For six luminous months8211;an entire nesting season8211;David Gessner immersed himself in the lives of the magnificent osprey8217;s that had returned to his seagirt corner of Cape Cod. In this marvelous book8211;part memoir, part paean to a once-endangered species, part natural history of the Cape8211;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 8216;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 chicks8217; attempts to fly shows him the value of letting go.A story of recovery and connection, Return of the Osprey celebrates one of nature8217;s most remarkable creatures as well as our own limitless capacity for wonder.
Gessner writes of a year getting to know the Osprey, a bird whose presence on Cape Cod has bounded back from near extinction in the 1950s. His book includes biology and behavior, but is mostly about bird watching and the comforts of place.
- Genre: Nature
- Subgenre: Birds + Birdwatching
- Publisher: Ballantine Books
- Edition: Reprint
- Language: English
- Format: paperback
- Release Date: February 1, 2002
- Date Published: February 1, 2002
- Author: David Gessner