offer the best kind of advice—advice based upon first-hand experience. This book offers factual information and practical strategies in words and examples that young people can easily understand and put into practice. It also leaves teens and their families with a sense of hope that they too will survive this sometimes overwhelming disorder.
Customer Reviews:
Just what we needed!.......2007-01-15
I ordered this book at the recommendation of the psychologist who tested our daughter for ADD. It is written for older children and teenagers who have ADD or ADHD. My daughter, age 17, found it interesting. It helped her know that she was not the only one with this condition and gave her many tips for coping with life. Although I found much of it redundant, the book helped me see ADD from the perspective of a teenager.
A Must for parents and educators.......2006-08-06
This book is a must for parents of ADHD children as well as educators. As both a parent of an ADHD child and a teacher, I found this book enlightening as well as practical. It is a very easy read, in fact, I read it in two days. It is easy to understand and is written in layman terms not scientific/medical jargon. It explains so many aspects ADHD is language that parents can understand and offers some sensible solutions to everyday problems. This book has become by ADHD bible.
Met All Expectations.......2006-07-15
I bought this book on the advice of my son's psychologist and it was worth every penny. I am also a special ed teacher and will recommend it to every teacher I know.
Best tool for parent with ADD teen.......2006-05-07
this book is the best insight for a parent dealing with the frustrations of a bright teen struggling with ADD issues. The opportunity to read the words of teens who have dealt with the struggle give moral support to parents that there is hope. This is a must buy!
Book Description
KEEP YOUR PARROT STIMULATED AND ACTIVE, AND HE WILL KEEP YOU ENTERTAINED!
By nature, parrots are inquisitive, intelligent, and social animals. You can capitalize on these characteristics and obedience train your bird, teaching him behaviors that will make your life and his more enjoyable—behaviors such as stepping on your hand or wrist on command, and going to a designated perch. Then you can progress to teach him all kinds of tricks. He'll love the attention, communication, and socialization. From the essential basics of obedience training to awesome tricks that will amuse and amaze your friends, Parrot Tricks covers:
- Techniques to use during the "get acquainted" period
- Setting up a training area and using food as a training tool
- Training basics such as targeting, luring, and using cues
- Necessary obedience skills such as step up, come, perch, and stay
- The basic retrieve command, the foundation of many tricks
- Simple tricks such as shake hands, high five, kiss, and take a bow
- Tricks based on the retrieve command, including basketball, ring on the peg, and stacking cups
- Advanced tricks such as pulling a wagon, pushing a grocery cart, raising a flag, and riding a skateboard
- Innovative tricks that showcase your bird's natural abilities
- Chaining tricks, such as recycling and going to the mailbox
- Verbalizations and talking using the Rival/Model Method or the Positive Reward Method
- Directions for making simple props
With this book, patience, and practice, you'll build your understanding of and relationship with your bird as you build a repertoire of tricks. You can get your parrot to jump through hoops for you—literally!
Download Description
Polly wants an audience! There are approximately 14 million parrots in U.S. homes. With this book, owners can teach their parrots simple tricks like take a bow as well as tricks with props, such as climbing a rope. And the tricks aren't just for fun they help give parrots the mental stimulation they need to stay happy and healthy. Tani Robar (Seattle, WA) has trained parrots to do tricks for the past 25 years and has appeared on Pet Star on Animal Planet. Diane Grindol (Pacific Grove, CA) writes a column for Bird Talk magazine and is the author of Cockatiels For Dummies (0-7645-5311-9).
Customer Reviews:
Best Parrot training book.......2007-03-10
If you're looking for a variety of tricks to teach your bird and good instructions for how to do them, this is the book! It ranges from the simple wave and kiss to riding bicycles and "playing basketball." I had seen a couple of rave reviews online but was a little skeptical until I looked at the book itself. It's been fantastic and has lots of little tricks to help you when you're having trouble. I have a sun conure, and while many have said they're not as quick as other parrots, he's learning like a champ!
Most Comprehensive Book on Parrot Training Available.......2006-05-01
I have known Tani for many years. Under her tutelage, I taught my birds the following tricks: a puzzle, mailbox, basketball hoop, wave, piggy bank, stack cups, stack rings....to name a few. She once told me that birds never forget what they learn and since I have been doing this for seven years or so, I have discovered that she is right!
