Of all the creatures with which humans have been associated – both physically as well as spiritually – from times that long predate written records, bears have been among the foremost. The source of both fear as well as of fascination; alternately hated and revered, bears have for millennia been the embodiment of our nightmares as well as of our greatest desires for power within as well as over our environment.
It was when I took up walking in the very early mornings in order to improve my health that I came to better understand the local deer. Columbia Blacktails, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus, are abundant around our Pacific Northwest home, being particularly visible in the hours just before and after sunrise. Each day, as I set […]
While I held many delightful conversations at the recently concluded Birdfair with friends both old and new, one person I kept repeatedly missing was Mark Avery. Oh I had sightings – coming upon Mark and his friends from Birders Against Wildlife Crime as I was exiting the Authors’ Forum following the conclusion of Tessa Boase’s brilliant presentation of her new Mrs. Pankhurst’s Purple Feather, stumbling upon him meeting with a table-full of fellows outside the Celestron stand. Unfortunately, each time our paths crossed, one or the other of us lacked the available time for a nice cuppa and a sit-down.
Most of the authors whose books I report upon and review are not what anyone would call “controversial.” Oh perhaps within certain academic circles they may have disagreements with colleagues, but as far as the general reading public are concerned, they are models of intellectual sobriety. Of course, there are a few who are a bit more unconventional.