What is so compelling about falconry? Tim Gallagher mines his lifelong obsession with falcons for an answer in this engaging volume interweaving memoir, history, and travelogue. An entire subculture of the sport exists outside the mainstream of American society, consisting of obsessed individuals who still use the ancient training techniques and language of falconry. Gallagher finds that his personal story connects on many levels with that of Frederick II, the thirteenth-century Holy Roman Emperor, legendary falconer, and notorious freethinker who brought the full wrath of the medieval Church down upon his dynasty. While following in Frederick’s footsteps through southern Italy, Gallagher ponders his own history as well. What salve to his spirit did falconry provide when it ignited his passion at age twelve? Beset by a turbulent childhood dominated by a brutal and violent father, Gallagher turned to this sport for emotional release. He offers us a unique glimpse into contemporary falconry, and the result is a surprisingly frank and revealing personal story.

Product Description: The birder who rediscovered the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker takes the reader on daring journeys to the arctic, distant islands, and high deserts in search of spectacular raptors -- peregrine falcons, eagles, gyrfalcons, and condors -- as well as to a few locations closer to home.

An award-winning writer and photographer chases after the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, the 'ghost bird' of the swamp, in this birder's adventure story, reconstructing his search for a bird that was once declared extinct. Reprint.

An award-winning writer and photographer chases after the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, the 'ghost bird' of the swamp, in this birder's adventure story, reconstructing his search for a bird that was once declared extinct. 20,000 first printing.

Twenty-four essays range from accounts of birding in the icy regions of the North and descriptions of rare raptors in California to musings on diverse bird populations in New Jersey, the Everglades, and California's Santa Catalina Island.

A guide to the one hundred best birdwatching sites in the United States and Canada offers tips for planning trips to fit one's need, interest, and budget, in addition to a complete listing of national parks, wildlife refuges, and state forests, parks, nature preserves, research stations, deserts, and much more. (view table of contents)

Product Description: From getting to the right place with the right equipment to experienced tips on stalking. (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)