Page 9 - The Shores of Jupiter - May '22

The Shores, Page 9
Book Review

The Hawk’s Way: Encounters Under Nancy Cowan’s

With Fierce Beauty tutelage, Sy spent several
years learning the art of
hunting with birds of prey
By Nils A. Shapiro and, most importantly, about
“Inches from my face, I the intensely fascinating and
hold a living dinosaur. magnificent raptors that one
“Like his ancestors, the must work with. (No, not
creature I hold on my fist is work with – rather, that one
a hunter, an eater of meat. must work for!)
His forebears, the theropod And that is the rule – the
dinosaurs, included some key to success – that Sy must
of the most fearsome learn very quickly, as the
creatures to walk the earth: following statements from an
Allosaurus, Velociraptor, and opening chapter make clear: In one of the book’s few black-and-white photos (most are
Tyrannosaurus. Like them, “Hawks do not play by our rules. You can never assume in color), author Sy Montgomery is shown with a Harris's
he is a bipedal predator. Like them, he possesses large finger that a hawk, even one you raised from a chick, will forgive your hawk named Jazz on her leather-gloved hand. The photo
bones, and forward-facing eyes bestowing excellent binocular mistakes – sometimes a single error ruptures the relationship appears just below text that reads, “Though Jazz has done
vision. Like them, when he hatched out of the egg, he was forever. A hawk will not come to your rescue if you’re in trouble. nothing more than land on my hand, I feel she has given me
covered with down. As with many of them, his baby down then A hawk will not comfort you if you are sad. What a falconry a great gift.”
gave way to feathers. hawk will do, if you do everything right, is allow you to be their
“The difference is, unlike the other dinosaurs, the one hunting partner – ‘the junior partner’… for the hawk, with its in the air or on the ground – and rip them to pieces.
before me can fly.” exquisite vision and lightning responses, is always the superior For a lifelong vegan whose own home life includes a
These are the opening words of Sy Montgomery’s 34th hunter ... If you do everything right, the hawk will allow you to wonderful border collie and a roost of “little ladies” – the five
book – some of which have become bestsellers in 25 countries be its servant. And for this, the falconer is profoundly grateful.” hens that she and her author/historian husband have raised and
– an award-winning author whom The Boston Globe has With long, sharp talons, such raptors as hawks, falcons and care for as protected pets – it is a decision that would have to
described as “a combination of Indiana Jones and Emily eagles are capable of easily ripping through flesh and bone, and be reconciled with an acceptance of the law of wild nature:
Dickinson” because of her remarkable adventures facing some if angered by a mistake on the part of the human with whom “Hunt hard. Kill swiftly. Waste nothing. Offer no
of the world’s most dangerous wildlife around the globe – and a hunting bird is “working,” it has been known to attack even apologies.”
then telling her stories to readers in an informative, sensitive the eyes. For that reason, while the basic hunting techniques Whether to become a falconer is not a decision Sy makes
writing style that reflects her deep understanding of, and caring of falconry call for wearing a large leather glove on which lightly. You will have to read the book to find out – but you
for, all the creatures with whom we share this world. the bird perches before it takes off on the hunt, there are also won’t need a raptor to hunt down a copy. This month is the
But The Hawk’s Way is very significantly different from detailed procedures for the human’s positioning every step of official publication date and, with the Sy Montgomery name,
most of Sy Montgomery’s other books in two respects: the way – for example, at one point to keep one’s back toward The Hawk’s Way should be available everywhere.
While Sy has been chased by a silverback gorilla in Zaire; the bird in order to protect one’s own eyes. *****
hunted by man-eating tigers in India (which was the subject Sy is immediately taken with the wonder of these Only an author with the skill and heart of Sy Montgomery
of a National Geographic TV special); studied octopuses in extraordinary birds of prey. We learn in her absorbing book can relate all of this in a slim, 80-page, compact (5-1/4” by
their natural habitat; was bitten by a vampire bat in Costa Rica; many fascinating facts about the various kinds of hawks and 7-1/2”) volume, the same charming format as her recently
tracked the elusive snow leopards in the Altai Mountains of other birds of prey, and there are 16 pages of beautiful color published The Hummingbirds’ Gift.
Mongolia’s Gobi; worked in a pit with 18,000 crawling snakes photographs accompanying the text.
in Manitoba; swam with eels, dolphins and piranhas in the Gradually, Sy’s awe and respect for these raptors grows
Amazon; was undressed by an orangutan in Borneo; hiked the to a level near obsession, and she considers becoming a Cairns: Gateway To The Great Barrier Reef from page 8
trackless cloud forest of Papua New Guinea to radio collar tree falconer herself. She has fallen under the same spell that
kangaroos ... and more, all as research for her books – when it has captivated humans as far back as 2000 B.C. when men in enclosed gondola cars on a cable. One gets a unique
came to The Hawk’s Way she had only to turn to a friend and on the Mongolian steppes first partnered with these hunters view of the canopy as the car travels just above treetop
New Hampshire neighbor, Nancy Cowan, one of the world’s because of their killer instincts, blazing speed, hooked level through the rainforest.
most expert falconers, who introduced Sy to what turned out beaks and razor-sharp talons that enabled them to attack Enjoying both the historic train and the skyrail on
to be an experience so profound that it challenged Sy’s own their prey – other birds or such small mammals as rabbits, your visit can culminate in experiencing the Tjapukai
life-long belief systems! squirrels, voles or even small dogs larger than themselves, Aboriginal Cultural Park. Here you witness the true
lifestyle of the Aborigines through their music, dance
Advertise! (561) 746-3244 and Dreamtime stories. You can get some hands-on
experiences, possibly throwing a boomerang or spear.
Check out our website! • www.seabreezepublications.com This is all part of a full-day experience.
And for those who prefer a bit slower pace and
lodging directly on sand beaches, the Palm Cove and
Port Douglas areas just north of Cairns are excellent
venues to do just that.
CAMPBELL AND KARLIK, P.A. Few places on earth have as much diversity in so
small an area. There is always so much to do, and
so little time to do it, but even a short visit to North
ATTORNEYS AT LAW Queensland will give you a unique perspective of the
real Australia.
Don Kiselewski writes from his personal
experiences, having traveled in 122 countries and
Wills • Trusts • Estate Planning • Probate cruised the oceans, seas and rivers of the world. Palm

Taxation • Real Estate • Corporations Beach Gardens Travel Leaders, his family owned and
operated agency, is located at Mirasol Town Square,
11360 North Jog Road, Building A, Suite 102-6, Palm
Beach Gardens. The agency has been serving the travel
needs of the South Florida area for over a quarter of
a century. Contact him at (561) 694-9696 or Aussie@
PBGTravel.com.
Photos by Don Kiselewski

Diane L. KarLiK

Tel: (561) 625-5220
3450 Northlake Boulevard Suite 210 Fax: (561) 625-5201• Mobile: (561) 797-5004
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33403 EMail: dlkarlik@aol.com Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Photo by Louise Marshall