The Eastern Screech Owl: Life History, Ecology, and Behavior in the Suburbs and Countryside (W L Moody, Jr, Natural History Series)

Customer Reviews:

Nature boy, this book's for you.......2007-07-19

Naturalist's Big Bend is a comprehensive overview of the flora and fauna of the Big Bend National Park region in Texas. Big Bend is unique for a couple of reasons. First, because the US/Mexico border dips south there, many species are found in the US only in this region. Secondly, as the climate changed following the last ice age, other species found themselves islanded in the cooler mountain ecosystems as the plains around them became deserts. These "sky islands" hold unique flora and fauna that has remained isolated for thousands of years.

Authors Wauer and Fleming have comprehensive first-hand knowledge of the park that comes through in every chapter. The book provides the advantage not only of their expertise but of their access to many unpublished Park Service and other reports and surveys of the park. The bibliography is the definitive go-to guide for anyone wishing to research any aspect of Big Bend's ecosystem. However, for a more personal tour of the park, you might prefer For All Seasons: A Big Bend Journal by author Wauer.

The book makes an excellent reference for the knowledgeable biologist or biology buff planning, enjoying, or remembering a visit to Big Bend National Park. Casual tourists will find the detail overwhelming and the illustrations miserly. With a bigger budget, this could have been a stunning illustrated field guide. As it is, most species rely on description alone for identification. There are a few black-and-white plates of plants, a limited number of fascinating black-and-white photos of animals, and a select group of stunning color photos that illustrate the diverse habitats found within the park.

Good general naturalist's info.......2006-03-07

My husband and I both found this useful and interesting for our recent weeklong trip to Big Bend. I would recommend it more as preparatory reading before the trip, or evening reading at your room or campsite while in the park, than as a guide to specific areas or species. Also it is best used with oher books accompanying it rather than relying on it alone, such as hiking, lizard, flower, or birding book too, depending on your interests. The bibiography uses up about the last quarter of this rather slim book. So you may want to get it way ahead of your trip then order more books from the bibliography or elsewhere.

Great book, bad citations........2005-12-14

This is a neat little book summarizing the flora and fauna of Big Bend National Park. It covers plants, birds, mammals, invertebrates, fish, and reptiles and amphibians, and provides a brief history. It is not an identification guide, but a listing of species of interest with some facts about them. There are better resources of information about birds and plants, but the other topics are rarely covered elsewhere aside from checklists available at the park.

My only problem with this guide is that they have provided in-text citations that are not in the bibliography! If you are going to cite sources in the text, please provide complete information *somewhere*. The bibliography lists lots of great sources, just not ALL of the sources used in the book. This lack of attention to detail is the reason I gave this book anything less than 5 stars.

Plants and Animals at Big Bend .......2004-12-27

Big Bend National Park has a variety of habitats for plants and animals. I was surprised to read that Big Bend counts more bird species than any other National Park in the US. Most of the park is desert, but the Rio Grande attracts water-loving species and the higher elevations of the Chisos mountains support trees normally associated with the Rocky Mountains hundreds of miles further north.

This is a fine little book. It has many color illustrations of the rugged terrain of the Big Bend, historical photos, black and white photos of animals and plants, and line drawings of wildflowers for identification purposes.

The book offers a capsule history of the Big Bend and a description of the five ecological zones in the park: floodplain, desert shrub, desert grassland, woodland formation and woodland. A chapter each is devoted to describing trees and shrubs, wildflowers, cacti, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, fish, and insects and other invertebrates. An extensive bibliography will guide a reader who wants more information. The text is competently and clearly written with brief descriptions of each species and comments on its importance, uses, range, and habitat.

Smallchief

Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico

Average customer rating:

Dragonfly guide review
The Texas Odonata Bible
A Complete Guide to South-Central Odonates
A serious book for the serious reader

Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico
John C. Abbott
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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A Dazzle of Dragonflies
Caterpillars of Eastern North America: A Guide to Identification and Natural History (Princeton Field Guides)
Stokes Beginner's Guide to Dragonflies
Caterpillars in the Field and Garden: A Field Guide to the Butterfly Caterpillars of North America (Field Guide)
Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America (Kaufman Field Guide Series)

ASIN: 0691113637

Book Description

This is the first guide to dragonflies and damselflies of the south-central United States. The book covers 263 species, representing more than half of the North American fauna. The area of coverage significantly overlaps with other regions of the country making this book a useful aid in identifying the dragonflies and damselflies in any part of the United States, Canada, or northeastern Mexico.