This book has detailed instructions on how to teach your bird a multitude of trick behaviors: from variations on the retrieve (my personal favorite) to capturing behaviors to create what Tani terms "innovative tricks". There is so much information in this book that I believe it will become a classic for decades to come.
What Tani terms "trick behaviors" are really the basis for building a strong system of communication between you and your parrot. This is so vital to living with parrots as companion animals. Don't be fooled by the notion that these are just "silly tricks". The truth is that they are stepping stones to building a mutually interesting and enjoyable relationship between you, your family and your avian companions.
Just about anybody can teach their bird at least a few of these behaviors. The secret is patience and repitition. Once you start training, you will enjoy it and you will find that your bird will blossom from the attention and positive feedback.
I definitely recommend this book along with Tani's tapes and DVD's. This is one facet of building an interesting and long term relationship with your bird.
Mona Delgado
Seattle, WA
Tani Robar DOES IT AGAIN!.......2006-03-11
It seems that anything and everything you read about Pet Parrot Trick Training all comes back to a common denominator. It's Tani Robar! This book is a MUST HAVE bible of information for any owner of pet birds from a little canary all the way up to a large Macaw.
Tani's writing style is fun to read and keeps you wanting to know more through the whole book! Many times reading throughout the book I said to myself " so that's how trainers do that! I can teach my bird that trick!" It kept me reading all the way to the end!
This book should be a required read for all bird owners. It gives so much insight to how birds think and behave to our actions!
You will love this book. Thanks Tani!
Amazon.com
Beyond croaking, "Nevermore," what exactly do ravens do all day? Bernd Heinrich, biology professor at the University of Vermont and author of Ravens in Winter, has spent more than a decade learning the secrets of these giants of the crow family. He has observed startlingly complex activities among ravens, including strong pair-bonding, use of tools, elaborate vocal communication, and even play. Ravens are just plain smart, and we can see much of ourselves in their behavior. They seem to be affectionate, cranky, joyful, greedy, and competitive, just like us. And in Mind of the Raven, Heinrich makes no bones about attributing emotions and intellect to Corvus corax--just not the kind we humans can understand. He mostly catalogs their behaviors in the manner of a respectful anthropologist, although a few moments of proud papa show through when he describes the pet ravens he hand-raised to adulthood.
Heinrich spends hundreds of loving hours feeding roadkill fragments to endlessly hungry raven chicks, and cold days in blinds watching wild ravens squabble and frolic. He is a passionate fan of his "wolf-birds," a name he gave them when he made the central discovery of the book: that ravens in Yellowstone National Park are dependent on wolves to kill for them. Mind of the Raven offers inspiring insight into both the lives of ravens and the mind of a truly gifted scientist. --Therese Littleton
Book Description
In Mind of the Raven, Bernd Heinrich, award - winning naturalist, finds himself dreaming of ravens and decides he must get to the truth about this animal reputed to be so intelligent.
Much like a sleuth, Heinrich involves us in his quest, letting one clue lead to the next. But as animals can only be spied on by getting quite close Heinrich adopts ravens, thereby becoming a "raven father," as well as observing them in their natural habitat, studying their daily routines, and in the process painting a vivid picture of the world as lived by the ravens. At the heart of this book are Heinrich's love and respect for these complex and engaging creatures, and through his keen observation andanalysis, we become their intimates too.
Throughout history there has existed an extraordinary relationship between humans and ravens. Ravens, like early humans, are scavengers on the kills of great carnivores. As scavengers, ravens were associated with hunters they found in the north: wolves and, later, men. The trinity of wolf, man, and raven in the hunt is an extremely ancient one. In considering the appeal of the raven, Bernd Heinrich suspects that a meeting of the minds might reside in that hunting trinity.
Heinrich's passion for ravens has led him around the world in his research. Mind of the Raven takes you on an exotic journey--from New England to Germany, Montana to Baffin Island in the high Arctic--offering dazzling accounts of how science works in the field, filtered through the eyes of a passionate observer of nature.
