Media Reviews
Nancy Cowan's Peregrine Spring is the best narrative of a modern falconer's life I know. It's not a how-to, though you can learn plenty from it. Nor does Nancy pose as an all-knowing 'Master,' though she is a master-or mistress-of our ancient practice. What she does give us is a falconry pilgrim's progress, from beginner to teacher, with all the thrills and delights and sometimes horrors that accompany the journey. I plan to give this book to every person who approaches me and wishes to become a falconer. It's essential. --Steve Bodio, author of A Rage for Falcons and Eagle Dreams Peregrine Spring is a wonderful and often poignant account of Nancy Cowan's relationship with a host of raptors; their lives, personalities, and species-related abilities. This book is for those interested in human-animal relationships and future falconers alike. -Ben Kilham, author of Out on a Limb: What Black Bears Have Taught Me about Intelligence and Intuition Cowan gives us striking insights into the inner workings of the relationships between raptors and their handlers, as only someone who has dedicated her life to these birds could do. -Irene Pepperberg, author of Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence-and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process Of all the working partnerships between humans and animals, the most intriguing and unfathomable must be the one between falconers and their birds. In this beguiling memoir, Nancy Cowan describes the knife's edge on which she and her fellow falconers balance-studying everything from medieval techniques to modern medicine, doing their best to understand the kinds of birds who think, but not the way we do; who accept their jesses and hoods, but don't lose their essential wildness; and who, when released into the sky, can at any time disappear and never return. Filled with information, beautiful descriptions, and stories both heartwarming and hair-raising, this is a book that will fascinate readers of all kinds. --Suzie Gilbert, author of Flyaway: How a Wild Bird Rehabber Sought Adventure and Found Her Wings Since time immemorial, humans have looked to the skies and marveled at the flying skills and hunting prowess of falcons and hawks. We have craved the freedom of flight and the vicarious thrill of the kill. For thousands of years, falconry has allowed that thrill to manifest in the close union of bird and human. It's an uneasy alliance that requires patience, skill and care, and Nancy Cowan is one in a small number of practicing falconers today who share their passion and avocation with a wide audience...Through Peregrine Spring we can all sail on the wind with Nancy's birds and take a glimpse into her life: a life devoted to an ancient art with a modern twist. -Iain MacLeod, executive director, Squam Lakes Natural Science Center Not only does Nancy share the technical aspects of training and hunting a raptor, she brings to life the critical bond between falconer and falcon. A great read for anyone who wants to get a close look at what lies behind the curtain of falconry. -Michael J. Bartlett, president, New Hampshire Audubon 'How could anyone relate to a creature as cold and emotionless as a bird of prey?' asks Nancy Cowan in this marvelous book. She answers in stories steeped in admiration, learning and love. 'I have to do this right,' she tells herself about falconry. And she does. She gets her wordsmithing right, too, showing us the hearts of hunters in clean, feather-elegant prose that borders on poetry. Thank you, Nancy. My library is enriched by Peregrine Spring. --Kim Heacox, author of The Only Kayak and Rhythm of the Wild Falconers will find many similarities to their own experiences in the recounting of Nancy's life... Falconers, especially East Coast ones, will be able to identify many of our fellow falconers whom Nancy only identifies by their first names. It makes you feel like an insider and adds to the enjoyment of Nancy's story. Archives Falconers will find many similarities to their own experiences in the recounting of Nancy's life... Falconers, especially East Coast ones, will be able to identify many of our fellow falconers whom Nancy only identifies by their first names. It makes you feel like an insider and adds to the enjoyment of Nancy's story. -- Peter Barry Devers, director of the Falconry Heritage Trust
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