Pre-Owned The American Eagle (Hardcover) 0670884480 9780670884483

Aloof and powerful, the once endangered bald eagle is slowly making a comeback, ecologically speaking, throughout much of North America, to which it is unique. For the last two decades wildlife photographer John Pezzenti has been recording this reversal of fortunes, traveling where the eagles do and bringing home images from his travels, some 150 of which are gathered in this volume. Many of Pezzenti's striking views come from the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, home to a huge concentration of bald eagles; some 20,000 nesting pairs are found in the region, nourished by silver salmon and other large fish. Pezzenti captures images of little-seen aspects of eagle behavior, including courtship flights that involve several males, who compete to mate with a female by exhibiting an "impressive display of calls and acrobatic maneuvers." He also provides the only photographic record yet published of eagles hatching in the wild, a sequence that alone is worth the price of the book. While noting that conditions are much improved, especially after the federal ban of the use of the pesticide DDT, Pezzenti observes that bald eagles are not yet wholly safe from harm; a thriving black market for flight feathers exists, in which a single white tail plume can bring a thousand dollars. For admirers of this spectacular raptor, Pezzenti's book is required reading. --Gregory McNamee