The Wind Masters: The Lives of North American Birds of Prey FROM THE PUBLISHER
Even People with Little Interest in Birds Will Stop in Their Tracks at the sight of a hawk soaring overhead or a falcon perched on a window ledge. Birds of prey have an aura that few other creatures have. In the acclaimed Hawks in Flight, Pete Dunne showed what birds of prey look like. In The Wind Masters, he show what it is like to be a bird of prey. He takes us inside the lives and minds of all thirty-four species of diurnal raptors found in North America -- hawks, falcons, eagles, vultures, the osprey, and the harrier -- and shows us how each bird sees the world, hunts its prey, finds and courts its mate, rears its young, grows up, grows old, and dies. Vividly written, and beautifully illustrated by David Allen Sibley, The Wind Masters is a brilliant work of narrative natural history in the tradition of Peter Matthiessen's The Wind Birds and Barry Lopez's Of Wolves and Men.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
What distinguishes birds of prey from other birds is that they exhibit so many modes of flight; they have mastered the wind in every conceivable manner, the author points out. Dunne introduces 34 species of diurnal raptors-kites, vultures, falcons, eagles, hawks, harriers and ospreys. He presents his material anecdotally in fictional settings that include all the significant factors of raptor life. This approach is effective for most subjects, but a wisecracking raven in his story of a lead-poisoned, dying golden eagle seems inappropriate. Generally, Dunne attempts to convey what it is like to be a bird of prey, especially when it is airborne. There are dramatic stories: a Peregrine falcon defending her nest from a wolverine, a rough-leffed hawk struggling offshore. Dunne's vivid descriptions are matched by Sibley's fine illustrations. (Oct.)
Library Journal
Through a combination of expository writing and fictional narrative, Dunne (The Feather Quest, LJ 1/92) offers basic data on the life cycles of the breeding eagles, hawks, falcons, and vultures of the United States and Canada. Each of the 33 species is given its own chapter in which a brief episode in the life of an individual bird, pair, or brood exemplifies the essence of the species. Other animals, including humans, often play a role, if only as prey. Dunne's natural history is sound and his writing style appealing, but his tendency to attribute human emotions to birds may put off some readers; the blend of fact and fiction doesn't always succeed. While this is not an essential purchase, it will find readers in public libraries.-Paul B. Cors, Univ. of Wyoming Lib., Laramie
Booknews
Prominent birder Pete Dunne provides vivid, fictionalized accounts of how each of 33 North American raptors sees the world, hunts prey, finds and courts a mate, rears young, grows up, and dies. B&w illustrations. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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