More photographs of damselflies in North America appear here than in any other previously published work. All 85 damselfly and 178 dragonfly species found in the region are distinguished by photographs, numerous line drawings, keys, and detailed descriptions to help with identifications. Features include:

Discussions of habitats, zoogeography, and seasonality
Details on dragonfly and damselfly life history and conservation
An introduction on studying and photographing dragonflies and damselflies
An entire section devoted to the external anatomy of dragonflies and damselflies
Species accounts organized by family into sections on size, regional and general distribution, flight season, identification, similar species, habitat and biology and ecology
Range maps for each species, as well as an extensive bibliography and a list of resources for further study

Customer Reviews:

Dragonfly guide review.......2007-09-17

I have several guides for birds, butterflies, snakes, reptiles and amphibians. I just started learn about dragonflies this year and this is one of the best guides I have seen. In fact, it was highly recommended by an individual who has a Masters Degree in dragonfly study. I recommend it for individuals just starting out with dragonflies as the photos are great but it also provides enough information (range maps) to let you narrow down and identify the more difficult species.

The Texas Odonata Bible.......2006-12-23

This field guide is the one to own. It covers not only all the dragonflies of Texas and the Southcentral US, but all the damselflies as well. The photographs are superb and this make for easy identification of species in the field. However, because of these pluses, the result is a rather sizable guide that is just a bit too heavy to really qualify as a handy field guide. If you can deal with its size and weight, it more than makes up for this handicap in thes helpful information it provides. The only drawback and the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, is because it is a tad less user friendly for the novice or non-professional (i.e. The species identification keys are a bit confusing). Nevertheless, it is destined to become the standard to measure all other guides.

A Complete Guide to South-Central Odonates.......2005-11-08

As an admirer of dragonflies and damselflies I was quite delighted to find this book by John C. Abbott. It is a mix of the very technical and (at least in part because of the 64 plates of magnificent color photos) the very useful for the non-specialist. The range maps are invaluable as a way of adding clues for the identification of similar species. The line drawings of anatomical parts are important in separating closely related species and the glossary of terms, the check list, and the large bibliography round out a very useful or even indispensable volume for the dragonfly watcher. In short, this book is a serious guide to an area with the highest odonate diversity in the United States. "Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States" simply is a must for anyone interested in the odonate fauna of the five states involved. Its production, along with at least three earlier regional and national books on the subject, is a testimonial to the growing popularity of these beautiful and fascinating insects.

A serious book for the serious reader.......2005-08-20

This is not a book that you can skim; rather, it is one intended for the serious student of Odonata in Texas. Written by an acknowledged expert in the field, it covers everything you might want to know about the dragonflies found in Texas.

Be warned, though, that you cannot approach this book lightly. The author uses scientific terms liberally: you will have to spend time acquiring the vocabulary.

For the serious Texas "Odo-nut" this is an absolutely essential part of your library.

Birds of Texas: A Field Guide (The W.L. Moody, Jr., Natural History, No 14)

Average customer rating:

Cumbersome for a field guide
Nice field guide, excellent color plates
622 Texas Birds
very poor at best
Fantastic guide for traveling

Birds of Texas: A Field Guide (The W.L. Moody, Jr., Natural History, No 14)
John H. Rappole , and Gene W. Blacklock
Manufacturer: Texas A&M University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

The Birds of Texas
Smithsonian Handbooks: Birds of Texas (Smithsonian Handbooks)
Texas Birds (Pocket Naturalist - Waterford Press)
A Field Guide to the Birds of Texas: and Adjacent States (Peterson Field Guides(R))
Birds of Texas Field Guide

ASIN: 0890965455

Customer Reviews:

Cumbersome for a field guide.......2006-10-23

This might be a useful reference to keep at the house, but I find it cumbersome to use as a field guide. The information about the birds is in the front of the book. The pictures are in the back. That means a lot of flipping back and forth. Definitely not something you want to be doing when you've just spotted a bird you need help identifying. And a few of the photographs are of such poor quality that they're not helpful. I don't have a favorite Texas-specific field guide (yet), but I've grown to love Sibley's field guides. Sibley has the bird info and the illustrations on the same page. And there are multiple illustrations for each bird (in-flight, male, female, juvenile, etc). Birds of Texas only has one photograph for each bird, and sometimes the individual you're trying to identify won't look anything like the photograph. Plus, it seems to be easier to _illustrate_ the bird's features and markings than to photograph them. It took me a while to believe this, but it's true. (Although the digitally-enhanced photographs in Kaufman's guide are wonderful, and may be preferred by some.) Birds of Texas isn't a bad book, I just don't think it's a good field guide.

