The Hawk's Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty

(Hardback)

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A splendid and luminous celebration of one of natures most perfect and mysterious creaturesthe hawkfrom the New York Times bestselling author of the astoundingly beautiful (NPR) The Soul of an Octopus.

When Sy Montgomery went to spend a day at falconer Nancy Cowans farm, home to a dozen magnificent birds of prey, it was the start of a deep love affair. Nancy allowed her to work with Jazz, a feisty, four-year-old, female Harriss hawk with a wingspan of more than four feet. Not a pet, Jazz was a fierce predator with talons that could pierce skin and bone and yet, she was willing to work with a human to hunt. From the first moment Jazz swept down from a tree and landed on Sys leather gloved fist, Sy fell under the hawks magnetic spell.

Over the next few years, Sy spent more time with these magnificent creatures, getting to know their extraordinary abilities and instincts. They are deeply emotional animals, quick to show anger and frustration, and can hold a grudge for years. But they are also loyal and intensely aware of their surroundings. In this mesmerizing account, featuring sixteen pages of gorgeous color photographs, Sy passionately and vividly reveals the wonderous world of hawks and what they can teach us about nature, life, and love.

Reviews

If youre a bird-loveror otherwise revel in natureyoull appreciate Montgomerys latest... Its an informative read that will make you want to go outside and look up into the sky. Washington Post
The book explores Sys fascination with hawks, starting with her relationship with a falconers Harriss hawk named Jazz. Through Jazz and her kind, Montgomery explores these magnificent, loyal, and fierce creatures, helping to better understand the natural world. BookRiot
The Hawks Way is a perfect gift for the nature lovers in your life, and its the ideal size to tuck in your backpack the next time you head out for a hike into the majesty and mystery of nature. BookReporter
To anyone curious about the allure of falconry, [The Hawks Way] is a good place to start.The Wall Street Journal
Montgomery hooks readers with a striking opening line Montgomery offers a good amount of stimulating information about raptor behavior, a primer on the language of falconry, and some surprising insights into what is thought to be a hawks mindset. Kirkus Reviews
[An] impassioned introduction to falconry Heartfelt and informative just right for adventure- and animal-loving readers.Publishers Weekly
Gorgeously illuminating and deeply affecting. Booklist
RadiantCollapsing the distance between birds and people, this concise and charming book feels custom-made for readers of Helen Macdonald'sH Is for Hawk. Shelf Awareness

Author Bio

Sy Montgomery is a naturalist, documentary scriptwriter, and author of thirty-one acclaimed books of nonfiction for adults and children, includingThe Hummingbirds Gift, the National Book Award finalistThe Soul of an Octopus,and the memoirThe Good Good Pig, which was aNew York Timesbestseller. The recipient of numerous honors, including lifetime achievement awards from the Humane Society and the New England Booksellers Association, she lives in New Hampshire with her husband, writer Howard Mansfield, and a border collie.