Wings for My Flight

Wings for My Flight: the Peregrine Falcons of Chimney Rock

Cover of the 1991 edition
Author Marcy Cottrell Houle
Country United States
Subject Peregrine falcons, environmental protection
Genre Non-fiction
Published
Media type Print
Pages 188 (1991 edition)
216 (2014 updated edition)
Awards Oregon Book Award
Christopher Award
ISBN 0871088975
598.9

Wings for My Flight: the Peregrine Falcons of Chimney Rock is a book by Marcy Cottrell Houle, first published in 1991. The book focuses on Houle's efforts to save the then endangered species of peregrine falcons from extinction. Houle's work takes her to Chimney Rock, Colorado, where one of the last pairs of peregrine falcons is discovered. However, for Houle's efforts to sustain, she must halt a multi-million dollar project to build a tourist attraction in the area. Wings for My Flight was originally published in 1991 and was republished in 1999 and 2014. The book co-received the Oregon Book Award in 1991 and was awarded a Christopher Award for books in 1992.

Background

Further information: Peregrine falcon

A major decline in the peregrine falcon population occurred between 1950 and 1970. During the 1930s and 40s, an estimated 1000 breeding pairs of peregrine falcons inhabited the western United States and Mexico, coupled with 500 pairs in the eastern U.S.[1] By the 70s, there were no peregrine falcon nests discovered east of the Rocky Mountains,[2] and in the West, peregrine falcon populations had declined by 80 to 90 percent.[1] By the events of Wings for My Flight, only seven pairs of peregrine falcons inhabited the Rocky Mountains region.[2]

A clutch of four peregrine falcon eggs, photographed in Cologne, 2014

The peregrine falcon became an endangered species primarily due to the use of organochlorine pesticides—especially DDT, whose agricultural use was banned in the United States in 1972.[3][4] Insects feeding on vegetation with DDT were eaten by small birds, which were in turn consumed by larger birds, such as the peregrine falcon. As a result, peregrine falcons contracted toxic amounts of DDT in their systems. Breakdown of DDT formed DDE, which lowered estrogen levels in the female peregrine bloodstream and quelled the production of calcium. This, in turn, caused the falcon's eggs to grow thinner by up to 20 percent.[5] Peregrine falcons do not lay their eggs in a nest; rather, they do so directly on rocky ledges. As a result, during incubation the thinned shells break under the stress of both the rocky ledge and the parents' weight before they are hatched.[6]

Summary

Chimney Rock, a prominent geological rock formation in Colorado where the majority of the book's events took place, photographed in 2010

The events of Wings for My Flight take place throughout 1975. Marcy Cottrell, a 21-year-old wildlife biologist, is sent by her supervisor, Barry Layne, to the U.S. Forest Service office near Chimney Rock, where a pair of peregrine falcons reside.[7] The pair of peregrines at Chimney Rock is one of only seven pairs remaining in the Rocky Mountains region.[2] Upon meeting Mr. Preston Fitch, an administrator involved with the peregrine falcon project, Houle is criticized for her lack of experience in the field. Nevertheless, Houle is introduced to Chimney Rock. Mr. Fitch explains that the Forest Service spent more than half a million dollars building a road which led to Chimney Rock; work on the road had to be discontinued upon discovery of the falcons. Further, the Chimney Rock area was home to 250 Anasazi Indian ruins from the 900-1100 era.[8]

Houle spends several weeks with the peregrine falcons, recording her observations in her notebook. Houle was originally dispatched to Chimney Rock "to document the 'habitat requirements' of nesting peregrines: primarily, the number of square miles essential for hunting the prey necessary to survival."[9] In spite of her initial attempt at maintaining an impersonal relationship with the falcons, Houle names the female peregrine "Jenny" and the male "King Arthur". After obtaining radio equipment and a garbage truck from the Forest Service, Houle and her teammate Alex manage to determine that Arthur hunted across a 25-square-mile area. Additionally, Houle discovers that of five nestlings hatched by the pair, only two received enough food to survive. Houle names the surviving pair of nestlings "Bold Leopold" and "Albert" and observes distinct personalities exhibited by the pair as they mature and fledge. Leopold would always be the first to try new things, whereas Albert would be more hesitant.