Nice field guide, excellent color plates.......2006-02-21

I like the size of the book, has good quality color plates nicely cross referenced to accounts of species. Useful as field guide

622 Texas Birds.......2005-07-01

This guide has some nifty features (shows hawk silhouettes and under-markings), but suffers from small photos. It's handy to have around the house and helpful when teamed with a second guide. That way you have two chances to see the markings and identify a bird. Some photos have leaves or branches obscuring the bird's markings.
The placement of the photos in a separate section from the descriptions makes using the book a bit awkward. It causes the birder to flip back and forth a lot.
The description includes a range map, habitat, voice, markings and similar birds.

very poor at best.......2004-05-06

Rappole and Blacklock's book is a very poor choice for a book covering Texas birds. The range maps are generally inaccurate and horrible for many species. The descriptive part of the text is fine for what it is, but Texas and range sections are full of misinformation. There are many very nice photos in the back of the book, but with only one per species it makes the book useless as a field guide. Many species are depicted in plumages that are rarely seen in Texas (e.g. (Oldsquaw in breeding plumage). There are a number of birds included in the book that have never been documented in the state (e.g. Bristle-thighed Curlew, Great Knot, Blue Ground-Dove, Smooth-billed Ani). There are also a few mis-identified photographs (e.g. Double-crested Cormorant, Couch's Kingbird). There are other better choices that cover Texas (although most of those books cover all of North America).

Fantastic guide for traveling.......2004-01-07

This book was given to me as a gift. Ihave loaned it to several friends to take with them on their travels and all have said what an exceptional book this was. The photos were great and the descriptions right on the mark. I would highly recommend this book to all those that seek the perfect guide.

Through Animals' Eyes: True Stories from a Wildlife Sanctuary

Average customer rating:

Wonderful animal stories
Strongly recommended for all animal lovers
A Lovely Read
Couldn't Put It Down

Through Animals' Eyes: True Stories from a Wildlife Sanctuary
Lynn Marie Cuny
Manufacturer: Univ of North Texas Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Healers of the Wild: Rehabilitating Injured and Orphaned Wildlife
Through Animals' Eyes, Again: Stories of Wildlife Rescue
Living with Wildlife: How to Enjoy, Cope with, and Protect North America's Wild Creatures Around Your Home and Theirs
First Aid for Wildlife: Basic Care for Birds and Mammals (Basic Manual Wildlife Rehabilitation)
Wildlife Care for Birds and Mammals: Basic Wildlife Rehabilitation Manuals (7 Vols in 1) (Basic Manual Wildlife Rehabilitation)

ASIN: 1574410628

Book Description

In 1977 Cuny founded a wildlife sanctuary near San Antonio, Texas, to provide rescue, rehabilitation, and release of orphaned, injured, and displaced wildlife. Her brief stories are often touching, such as when she describes a young raccoon, rescued from a fire, self-medicating its burned paws with aloe vera plants; or two crab-eating macaques, confined inside a research facility for eighteen years, experiencing the outdoors for the first time. Natural History , Bookshelf, March 1999.

Heartwarming tales of rescued creatures are presented in this collection of vignettes from a large wildlife rehabilitation center in Texas. Over the last 20 years, Cuny has run Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, which she founded to rescue orphaned, injured, and displaced wildlife. The center also provides permanent homes for animals too disabled to be released, as well as nonnative wildlife rescued from the exotic pet trade. The center takes in more than 5,000 animals each year. The history of each animal--from a tiny newborn field mouse to a black bear--is told in a few pages and illustrated with photos. . . .Cuny's love for her charges shines through in her stories. The large audience for animal tales of this sort makes this a recommended title, and maybe readers will be sensitized to the problems our species creates for other animals. --Booklist, Nancy Bent, February 15, 1999.

"The day we met she was feeding five beautiful yearlings intravenously, who surely would have died from dehydration, while she simultaneously supervised the feeding of skunks, possums, squirrels--you name it. She is selfless and dauntless in her battle to rescue and rehabilitate animals. I feel privileged to know her and serve on her board. There are few better qualified to look through the eyes of an animal. It is a beautiful, touching book." --Loretta Swit, actress

"Through Animals' Eyes not only entertains the reader with some amazing stories, but reminds us that human compassion can and should turn outward to embrace the animal world. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Lynn Cuny's work has made a difference; her stories will too." --Max Oelschlaeger, McAllister Chair in Community Culture and Environment, Northern Arizona University, author of The Idea of Wilderness

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful animal stories.......2007-02-26

Lynn Cuny has a gift for portraying the animals in her stories both as worthy of our care as well as needing respect for their needs as animals. Unlike some writers of animal stories, she always makes it clear that wild creatures are usually better off being left wild. While her stories often contain humor, they are always touching.

