Moir deftly chronicles the efforts of the dedicated biologists at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service who work to save the California condor from extinction. Remarkable birds with 10-foot wing spans and the ability to fly 150 miles a day, the condors numbered only 27 in 1987, and, although members of the service's condor recovery program had for years been trying to help the population recover in the wild, all but one of the birds lived in captivity. After a bruising battle with those who opposed confining condors for any reason (including David Brower of Friends of the Earth), the biologists captured the remaining wild condor and put all their efforts into a captive breeding program. Moir, who has spent years writing about the recovery team's work, keeps the reader in suspense from the poignant moment when the last wild condor was captured to the triumphant morning in 1992 when the first birds raised in captivity were released. Today more than 125 California condors fly free. But as Moir convincingly shows, their environment is fraught with dangers. The book includes appendixes listing condor Web sites and places to view condors. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Now that there are more than 125 wild California Condors again flying free in three states plus Baja California, this fine book provides a valuable update on North America's largest bird. In 1987, the last wild condor was captured in California. Thus began a long, arduous, and controversial captive breeding program but hardly controversial any longer, now that its success is manifest. Without the program, these massive, vulture-like birds would be extinct. Award-winning science journalist Moir provides an informed retelling of an oft-told story. He has interviewed many of the principals, having lived most of his life in condor country, and writes engagingly of the bitter disagreements between proponents and opponents of captive breeding, the political implications of this story, the dangers newly released condors face, their surprising intellect, and the interest and publicity they have garnered. Moir's useful, annotated appendixes detail condor web sites as well as where to see wild and captive condors. Another worthy recent book is NPR correspondent John Nielsen's Condor. Highly recommended for the natural history, biology, and ornithology collections of public and academic libraries. (Color insert not seen.) Henry T. Armistead, formerly with Free Lib. of Philadelphia Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Audubon himself would be delighted to read John Moir’s exciting and authoritative account of the difficult, politically fraught but ultimately rewarding effort to save the largest of all the living birds, a great shadow in the sky above the Western range. I certainly was.”
Pulling the California condor back from the brink of extinction has been difficult, and expensive. But this fine book by John Moir makes abundantly clear why preserving magnificent beings like our once-more wild condors is one of twenty-first-century society’s more important obligations.”
With eloquence and insight, John Moir chronicles the effort to save this spectacular bird. His book is a remarkable testament to what a few dedicated individuals can accomplish.”
A heart-stopping saga of the rescue from the very brink of extinction of one of the grandest of all birds. Starting with page one, I was captured by Return of the Condor. America is the richer for the success of those who fought against all odds. .. and this tale is one all should read.”
The story grips our attention as a good novel does and will be enjoyed by birders, environmentalists, and curious laymen alike.”
John Moir’s dramatic account of bringing the condor back from the brink of extinction is a reminder of the fragility of life on our planet and of the capacity of one species, humans, to protect or extinguish all others. Return of the Condor is a powerful tribute to the scientists, politicians, hunters, environmentalists, and concerned citizens who ultimately found a way to work together to ensure the survival of one of the most remarkable species on Earth.”
John Moir has written an uplifting and well-researched tale that takes us on the condor’s roller-coaster ride to recovery. Equally exhilarating and heartbreaking, this important story brings complex issues into clear focus and lets us understand—with both heart and mind—why we need to save this intelligent and majestic bird.”
Moir, whose prize-winning story for Birding magazine grew into this book, tells of the salvation of the condor.”
Return of the Condor is an account of cutting-edge conservation biology, but it is also an eminently human story. John Moir’s focus is on the problematic intersection between science and scientists, between bird lovers and the great bird itself. The subject matter—complex and controversial, ultimately heartwarming—demands a skilled and sympathetic writer, and Moir’s chronicle is thoroughly successful in this regard.”
"Audubon himself would be delighted to read John Moir's exciting and authoritative account of the difficult, politically fraught but ultimately rewarding effort to save the largest of all the living birds, a great shadow in the sky above the Western range. I certainly was."—Richard Rhodes, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and author of John James Audubon: The Making of an American
"By the 1980s, the California condor was well on its way to extinction. The saga of this magnificent bird, which had soared above the North American continent at a time when mastodons and saber-toothed cats still roamed the Earth, seemed to be nearing the end. The only thing standing in the way of this grim fate was the dedication of a small group of researchers and naturalists, committed to saving the condor. With eloquence and insight, John Moir chronicles the effort to save this spectacular bird. His book is a remarkable testament to what a few dedicated individuals can accomplish."—Tim Gallagher, Director of Publications, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
"Return of the Condor is an account of cutting-edge conservation biology, but it is also an eminently human story. John Moir's focus is on the problematic intersection between science and scientists, between bird lovers and the great bird itself. The subject matter—complex and controversial, ultimately heartwarming—demands a skilled and sympathetic writer, and Moir's chronicle is thoroughly successful in this regard."—Ted Floyd, editor of Birding Magazine,American Birding Association
"John Moir's dramatic account of bringing the condor back from the brink of extinction is a reminder of the fragility of life on our planet and of the capacity of one species, humans, to protect or extinguish all others. Return of the Condor is a powerful tribute to the scientists, politicians, hunters, environmentalists, and concerned citizens who ultimately found a way to work together to ensure the survival of one of the most remarkable species on Earth."—Mark Schaefer, CEO, Global Environment and Technology Foundation, Former president of NatureServe
"A heart-stopping saga of the rescue from the very brink of extinction of one of the grandest of all birds. Starting with page one, I was captured by Return of the Condor. America is the richer for the success of those who fought against all odds. .. and this tale is one all should read."—Thomas Lovejoy, President, The Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, Founder of the PBS series Nature
"Pulling the California condor back from the brink of extinction has been difficult, and expensive. But this fine book by John Moir makes abundantly clear why preserving magnificent beings like our once-more wild condors is one of 21st century society's more important obligations."—Alan Tennant, author of On The Wing: To The Edge Of The Earth With The Peregrine Falcon
"John Moir has written an uplifting and well-researched tale that takes us on the condor's roller-coaster ride to recovery. Equally exhilarating and
heart-breaking, this important story brings complex issues into clear focus and lets us understand—with both heart and mind—why we need to save this intelligent and majestic bird."—Maria Mudd Ruth, author of Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet
“Moir deftly chronicles the efforts of the dedicated biologists…who work to save the California condor from extinction.”— Publishers Weekly
A riveting, readable story of a bird’s rescue.”
