Return of the Osprey: A Season of Flight and Wonder [Anglais] [Broché]

There was a time, not so long ago, when the osprey, or fish hawk, was a common sight along the New England shore. Taking up residence in tall trees that commanded a wide view of sea and sky, the osprey summered along the Atlantic coast, migrating far south to Brazil when the weather turned cold, returning north to nest year after year. That ancient cycle was cut short when DDT-based pesticides entered the ospreys' food chain and caused a perilous decline in their numbers. In time, thanks to the efforts of writer-conservationist Rachel Carson and the lawyers and scientists of the newly founded Environmental Defense Fund, the use of DDT was banned throughout the United States, but its effect on the ospreys endured long afterward.

David Gessner, an able chronicler of the natural world, here recounts the slow reintroduction of the fish hawk to Cape Cod. He offers learned but lightly spun information on their natural history and behavior, matching what he has read to what he has seen as a close observer of these birds in the wild. (He wryly notes, "Sometimes sitting out on the marsh for hours on end is simply boring"--but entirely necessary.) Gessner's memoir documents the fortunes of a single species and celebrates the virtues of committing to a single place, a commitment that, he writes, "the modern world works against." It's a welcome addition to the natural history of raptors and of New England alike. --Gregory McNamee --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

Imagine a fish hawk, its six-foot-wide black and white banded wings backstroking 40 to 100 feet above coastal waters. In a flash of feathers, it hurtles 80 miles per hour headlong toward its prey. Then, in a moment of near suspension, it reverses to dive completely beneath the waves, talons first. Usually it emerges with a wriggling meal, adjusts the fish to the most aerodynamically efficient position and returns to its high perch to share a meal with mate and nestlings. In search of such moments, Gessner (A Wild, Rank Place) explores the salt marshes near his Cape Cod home. In this chronicle of a spring and summer breeding season among four mated pairs of osprey, the author crafts a naturalist's jewel. Kayaking through brackish waters at the ocean's edge, he details life among diverse shore birds and other littoral creatures. Peopling the tale with noted avian authorities, family, friends and local fishermen, he supplements his own seamless writing with citations from his wide reading. After 15 million years of evolution, the osprey ranks high on the seaside food chain. It was nearly decimated in recent decades by DDT-poisoned plankton, nourishment for the herring and other fish this coastal raptor exclusively feeds upon. Now, as it returns to habitats long left vacant, it reoccupies its former ecological niche. Through textured anecdotes and graphic details, Gessner provides insights into the life and history of this great sea bird of prey that will delight both the committed birder and the general reader. BOMC Selection. (Mar. 30)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

The osprey, the only bird of prey to dive underwater for its food, suffered a great population decline due to the use of the pesticide DDT. Ospreys have gradually recovered, and this work celebrates their return to the coast of New England. The author anticipates osprey arrival in the spring and follows their nesting, fishing, raising young, fledging, and return migration to South America, often presenting a tale of his own reactions to and feelings for the birds as opposed to a story of the ospreys themselves. The descriptions of nest building and of the young birds learning to fly and leaving the nest are wonderful, but the reader may be somewhat disconcerted by the mix of natural history and personal, environmental, and philosophical issues. The latter themes are of interest in themselves but don't always work well in the context of this book. Osprey information is more accessible in other works such as Alan Poole's Ospreys: A Natural and Unnatural History (Cambridge Univ., 1989. o.p.). Tim McKimmie, New Mexico State Univ. Lib., Las Cruces
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

Ospreys, formerly known as fish hawks, were one of the flagship species in the fight against DDT. At the apex of the aquatic food chain, ospreys concentrate DDT in their tissues, leading to reproductive failure and ultimate death. Over 90 percent of the osprey population in New England was wiped out between 1950 and 1975, and then DDT was banned. Gessner writes of the return of nesting ospreys to Cape Cod. Ospreys build huge stick nests in elevated places and may now nest on platforms on top of telephone poles on the logged-off Cape. Watching the birds court, catch fish, and build nests, Gessner finds that their lives become increasingly woven into the fabric of his own life. He adjusts his schedule to that of the birds, rising early to watch adults feed chicks, resting at midday when they do, and spending hours observing behavior. It is this learned patience that allows him to observe a rare instance of fratricide at a nest as the third hatched of four chicks kills the youngest. This beautifully written story of a season with birds of prey makes for engrossing reading as we learn about osprey life from a master essayist. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

"A naturalist's jewel...Gessner provides insights inot the life and history of this great sea bird of prey..." --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

"Wonderful." --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

?Thrilling . . . Memorable . . . Among the classics of American nature writing.?
?The Boston Globe

?ENGROSSING . . . AN AUTHOR WHO?S BOTH SENSUOUS AND LYRICAL WHILE ALSO BEING PRISTINELY CONCISE.?
?Rocky Mountain News

For six luminous months–an entire nesting season–David Gessner immersed himself in the lives of the magnificent osprey’s that had returned to his seagirt corner of Cape Cod. In this marvelous book–part memoir, part paean to a once-endangered species, part natural history of the Cape–Gessner recounts the many discoveries he made in the course of that magical season.

Hailed by Roger Tory Peterson as the symbol of the New England coast, the osprey all but vanished during the 1950s and ‘60s because of the ravages of DDT. But now these breathtaking birds are returning. Writing with passion, humor, and a reverence for the natural world, Gessner interweaves the stories of the nesting osprey pairs he observed with the narrative of his own readjustment to life on a windblown, beautiful, and increasingly developed landscape he had known as a child. For Gessner, spotting an osprey dive for fish at forty miles an hour becomes a lesson in patience and focus, watching the birds build their nests illustrates the vital task of making a home, and following the chicks’ attempts to fly shows him the value of letting go.

A story of recovery and connection, Return of the Osprey celebrates one of nature’s most remarkable creatures as well as our own limitless capacity for wonder.

“Thrilling . . . Memorable . . . Among the classics of American nature writing.”
–The Boston Globe

“ENGROSSING . . . AN AUTHOR WHO’S BOTH SENSUOUS AND LYRICAL WHILE ALSO BEING PRISTINELY CONCISE.”
–Rocky Mountain News

David Gessner is the author of the critically acclaimed A Wild, Rank Place and Under the Devil's Thumb. He lives with is wife, Nina de Gramont, on Cape Cod and teaches creative nonfiction as the Harvard Extension School. His work has appeared in a number of publications, including the Boston Globe, Creative Nonfiction, and Orion. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.