Strongly recommended for all animal lovers.......2001-08-09

Through Animals' Eyes: True Stories From A Wildlife Sanctuary is an anthology about the creatures cared for by Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation (WRR). Founded by the author in 1977, WRR provides sanctuary for orphaned, injured, or displaced wildlife, rehabilitating them for eventual release - or providing them with permanent care in large natural habitats if they are deemed nonreleasable. WWR also gives permanent care to exotic wild animals that have suffered from the pet trade, roadside zoos, or research facilities. From the raccoon with burned feet who perseveres to survive, to an abandoned emu who makes friends with a one-winged vulture in a game of pick-up sticks, these tales put one in the skin, fur, or feathers of the creatures who have paid the price of man's expansion. Through Animals' Eyes is strongly recommended for all animal lovers.

A Lovely Read.......2001-04-12

This charming vignette of stories will leave you with a new and wonderful perspective of wildlife, as well as a great deal of respect for the people at Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation in Boerne, TX. This book is a must read for anyone with a love for the wildlife of these United States.

Couldn't Put It Down.......2000-02-11

This book was given to me as a gift and I couldn't put it down. This heartwarming book takes you into the emotions and thoughts of wild animals. They come alive and you see them as the caring, loving and intelligent beings they are. This book will make you never able to look at a wild animal as a "dumb" animal or expendable resource again.

Birds Without a Nest: A Novel : A Story of Indian Life and Priestly Oppression in Peru (Texas Pan American Series)

Average customer rating:

Uncle Tom's Cabin in a Peruvian context
Birds without a future
A seldom told story
LIfe in Peru

Birds Without a Nest: A Novel : A Story of Indian Life and Priestly Oppression in Peru (Texas Pan American Series)
Clorinda Matto De Turner , and J. G. Hudson
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Born in Blood And Fire: A Concise History of Latin America, Second Edition
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ASIN: 029275194X

Book Description

love, and so I have observed its customs closely, enchanted by their simplicity, and, as well, the abjection into which this race is plunged by small-town despots, who, while their names may change, never fail to live up to the epithet of tyrants. They are no other than, in general, the priests, governors, caciques, and mayors." So wrote Clorinda Matto de Turner in Aves sin nido, the first major Spanish American novel to protest the plight of native peoples. First published in 1889, Birds without a Nest drew fiery protests for its unsparing exposé of small town officials, judicial authorities, and priests who oppressed the native peoples of Peru. Matto de Turner was excommunicated by the Catholic Church and burned in effigy. Yet her novel was strongly influential; indeed, Peruvian President Andrés Avelino Cáceres credited it with stimulating him to pursue needed reforms. In 1904, the novel was published in a bowdlerized English translation with a modified ending. This edition restores the original ending and the translator's omissions. It will be important reading for all students of the indigenous cultures of South America.

Customer Reviews:

Uncle Tom's Cabin in a Peruvian context.......2007-05-09

I want to give a rave review for this book, but, unfortunately I can't. Perhaps, it's because this is a translation, but I found the text an overly condescending, pedantic, one-dimensional rip-off of Uncle Tom's Cabin, with Peru's indigenous people in need of the white Peruvians' help, reform and sympathy. Although I am a romantic, I found myself rolling my eyes repeatedly at the descriptions of Manuel's love for Margarita. It's written in a way only a (unredeemably and ridiculously) romantic woman would write about love (I'm a woman, by the way). I also found the use of physical appearance to denote personality--although this is a nineteenth century construct--disturbing.
Although Uncle Tom's Cabin presents all of these issues, Beecher Stowe does it better with multi-dimensional characters and better crafted and linked storylines. Again, this may be due to this being a translation. I think I lost some of the richness of the original, so I'm going to read the text in its original Spanish to see what I think then. Nonetheless, the English translation was disappointing.

PROS: SPOILER AHEAD: The crash
The depiction of the Killac town authorities
The ending, somewhat predictable, but nonetheless good
Interesting view of North American/South American relations

CONS: (in translation): Pedantic, condescending and schmaltzy to the core in its treatment of the protagonists.