In the meantime, Houle is forced to face the indignation of the residents of the community of Chimney Rock, who view her studies as impeding the progress of the construction of a tourist attraction for the Indian ruins. Particularly concerning is Jenny's sudden death—the female peregrine is shot and killed. After several days of "grieving" and ignoring the hatchlings, King Arthur begins to raise the young falcons singlehandedly. In spite of all the attempts to intimidate her, the people of Chimney Rock eventually sympathize with Houle after her trailer is burglarized.

Publication

Wings for My Flight was first published in 1991 in hardcover[10] by Addison-Wesley. The book was published again in paperback in 1999 by Pruett Publishing, which included a foreword by Robert Michael Pyle and a preface and epilogue by the author.[11] In 2014, the book was updated and republished under the University of New Mexico Press. The updated edition contains a preface by the author that provides a retrospect of the comeback of peregrine falcons since the book was first published in 1991 to present day.[12] In each publication, the names of various people and places discussed were changed. "I felt more comfortable changing the names because I worked for so long with those people, it was impossible to be honest about them if I named them," Houle explained.[13]

Reception

Wings for My Flight was generally well-received. In 1991, the book received the Oregon Book Award for literary nonfiction, co-receiving the award with My Country, My Right to Serve by Mary Ann Humphrey.[14] In 1992, the book received a Christopher Award for books.[15] Kirkus Reviews referred to the book as "an enlightening cautionary take" and "a charmingly personal account". However, the book was also referred to as "loosely organized and occasionally sparse on detail."[9] The Los Angeles Times described the book as "heartfelt", although "naive and overdrawn at times".[16]

Paul De Witte, a freelance writer for The Record (now the Waterloo Region Record), gave a mixed review, saying that "although the novel will certainly find its audience, its Disneyesque sensibilities will kill its broader appeal. The topics of wildlife conservation and global ecological accountability warrant a depth that the author seems unwilling to give her book."[17] In contrast, the Chicago Sun-Times gave a more positive review, noting how "Houle blends elements of adventure, romance, humor and pathos in the story of her rookie summer as a wildlife biologist. Along the way she offers vivid descriptions of her skydiving subjects and the seductive beauty of the wilderness."[18]

References

References
  • Houle, Marcy Cottrell (2014). Wings for my flight : the peregrine falcons of Chimney Rock (Updated ed.). Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 9780826354341.
Notes
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Peregrine Falcon" (PDF). Fws.gov. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. May 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Houle (2014), p. xii
  3. ↑ T. J. Cade, J. H. Enderson, C. G. Thelander & C. M. White (Eds): Peregrine Falcon Populations – Their management and recovery. The Peregrine Fund, Boise, Idaho, 1988. ISBN 0-9619839-0-6.
  4. ↑ Young, Carla (24 January 1985). "Dioxin cleanup begins at Hill". The Free Lance-Star (in Fredericksburg, Virginia). p. 19. Retrieved 7 September 2014. ...DDT, a widely used pesticide that was banned in 1972 after studies linked it to reproductive difficulties in birds...
  5. ↑ Houle (2014), p. 16
  6. ↑ Houle (2014), p. 15
  7. ↑ Houle (2014), p. 4
  8. ↑ Houle (2014), p. 7
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Wings For My Flight". Kirkus.com. Kirkus Reviews. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  10. ↑ Gulliford, Andrew (10 March 2014). "A renewed look at our Colo. peregrines". The Durango Herald. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  11. ↑ Baker, Jeff (26 November 1999). "Biologist Tells the Tale of Return of the Native". The Orgegonian (Oregonian Publishing Co.). p. 09.
  12. ↑ Baker, Jeff (13 February 2014). "Peregrine falcons fly again in Marcy Houle's 'Wings for My Flight': book review". Oregon Live (The Oregonian). Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  13. ↑ Gerhardt, Gary (11 June 1991). "Despite Controversies, Falconer's Research Takes Flight". Rocky Mountain News (Colorado). p. 26.
  14. ↑ "Nonfiction Awards". Literary Arts. Literary Arts. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  15. ↑ "The Christophers give awards". Gainesville Sun. 23 February 1992. p. 11A. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  16. ↑ Wilkes, John (30 April 1991). "A Born Storyteller Enjoying Her Maiden Flight". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  17. ↑ De Witte, Paul (3 August 1991). "Biologist fails to inspire righteous indignation". The Record (Kitchner, Ontario). p. C4.
  18. ↑ Flaherty, Dolores; Flaherty, Roger (19 April 1992). "The soaring peregrinations of Arthur and Jenny". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 13.

External links