Heinrich has a true gift; through his stories, his beautiful writing, illustrations, and photography, the ravens come alive. Each new discovery and insight into their behavior is thrilling to read. just as the title promises, the reader is given a rare glimpse into the mind of these wonderful creatures.
Following the dictum of Leonardo da Vinci--"It is not enough to believe what you see. YOU Must also understand what you see"--Bernd Heinrich enables us to see the natural world through the eyes of a scientist. At once lyrical and scientific, Mind of the Raven is bound to be a modern classic.
Customer Reviews:
Mind of the Raven.......2006-07-31
Very informative yet not too scientific. Contains many facts not commonly known about these intelligent birds. This book could change your mind about them.
The ultimate book of raven behavior.......2006-04-03
I knew the raven had many interesting feature to them before I opened this book but after reading "mind of the raven" I will say I was amazed of both the research Bernd Heinrich has done and of this remarkable bird. Heinrich are presenting his findings about the ravens where he is taking the subject (the raven) seriously and simultaneously managed to make it attractive for people that have not specialize in beaks and feathers.
3 - 2 - 1 ...........2006-03-16
I agree with most reviewers that this book fascinates the reader with interesting science and anecdotes about ravens. There are countless facts and amusing information provided about the intelligence, behavior and antics of both wild and tame ravens. One of the more humorous sections was on vocal communication, particulary mimicking. Heinrich provides descriptions of captive ravens making perfect renditions of radio static, toilets flushing and a motorcycle being revved up. There was also a scientist in a national park who distictly heard several times: "Three, two, one, bcccchhhh", sounding as if coming from a speaker. This was acually a raven who was sufficiently impressed with the park rangers conducting avalanche control to repeat the count-down and sound of the explosion. Hilarious...
The experiments and observations the author describes of wild ravens in the forests of Maine, Alaska,the western states & elsewhere are also superbly written and provide insights into the interactions and cooperation of ravens with large (and dangerous) predators including Man.
Proof that ravens understand a lot more than "Nevermore!".......2006-01-10
Although I have not yet read Ravens in Winter, after having read Mind of the Raven, I would not have any scruples about declaring these birds to be smarter than certain individuals who claim to be my relatives.
Each chapter is essentially a mini-story describing Heinrich's observations of raven behavior in exquisite, although at times excruciating, detail. Many of these observations are of Heinrich's wild-caught, hand-raised ravens housed in his aviary in Maine, while others are field studies conducted with (I dare not say "on") wild ravens. Heinrich also incorporates stories of pet ravens along with the research of others who have conducted field studies with these elusive birds. I was impressed by the fact that observations of ravens throughout the world were integrated throughout the book.
Heinrich manages to neatly intertwine innumerable factoids related to raven ecology and natural history within each behavioral observation. One learns what constitutes the typical diet of wild ravens (if there is such a thing), that only females make a call that sounds like knocking on wood, that it is not uncommon for ravens to reach 20 years of age or more, that ravens either are not offended by or simply cannot smell skunks - honestly, I felt like a raven expert after having read this book.
Overall, Heinrich does an excellent job of interpreting raven social behavior and cognition from his studies. Studies of the social behavior of wild and tame ravens are explored, and the behaviors of other animals are often presented to provide support for his speculations. Heinrich also examines the hypotheses proposed by the forerunners in animal behavior, such as Konrad Lorenz, along side his observations.
Heinrich incorporates studies he designed to test raven intelligence as well. One cannot help but marvel at how smart these birds are. Heinrich provides speculations on the results of these tests and I found myself nodding in agreement; however, I cannot decide if it is because his arguments are so cogent or if I'm simply so amazed by the results that I'm succumbing to anthropomorphism. Nevertheless, Heinrich notes that he was warned in graduate school to not study anything more intelligent than himself - he claims to have met his match.