Birds without a future.......2005-10-02

This novel by Peruvian female writer Clorinda Matto de Turner constitutes the first female narrative fictional text denouncing discrimination of female indians in Peru and perhaps Latin America. It reminds us of what Rigoberta Menchu did in the 90's regarding human right abuses in Guatemala, only that Clorinda did it one hundred years before. The novel, which lacks the stylistic traits of present female narrative, is strong in terms of content and validity as a social document.
Clorinda Matto was a brave woman, daring to represent the medieval rules that structured the lives of indian women (and men) during the 19th century and most of the twentieth century.

A seldom told story.......2001-06-21

This woman dared to tell the story of the exploitation of the Quechua people in Peru. She shows through her romance how, the state - in the hands of the hispanic -, the church and the law were united in the colonization of Peru, exploiting the native populations as much as they could, keeping the descendents of the Inca empire either captive or as slave workers. Well a surprising fact, is that this woman wrote the book around 1889 (when it was first published) a time, when a woman writter was not seen with good eyes. She was excommunicated by the bishop and The book was - of course - burnt and remain almost unknown till the late 60's when it was reedicted.

LIfe in Peru.......2000-12-03

This novel is a great example of a mixture of romanticism and naturalism. Although it is at times over-dramatic, the social injustice that Matto de Turner shows is a good historical analysis of Peru in the 19th century. The characters seem to be portrayed more as collective ideals or stereotypes, but the message is still shown that the people with power abused their stations. A must read for people interested in the history of Peru or even of social injustice in South America. Reading it in its original spanish is usually the best to get the full meaning, but it is a pretty rare book to find, so the english version is still very good.

Average customer rating:

Double the Pleasure
I Love Phoebe!

Phoebe Clappsaddle for Sheriff
Melanie Chrismer
Manufacturer: Pelican Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Phoebe Clappsaddle and the Tumbleweed Gang
Phoebe Clappsaddle Has a Tumbleweed Christmas

ASIN: 158980127X

Book Description

When the governor of Texas asks Phoebe Clappsaddle to officially welcome the new schoolteacher, Phoebe is happy to oblige. Being a Southwestern belle, she understands the importance of courteously greeting guests. Wearing her grandfather's tin sheriff's star, Phoebe must contend with mishap upon mishap in her quest to preserve good manners. But when the rowdy Tumbleweed Gang ransacks the town of Marathon, she realizes this is a job for the sheriff: Sheriff Phoebe Clappsaddle, that is. With help from an ornery talking parrot, Phoebe soaks that rambunctious gang and restores order to Marathon.

In this follow-up to "Phoebe Clappsaddle and the Tumbleweed Gang", Phoebe once again proves that combining Southern manners with a no-nonsense Western spirit exacts justice while maintaining dignity and composure.

Customer Reviews:

Double the Pleasure.......2003-11-19

Phoebe Clappsaddle for Sheriff is every bit as fun as Chrismer/Roeder's first book, Phoebe Clappsaddle and the Tumble Weed Gang. It is great to see a strong female character with a touch of fimininity. Chrismer's Texas voice puts a spark to the text, and Roeder's delightful illustrations add the fireworks!

I Love Phoebe!.......2003-11-03

Chrismer has done it again! Phoebe Clappsaddle is one heck of a cowgirl, and being sheriff is a real spur in the Tumbleweed's butts. This is a must read for all kids (and their parents). Virginia Roeder brings Phoebe to life with her adorable illustrations, imbedded with clever humor. I said it once, and I'll say it again. I love Phoebe!

Bird-Witched!: How Birds Can Change a Life (Mildred Wyatt-Wold Series in Ornithology)

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Bird-Witched!: How Birds Can Change a Life (Mildred Wyatt-Wold Series in Ornithology)
Marjorie Valentine Adams
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Nature Writing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Birding can become an addiction. It starts when you hang a bird feeder in the backyard. Then you buy a bird book to identify the birds you see. Then, before you know it, you're keeping a life list and traveling the region, the country, perhaps even the world to catch glimpses of rare birds. Marjorie Adams's birding passion progressed through all these stages and continues today in her tenth decade. In this engaging and informative book, she looks back at her evolution into a full-fledged birder and the concurrent growth of the sport of birding, to which she contributed significantly as a founding member of the American Birding Association, a newspaper columnist on birding, and a teacher and producer of educational wildlife films with her husband and lifelong birding partner, "Red" Adams.

