Friday, May 29, 2015

The Goshawk



A few months ago I read a review in the New Yorker magazine about a new book called "H Is for Hawk."  It became a bestseller in the UK and won several literary awards.  The author, Helen MacDonald, is a naturalist, artist, historian and research scholar at Cambridge University.  She's also an experienced falconer, and while grieving her father's sudden death she decides to buy and train a Goshawk, the most notoriously difficult and high-strung of all the hawks.  Her book is about this experience, and much more.

The New Yorker book reviews are often so dense and long that by the time I've read them,  I don't feel any desire to pick up the actual book. But in this case-- the subject matter!  It seemed like a must read for anyone interested in birds.  As a treat to myself I picked up a copy at Costco, of all places.

I won't try to rehash the book here, other than saying it is very good.  But this video gives you some idea of this amazing creature.


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