Gotta love this raving naturalist.......2004-11-04
Bernd applies his multi-faceted brand of research to a species that is clearly close to his heart (the raven), with spectacular results. He weaves anecdotes and scientific studies together flawlessly to draw conclusions that are hard to argue with, if only because he refuses to draw unwarranted conclusions when the evidence isn't clear. He personally studies ravens in his northeastern home area, in Alaska, and in Germany to note the differences between different populations of the animal. He also draws extensively on his observations from his own aviary, where it seems he is at times obsessively painstaking in recording nuances of behavior that would fly over the heads of the average bird owner.
The Good and the Bad:
This book has been done right, with a real attempt to keep the reader's interest without compromising the scientific value of the work. The information given is enough to be compelling without being too boring about statistics. The end of the book gets a little more tilted towards hard science, with a fairly in-depth discussion about what warrants consciousness and intelligence, but there's no other conclusion that would be appropriate.
On the bad side, there are very occasional forays into self-indulgence, as when he takes the opportunity to argue the comments of a peer reviewer who contributed to the rejection of the publication of his study, or when a not-so-funny joke is recounted.
What I learned:
The raven is a remarkable animal, and consciousness evolves for as much of a specific reason as anything else. One bird might be given all of the instinct necessary to operate within a very narrow range of activity, but shorted on additional brain tissue, which is costly to maintain. But the raven has evolved to develop food gathering skills through problem-solving, which allows it to be much more flexible in its approach to food gathering, social interactions, and defense. This hardwired ability to solve problems manifests itself as curiosity, a desire to play, and the ability to visualize consequences without actually performing the action; this last is the most compelling criterion for awareness.
Other interesting raven facts: They can count to as high as seven. They hunt items ranging from ground squirrels to baby seals, but subsist mostly on the carrion provided by bigger predators. They lack the physical ability to pierce skin, and so have to eat through natural body openings or wounds. They have a collaborative relationship with other predators, generally wolves, which results in the ravens possibly directing the wolves to a kill so that they can take their share. This has a strange effect where they're actually uncomfortable eating from a carcass that lacks a predator as a feeding partner. This relationship has been transferred to other species where wolves are scarce, ranging from human hunters to polar bears to, possibly, a cougar, which seemed to be led to a human by a raven hoping to feast on the aftermath of a human kill. The problem-solving abilities were best demonstrated by the fact that a raven, when confronted with a piece of meat dangling from a string, will pull the string up by degrees so that it can reach the meat.
Book Description
There are two kinds of math: the hard kind and the easy kind. The easy kind, practiced by ants, shrimp, Welsh Corgis — and us — is innate. But what innate calculating skills do we humans have? Leaving aside built-in mathematics, such as the visual system, ordinary people do just fine when faced with mathematical tasks in the course of the day. Yet when they are confronted with the same tasks presented as “math,” their accuracy often drops. If we have innate mathematical ability, why do we have to teach math and why do most of us find it so hard to learn? Are there tricks or strategies that the ordinary person can do to improve mathematical ability? Can we improve our math skills by learning from dogs, cats, and other creatures that “do math?” The answer to each of these questions is a qualified yes. All these examples of animal math suggest that if we want to do better in the formal kind of math, we should see how it arises from natural mathematics.
From NPR's "Math Guy," The Math Instinct is a real celebration of innate math sense and will provide even the most number-phobic readers with confidence in their own mathematical abilities.
Customer Reviews:
Only Okay........2006-10-27
I thought there would be a little more substance to this book. I was glad to see the stories and references to some of the street math but I was more intrigued by the examples of babies and math.
I would recommend it to friends that are not that interested in math.
For those that want more depth to the discussion relating math to instinct I'd go elsewhere.
Has its faults, but a lot of interesting material.......2006-09-06
"The Math Instinct" is something of a hodge-podge, and I think it could be written better, but there is lots of really interesting material, and the reader can always skip chapters not of interest to him/her. I say the book isn't written that well, because Devlin doesn't do well enough with the more difficult concepts. I say it is a hodge podge because subjects such as the nautilus's shell have nothing to do with the rest of the book; in fact Devlin waits far too long to distinguish between computational skills of animals, such as their navigational skills, and the results of optimization through evolutionary trial and error (bee's hexagonal honeycomb) which has nothing to do with the animal brain's capacity for doing math.
