The View from Hawk Mountain: The Story of the World's First Raptor Sanctuary

by Michael Harwood

Book by Harwood, Michael

191 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2001

About the author

Michael was an important founding member of Western Connecticut Bird Club and very helpful in the founding the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA). Michael and his wife Mary Durant were the authors of "On the Road With John Audubon" (forget his middle name, which was in the title), in which they traced Audubon's travels across North America. Michael was also the author of "View from Hawk Mountain".

Reviews

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in the early 70's, it is interesting to see Harwood's view on conservation at the time.

The history of the hawk shoots is one of the truly sad parts of the country's history, since they were shot as predators (even though science showed these birds killed far more predators than livestock and game birds - one study showed that a $5 bounty offered by the state actually caused a downstream cost of thousands of dollars to the economy).

The discussion of the impact of DDT and other organochlorides on birds like the Osprey and Bald Eagle, and the alarming declines in their populations is a story that has also played out well since the book has been published, with great rebounds in their populations, as well as the resurgence of the Peregrine Falcon.

The book is put together well, and well written. Definitely worth the read.