Peregrine Falcon: Stories of the Blue Meanie (Corrie Herring Hooks Series, 60)

• Publisher:   University of Texas Press
• Number Of Pages:   266
• Publication Date:   2005-03-01
• ISBN-10 / ASIN:   0292705905
• ISBN-13 / EAN:   9780292705906

A superb success as a bird, combining great speed, aeronautical grace, and fearlessness ...inhabitant of wild places, inaccessible cliffs, and skyscrapers ...worldwide dweller, trans-equatorial migrant, and docile captive--the peregrine falcon stands alone among all others of its kind. Perhaps this is why so many varied people rushed to its aid when it faced decimation by pesticide poisoning. In this personal and highly entertaining memoir, Jim Enderson tells stories of a lifetime spent studying, training, breeding, and simply enjoying peregrine falcons. He recalls how his boyhood interest in raptors grew into an ornithological career in which he became one of the leading experts who helped identity DDT as the cause of the peregrine falcon's sudden and massive decline across the United States. His stories reveal both the dedication that he and fellow researchers brought to the task of studying and restoring the peregrine and the hair-raising adventures that sometimes befell them along the way. Enderson also seamlessly weaves in the biology and natural history of the peregrine, as well as anecdotes about its traditional and widespread use in falconry as an aggressive yet tractable hunter, to offer a broad portrait of this splendid and intriguing falcon.

If you didn't want to take the time to read the review by Stan Moore, take my word for it...
This book is a truly wonderful look at the plight of the peregrine as a species. Jim Enderson is without a doubt one of the top peregrine biologists in the world, and has created a memoir that is an absolute gem. Buy this book!

There have been many books on peregrine falcons over the years, including some very good ones. I have read most of them. Jim Enderson's new book is probably the best book on peregrines I have ever seen, especially if one includes the peregrine/human interface. Jim Enderson not only knows peregrine falcons intimately, but he is intimately acquainted with most or all of the major peregrine falcon biologists in the world, not to mention falconers who train and fly both wild caught and captive bred peregrines. Many of Enderson's generation of peregrine biologists were and are falconers, and the unique and substantive insights of these people, including Enderson, are what make this book so special. This book includes a lot of low-key humor by the author, which perhaps one would expect of a former Iowa farm boy. Adventures to the four corners of the world in places from Scotland to Zimbabwe to Greenland are among the highlights of the book. Tales of perilous climbs by rope to visit cliffside peregrine nests place the reader on edge. There is even a tiny amount of sexual innuendo among a few of the stories to titillate those who are not merely satisfied with reading about duck hawks. Enderson also is brutally honest in revealing some of his opinions and foibles. He talks of "robbing" peregrine nests, with the end justifying the means. The reader is left to wonder if Enderson took some peregrine young illegally (without legal authorization by appropriate government permits) or was he robbing the nests only from the perspective of the parents.
Some of the science/policy/conservation views expressed by Enderson are subject to question, such as his apparent view that "floaters" are not a major part of robust, healthy populations, or that subspecific status is not important in recovery/management efforts. History has shown that peregrine subspecies' status was used in listing the birds at the beginning of the DDT era, but Enderson appears to be saying that subspecies considerations are useful in determining status, but not in management. Any person who loves peregrine falcons or who knows some of the history of peregrine falcon research and recovery will love this book. It is a hard book to put down once you start reading it!
Many of us would die to have the chance at a life like Enderson chronicles in this book. This book is a memoir that gives us a peek into a fabulous, productive, exciting human life in close interaction with a truly charasmatic wildlife species. One comes away with a feeling of: "Damn. I wish I could have been there, done that."

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