Amazingly, a numerical sense has been found to exist in baby's only a few days old, as well as in rats, etc. Brazilian children who could not master arithmetic in school, do great when they need to employ math in the marketplace. When math is abstract and rule based, without making sense, it is hard to learn or apply. It actually uses a part of the brain devoted to language rather than a part used for "natural" math (which incidentally grew out of the area used to control digits). Devlin addresses teaching math, but surprisingly doesn't have much too say, emphasizing repetitive practice rather than a change in presentation. For example, for reasons Devlin gives, learning 7 x 8 = 56 is particularly hard, so why not teach 7 x 8 = 7 x 7 + 7, thereby giving the idea of multiplication as a quick way to do some kinds of addition, and taking advantage of the kind of techniques untutored Brazilian working kids use in the marketplace?
Animal Instinct and Human Psychology.......2006-07-27
Although the word "math" appears in the title, this book is mainly about instinct and psychology. About half the book contains discussions on how animals instinctively do certain things that have some foundation in math. The other half of the book looks at how humans perceive and behave in math-related situations - from infancy to adulthood. The book is very well-written, very clear and easy to read. Those who are math phobic have nothing to fear here; in fact, they would likely find this book very interesting in the sense that they would learn something fascinating about themselves. Other than for those who are math phobic, this book has something for psychology buffs as well as animal lovers. But most importantly, it should grace the shelves of math educators as well as those who are interested in the reasons and possible cures for innumeracy.
Intriguing Accounts of Animal and Street Math.......2006-03-05
This book offers a very readable overview for the non-specialist, with many fascinating details on how animals use their kinds of natural mathematics. It also discusses the findings of Brazilian researchers on how teenage street vendors who can't handle school math develop their own effective street math techniques. The author makes abundantly clear that many people can't deal with school math because it is presented as an abstract symbolic system. People can learn best, he argues, by applying math in concrete ways. Unfortunately, he stops short at the end of the book and simply enjoins us to practice because that is the way humans gain mastery over subjects. It would have been useful for him to spell out how such practice can best be done and to give examples. I recall an awful pre-calculus course that spent a full year trying to prove a set of theorems, leaving us students with no knowledge of how to apply calculus to scientific, financial, or other problems (this was the last exposure to math for most of the class). We would have learned much better by applying calculus to real problems, then perhaps concluding the year with a bit of theory. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy popular science literature or want to know more about animal math.
The Math inSTINKS.......2005-08-21
I was suckered by the description and this book fails to deliver....
The reason I gave two stars: some teenagers or true novices to the subject may find some of the stories interesting enough to turn them onto better works in the field.
There is NOTHING new in this book: Devlin desperately looks for a new angle to a Greek philosophical fight- which is not necessarily bad (see "the Anthropology of Art") BUT he doesn't take any new angle- he just searches and speculates - like a tired dog circling for a place to lie down.
The filler of the book is what anyone would expect- scientific research and 'interesting' tidbits about the physical world... once again, nothing new. Save your money.
Customer Reviews:
the quieter, the stronger.......2006-08-20
Noy Holland's second collection of short fiction shows a stronger level of character empathy, revealing characters who are deeply troubled and looking for solutions that may not always be permanent but will allow them to survive through to the ends of their stories. Whether they are barren women looking to connect with a child, any child, or a first-timer in front of a crowd revealing a little too much about himself in the process of introducing a speaker, Noy Holland's characters in this book are thick, meaty and substantive. Anorexics and belligerent veterans in wheelchairs are both touching characters in the end, who act out in ways true to their natures (or the natures they have been handed).
While Noy Holland's writing style gets a little too much in the way in selections like the title piece, her writing at its best moments is very direct to her characters, enclosing you under a tent that's really just a sheet propped up by a table in your living room. The tones are warm and inviting, and though the characters are a little scary, Noy settles them down enough to let you watch them without wanting to run away. But sometimes the quietest characters are the ones who will shock you the most, so be on guard.
Average customer rating:
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Please Be Quiet!
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Let's Go!: With A Pop-up Surprise!