As one who was there from the beginning, Marjorie Adams is uniquely qualified to recount the astonishing rise of birding to a major pastime and recreational industry. She describes the founding of the American Birding Association and profiles its founder, James A. Tucker. She vividly recalls many of her and Red's birding adventures, from southern Canada to Mexico, as well as their encounters with a host of highly regarded birders, including Roger Tory Peterson, Pete Dunne, Victor Emanuel, Charles Hartshorne, and Roy Bedichek. She also explains how her and Red's love for birds led them to become conservation activists and how they produced an award-winning film on the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler. Offering an important chapter in the story of birding in Texas and the United States, this book establishes Marjorie and Red Adams's rightful place among the leading Texas naturalists of recent decades.

The Life History of a Texas Birdwatcher: Connie Hagar of Rockport

Average customer rating:

birders will love it

The Life History of a Texas Birdwatcher: Connie Hagar of Rockport
Karen Harden McCracken
Manufacturer: Texas A&M University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Book Description

In any other context, saying that someone was "for the birds" would hardly be polite. But applied to Connie Hagar, it would be high praise. The diminutive birdwatcher nicknamed Connie was reared as Martha Conger Neblett in early twentieth-century Texas, where she led a genteel life of tea parties and music lessons. But at middle age she became fascinated with birds and resolved to learn everything she could about them. In 1935, she and her husband, Jack, moved to Rockport, on the Coastal Bend of Texas, to be at the center of one of the most abundant areas of bird life in the country.

Her diligence in observation soon had her setting elite East Coast ornithologists on their ears, as she sighted more and more species the experts claimed she could not possibly have seen. (Repeatedly she proved them wrong.) She ultimately earned the respect and love of birders from the shores of New Jersey to the islands of the Pacific. Life magazine pictured her in a tribute to the country's premier amateur naturalists, and she received many awards from nature and birding societies.

Hagar's life history is more than just a bird book. It is a story of dedication to nature and the role she could play in promoting it to others, despite recurring threats of blindness and other health problems. The hundreds of species of birds that visited Rockport each year brought thousands of other birders, and Hagar patiently hosted and assisted both the greenest beginners and the most magisterial experts.

Hagar and McCracken's Boswellian-Johnsonian relationship, Hagar's own "Nature Calendars" containing thirty-five years of observations, and interviews with those who knew the "bird woman of Rockport" provide the basis for this narrative. It was Hagar who, more than anyone else, made coastal Texas a mecca for serious birders.

Customer Reviews:

birders will love it.......2002-12-20

Connie Hagar lived the birder's dream: she settled on the Texas coast just a stone's throw from the wintering ground of the whooping crane, and spent just about every day of her life birding the various surrounding habitats. The location is the neck of the major north American migration flyway, and so there were new birds to be discovered every day. She also had a photographic memory, and recounted detail after exciting detail, bird by bird, to her biographer. Most amusing are her encounters with the high and mighty of birding deans; remember that this was long before women's lib. Most amazing are the accounts of the fallout of migrating birds-and sometimes devastation--caused by storms. Her supportive husband ran their motel court, and so they were able to play host to many notable birders. By the time Roger Tory Peterson visited, her reputation was well-established. Public speaking and a leadership role in nature organizations made her known to thousands. The author is a journalist, and the book is smoothly written and factual.

Naturally . . . South Texas: Nature Notes from the Coastal Bend (Corrie Herring Hooks Series Number Forty-eight)

Average customer rating:

Naturally . . . South Texas: Nature Notes from the Coastal Bend (Corrie Herring Hooks Series Number Forty-eight)
Roland H. Wauer
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Nature Writing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

"I believe this book will be read and enjoyed even by those who have ventured no further afield than a chigger bite as a casualty of a backyard barbecue." --David H. Riskind, Director, Natural Resources Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife The Golden Crescent of South Texas, a fifteen-county region along and inland from the middle Gulf Coast, is often called "the Crossroads" because of its natural diversity. Located in the heart of the Gulf Coast Prairie and Marshes, the area also encompasses the trailing edges of the South Texas Plains, Post Oak Savannah, and Blackland Prairie. This confluence of ecological zones makes it a wonderful place for birding and for observing the changing face of nature, especially during seasonal transitions. In this book, Ro Wauer describes a typical year in the natural life of South Texas. Using selected entries from his weekly column in the Victoria Advocate newspaper, he discusses numerous topics for each month, from the first appearance of butterflies in January, to alligators making a comeback in July, to the Christmas bird count in December. His observations are filled with intriguing natural history lore, from what sounds mockingbirds will imitate (almost any noise in their neighborhood) to how armadillos swim (by inflating themselves to increase their buoyancy).

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