The Call of the Osprey

by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, William Muñoz (Illustrator)

Overview

This meticulously researched and photographed account follows three University of Montana scientists and their interdisciplinary work with osprey: fish-catching birds with gigantic nests and a family that functions with teamwork and cooperation. Today the osprey is studied to monitor the effects of mercury on living things. The osprey hunts in a very small area around its large nest and so scientists can pinpoint where mercury is coming from. In Missoula, Montana, the scientists have been following ospreys for six years, collecting data on the amount of contaminants found on their feathers and in their blood. The rivers and streams in Western Montana are still suffering effects from inappropriate mining activities performed more than a hundred years ago. This man-made pollution is still dangerous to people and to wildlife.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544232686
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/02/2015
Series:	Scientists in the Field Series
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	695,951
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.30(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	NC1210L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Dorothy Hinshaw Patent holds a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of California, Berkeley. She lives with her husband in Missoula, Montana.
dorothyhinshawpatent.com

William Muñoz is a children's book photo-illustrator. He graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in history. He has provided photographs for more than 80 books. He lives in Montana with his family.

Editorial Reviews

07/01/2015
Gr 5–8—Patent's lucid prose and Muñoz's clear color photos work together to document the efforts of the Montana Osprey Project, which studies the negative effects of toxic metals released into the environment during mining operations on these raptors. The book follows three scientists—Erick Greene, Heiko Langner, and Rob Domenech—as they study established pairs during the nesting season. They band osprey chicks, take blood samples and feather clippings for chemical analysis, fit birds with electronic transmitters to follow their wanderings, scoop silt from riverbeds to check for pollutants, and focus two webcams on osprey nests to check on parenting skills and chick development. The trio also talk with wildlife biology students and cooperate with locals who are fascinated by ospreys. Sidebars abound on a wide variety of topics, many pertaining to the ospreys: their biology, food, nesting behaviors, and migration patterns. Others include biographical background on the three scientists, an article on a young student and her experiments on fish in metal-contaminated waters, and information about the use of mercury in mining operations and the dangers that baling twine poses to nest building ospreys. An extensive author's note describes Patent's experience with some very far-flung pollution. VERDICT An exciting addition to a stellar series.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

2015-04-01
Ospreys, severely affected by DDT in the 1960s, now serve as indicators for the success of pollution remediation on a Superfund cleanup site. Scientists from the Montana Osprey Project invite the public to share their enthusiasm for these amazing raptors, bringing young people to visit the nests and maintaining two webcams while carrying on the work of collecting and analyzing samples of blood and feathers from osprey chicks along the Clark Fork River. Patent introduces the birds and the project, explaining environmental issues resulting from mining in the Clark Fork area, various dangers for ospreys, and the research. A chapter of osprey observations done through Web cameras, watching two pairs raise their chicks, is followed by an explanation of the problem of mercury and then a description of the attachment of transmitters to these birds to research migration patterns. There's a great deal of information crammed into this title; many sidebars and special sections interrupt the exposition. Readers without a solid science background may have difficulty following the steps of data analysis. Libraries still holding Patent and Muñoz's Ospreys (1993) will find that simpler title a helpful overview of the species, but this one demonstrates how studying these birds may help address some knottier scientific problems. More science than adventure, this is a challenging addition to the Science in the Field series. (Nonfiction. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews

"Well researched and clearly written…a solid addition so science collections." —Booklist "The pages are filled with current and historical photographs...Patent introduces readers to field and laboratory research conducted by scientists." —Horn Book Magazine "Patent's lucid prose and Muñoz's clear color photos work together to document the efforts of the Montana Osprey Project... An exciting addition to a stellar series." —School Library Journal "There are many threads to this particular story in the Scientists in the Field series...Readers who prefer to shortcut straight to the birds themselves will be particularly pleased not only with the myriad photographs but also with inserts on the nesting pairs." —Bulletin   —

From the Publisher