ASIN: 0395971136 |
Book Description
The little penguin from My Puffer Train is having a wonderful time hopping and skating about the house. "Please be quiet," his mother tells him, "The baby is sleeping." But it is very hard for a little penguin to keep still, and finally mother penguin sends him outside where he finds all sorts of noisy things to do with his animal friends. When the little penguin comes back inside to play, he finds a clever way to have fun and keep quiet. Filled with bright colors and familiar activities and language, this warm, reassuring book is perfect for toddlers at bedtime or anytime.
Customer Reviews:
Loved by 9 month old.......2007-01-02
An excellent book for my 9 month old. When we utter the words "please be quiet' he is openly overjoyed. We use this book as a sleep trigger and put him to bed straight after reading it. Works a treat.
Customer Reviews:
Deception Occurs At All Ages........2006-11-04
Age is relevant but not necessarily the only thing to make men act like a fool. Alcohol is the prime evil to bring about their downfall. The greatest loss is not the death of a loved one but the actual deception of someone you thought was true-blue, but was entirely a made-up deception on a whole town. We believed in him and what he had to write, he couldn't speak as he was never trained as a public speaker. But we were led to believe that he did "research" and wallowed in "micro fiche" of old newspapers. False! Finally, the truth wills out when he admits that I don't know him. He really is the office boy (lackey) I thought the first time I met him. Two others had claimed to be the writer, but it was various and sundry who did the actual columns, not just one person. He sure fooled me. He is supposedly someone calling himself. First, he self-published two books of tabloid columns purportedly by him but now he is giving credit to others as follows: Knoxville's Secret History by Jack Neely, Aaron Jay, and Lisa Horstman (Paperback - Nov 1, 1995), and Secret History II: Stories About Knoxville, Tennessee by Jack Neely, Ed Richardson, and Lisa Horstman (Paperback - Nov 20, 1998). Lisa Horstman must be the maiden name of Janet, but who is Ed Richardson. That's a new one on me.
What was supposedly history of old happenings in this town he admits to me is pure fiction based on the book, Sutree. Sordid and scandalous events which never happened except in his imagination. He is no Kipling but "borrowed" Paul Theroux's Secret History book as the title of the tabloid columns since 1995. He has created a sordid and scathing "past" which didn't happen. He has been on a sex craze from times gone by also which didn't happen as he wrote. He even promoted a fictional account of a prominent person who helped to write Harbrace Handbook for English. He is merely the office boy and others do the writing for which he gets credit. When he tries to talk to literary groups, he hems and haws and never says anything substantial as he can't remember what it was he wrote. Now, he has written about gay marriage. He tricked me, as he has tricked the newcomers to this sordid town. It is turning into a drug culture in the downtown area. One of them (actually two counting the wife) are now in prison for marjuiana sales and the properties they managed to pull over the officials as legitimate. People like them have ruined this town. And they have used the services of one Neely who is a pretender. Cas Walker would turn over in his grave if he knew what this person has done to appear as someone from a century ago who existed only in his imagination. The trashy pieces are written by others using his name so as to have some authesity. He has built a career with writings by other people. He inherited a great deal of loss, which was forthcoming for his deception.
A must book for everyone who grieves.......2003-12-06
Dr. Jones has written a beautifully poetic book that will touch the mind and heart of everyone who has or will grieve. She writes both from her personal journey and also her vast experience as a minister of the soul. Grief brings a powerful sense of being alone and it is at such a time that this book will become a best friend.
Grief: Author looks at three different forms of loss........1997-11-15
Dr. Jones has counseled persons in the grieving process in her profession as a Christian counselor. Her discoveries of grief in her profession as well as her personal experience with three different aspects of loss will be helpful to any reader who is struggling through loss and grief. How Dr. Jones presents each form of grief with her own personal experiences will help the reader apply it to their own loss. Her sense of humor (the loss of a spouse is like, "amputation without anesthesia") helps to lighten a deep and emotional subject to us all. This is a "must read" resource book for anyone who is experiencing grief or who counsels others who are grieving.
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At home from Panama to the Arctic, red-tailed hawks are a common sight in the skies of North America. But because red-tails are understandably shy of humans, they are usually a distant sight, and few people get the opportunity to observe the raptors up close for more than a fleeting second.
