Copyright
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Sy Montgomery and Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
Prologue
Part One: Owned by a Hawk
Chapter 1: A Different Way of Life
Chapter 2: I Begin
Chapter 3: Meeting Injun
Chapter 4: The Attack and the Mission
Chapter 5: Compatibility on Injun's Terms
Chapter 6: Goshawk in the Bedroom
Chapter 7: Injun on "Suffering Fools"
Chapter 8: Moving to the Right Place
Chapter 9: People in Kilts
Chapter 10: How High Should You Go?
Chapter 11: Thin Ice and Pheasants
Chapter 12: Hawkdogs
Chapter 13: Bird Years
Chapter 14: The Importance of Being Injun
Part Two: A Tale of Two Peregrines
Chapter 15: Tapped for a New Role
Chapter 16: Suspicious Characters
Chapter 17: Licensed!
Chapter 18: Meet a Bird Named N-Z
New York Times bestseller
Nancy Cowan is a master falconer, wildlife rescue expert, sled-dog sportswriter and historian, popular speaker, and award-winning writer. After spearheading a years-long campaign to win legalization for falconry in the state of New Hampshire, she and her husband founded the internationally-known New Hampshire School of Falconry. A licensed wildlife rehabilitator, Nancy has worked with a variety of hawk and falcon species which have been injured or orphaned and frequently is consulted by local wildlife rehab centers and New Hampshire Audubon Society on the care and rehabilitation of injured birds. The school website can be found at www.nhschooloffalconry.com. Cowan's writing has appeared in DogWorld, Yankee Magazine, DOGFANCY, and Down East magazines as well as club and breed publications.
Peregrine Spring is "a roller coaster ride of experiences . . . an
exquisite, moving, important and surprising book. . . . When the
tempo does slow, it is a respite that gives the reader a chance to
savor descriptions of incredibly beautiful birds which carry the
reader along on their spectacular flights." --Sy Montgomery, author
of The Good Good Pig "Peregrine Spring must be told. It is
important that this book be published. People need to read this."
--Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of The Hidden Life of Dogs
"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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