Peri McQuay, a Canadian writer and naturalist, is one of those few. Called on to help raise a young red-tail that had been taken from the wild early and trained--but only partly--by a would-be falconer, she embarked upon what she clearly considers to be the adventure of a lifetime. Warned that Merak, the young bird, might have imprinted on humans and therefore likely could not fend for herself, McQuay spent the next several seasons encouraging Merak to find a home for herself in the world to which she belonged, probing the depths of raptor psychology in an attempt to help Merak learn to hunt, find a mate, and return to the wild state that was her birthright.
The experiment, as McQuay writes in this thoughtful memoir, had mixed results. Her portrait of Merak is sympathetic, affectionate, and full of surprises (among them the humorous revelation that a bird of prey and a cat can arrive at an accommodation, and even live in peace), if tinged with sorrow for what has become of so much of the wild. McQuay's affecting tale of "the gift of this pitiably damaged yet magnificent hawk" will inspire any student of wild birds. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
Illegally plucked from her nest when only a month old to be trained for falconry, Merak is two when finally released. She isn’t used to foraging for herself, however, and wanders into a nearby town. As Peri McQuay quickly learns, this human-imprinted hawk is not quite ready for the wild. As Merak’s caretakers, the McQuays try to coax the bird to independence. In journal form, Peri McQuay writes about her life with Merak, relating the hawk’s antics — chasing a garden hose that looks like a snake, rearing up to magnificent size to threaten a house cat — and her difficulties. McQuay becomes increasingly attached even as she hopes that Merak will become fully wild again. This unusual book about a little-known topic testifies to the powerful connections between humans and animals.
Customer Reviews:
A Future Classic of Nature Literature.......2001-10-24
The fact that Milkweed Press has wisely chosen to reprint Peri Phillips McQuay's A Wing in the Door: Adventures with a Red-Tail Hawk (originally published in Canada in 1993), bespeaks its enduring value, and I think helps ensure its survival into the future as a classic of nature literature. Like another great Canadian nature writer, Farley Mowat (Never Cry Wolf), Peri Mcquay explores the relation between human and wild with wisdom, intelligence, and spirit. McQuay adds to these qualities a remarkably poetic prose which deeply involves the reader in the inner experience of her story-- which is also the story of Merak the hawk, who becomes movingly real to us through the pages of this wonderful book. 'A Wing in the Door' is even more convincing and enriching because it includes not only the human-imprinted hawk and her caretakers who are attempting to help her live as close to the wild as possible, but much of the other wildlife surrounding them as well. The world of 'A Wing in the Door' is broad, rich, and varied, as well as exciting and deeply poetic. To quote from a moment in the book when the author is enjoying watching Merak in flight: 'To fly through the wings of a hawk is like flying through a kite, only far better." As a scholar and teacher of nature literature and editor of two books on naturalist John Burroughs, I find this book a treasure, one that I hope to use in the classroom.
Praise for A Wing in the Door.......2001-08-07
Toronto Globe and Mail, June 23, 2001: "In the style of Jane Goodall and other...animal behaviourists, there's a magnificent tenderness in these narratives--emphatically not to be confused with sentimentality....[A] rare and enlightened witness to the truth of non-human nature."
Washington Post Book World, April 22, 2001: "McQuay knows her land, knows its inhabitants, both plant and the animal, like a first language. Because of this she has written a compelling tale about wild places and wild and half-wild creatures and what it feels like to be around them that rings with authenticity."
Fine new Milkweed title........2001-08-02
This gentle, closely-observed, radiant work explores new territory in the genre of writing about animals. The red-tailed hawk, Merak, never gets more than a wing in the door, literally. She is neither reared nor rehabilitated in the McQuay house. She is brought to them Ñ on their 800 acre conservation area in Ontario Ñ by the local rehabilitator to be released back into the wild. It is only almost as the door to the cage is being opened that the McQuays find out that the hawk may be human imprinted, and thus Merak may be within the circle of their lives for the rest of her own. This book, like a crafted journal, tells the story of several years of Merak's life interwoven with the lives of the people who choose to feed her (mice and rats and muskrats) and look out after her. It is always the hawk who is the focus. Merak is neither wild nor domesticated, but lives in that space where more and more nonhuman creatures will be found, as human existence encroaches upon the natural states necessary for animals to be completely themselves. McQuay is all too aware of the losses that Merak must live with, and records them with the clarity and honesty available to someone who lives amidst such hard lessons.
Strong story compromised by some inaccuracies........2001-05-10
Take a strong premise-the observations and interactions of a human family with a partially tamed Red-tailed Hawk, evocative, often lyrical writing, add some anthropomorphism and a few factual errors, and you have A Wing in the Door. I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Like Marie Winn's Red-tails in Love, it covers a subject very near to my heart, humans and their relationship to birds of prey (I teach environmental education using non-releasable hawks, and one of the birds I use is a big female Red-tailed Hawk). The opportunity to interest a wider audience in the "personal" lives of these birds could be a valuable asset in promoting greater understanding of and appreciation for not just the subject species, but all wildlife and the environment in general. To do that effectively, anthropomorphism is a legitimate tool to make the birds seem more human and give them recognizable character traits to which the reader can relate. However, you shouldn't go too far. Too often, I thought, Ms. McQuay ascribed feelings, motivations, and premeditation to the bird's actions that I felt were a stretch. She addressed this issue in an opening note, explaining her use of anthropomorphism as a conscious, necessary antidote to the alternative worldview that we humans are somehow above other animals. I agree, in principal, up to a point, but felt that the author went too far in many cases, thus undermining the non-fiction objectivity of her narrative. In a similar vein, there were some inaccuracies, mainly having to do with aging and plumage characteristics. Early on, she discusses the bird's age when it came to her family, spring of the year following the year it hatched. The bird still has the brown and gray banded tail typical of an immature redtail, as it is coming up on its first molt. Yet, the bird is called a two year-old in the text (it is, in fact, just coming up on one year). I found this confusion about the bird's age as the years cycle throughout the narrative a bit distracting. The process of molting (shedding old feathers and growing in new ones) was often described as being uncomfortable for the bird, with allusions to ill-temper and bad behavior related to being thus indisposed. In my experience and from everything I have read, I have never seen reference to molt being a particularly discomforting process, any more than is the shedding of our hair. Out with the old, in with the new. Molt does change the bird's energetic requirements, but doesn't seem to actually cause them pain. These and similar problems with raptor biology aside, there is much to enjoy in A Wing in the Door. I welcome the effort to interest the general public in some of the fascinating details of the lives of raptorial birds. In the end, the author spins a pretty good tale about her experiences. For myself, I would have liked it better with a little more about the bird and a little less of the human.
Book Description
*Unique, spectacular and award-winning pictures
*Andy Rouse is one of the world's top wildlife photographers and a best-selling author
*High-quality reproductions in a desirable gift format
Among the most appealing and extraordinary of all the world's wildlife, penguins lead a remarkable life swimming, fishing, breeding and surviving in the most inhospitable conditions on earth. Acclaimed photographer Andy Rouse photographs the `forgotten' penguins; the gentoos, chinstraps, rockhoppers and king penguins that are in fact the most populous varieties and often the most interesting to observe. Captured here are the fun and antics that are such a large part of a penguin's world; the surfing, sliding and iceburg escapades. Andy Rouse has photographed penguins over a number of years, culminating in this powerful, poignant, amusing and amazing record of penguin life.
Customer Reviews:
A pick any general-interest library will want........2007-06-18
Penguin images pair with penguin facts in a rollicking title that captures the fun penguins experience with daily life, from diving and surfing to romance. Lovely color photos set against the backdrop of blue skies and snowy scenes alike capture the natural history and joy of penguins in PENGUIN LIFE: SURVIVING WITH STYLE IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC, a pick any general-interest library will want.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Books:
- Living With Wolves
- Make Way for Ducklings (Viking Kestrel Picture Books)
- Meditations (Penguin Classics)
- Migrating Raptors of the World: Their Ecology and Conservation
- National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fifth Edition (National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America)
- National Wildlife Federation Attracting Birds, Butterflies & Backyard Wildlife (National Wildlife Federation)
- North Carolina Birds
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!, The
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