The Call of the Osprey
Series
Scientists in the Field
by
Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
photographs by
William Muñoz
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Imprint
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN
9780544232686
Awards and Honors
NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12, 2016
Children’s Book Committee Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of 2016, STEM
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
It's a new breeding season, and scientists and webcam fans alike are anxious to find out if osprey couple Iris and Stanley will return to their Montana nest. Maps. Author's note. Further resources. Sources. Epilogue. Glossary. Index. Black-and-white period photographs and full-color photographs.
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
Details
Format
Page Count
80
Dewey
598.9
AR
7.6: points 3
Lexile
NC1210L
Genre
Nonfic
Scholastic Reading Counts
5
JLG Release
Aug 2015
Book Genres
Topics
Osprey. Montana. Effects of mining on wildlife. Mercury. Bioaccumulation. Environmental aspects of pollution. U.S. wildlife conservation. Scientists.
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Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Booklist, The Horn Book Magazine, The Horn Book Guide^, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal
Praise & Reviews
Junior Library Guild
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
Horn Book
Scientists at the Montana Osprey Project engage in a range of research and outreach projects in order to understand and protect these large and powerful raptors. Readers learn the basics about ospreys from scientist Erick Greene’s presentation to a high school group and through Patent’s thorough descriptions of osprey fishing, nesting, raising of young, and migration patterns. Conservation, however, is the main focus: as a top predator, the presence (and health) of ospreys in an ecosystem are indicators of overall environmental quality. In Montana, extensive mining, a dam created for the sawmill industry, and the baling twine used by ranchers have reduced the osprey population over the years. Patent introduces readers to field and laboratory research conducted by the scientists: sampling, banding, and remote tracking of ospreys show the careful data collection required in field observations, and laboratory-based studies of blood and feather samples provide evidence of the amount of heavy metals present in the birds’ systems. The pages are filled with current and historical photographs of birds, scientists, Montana industries, and natural landscapes; biographical sketches of scientists, students, and environmentalists; and details about the ecological history of the region. To learn even more about ospreys, readers can use the extensive list of appended resources, including web links to the featured live webcam. danielle j. ford
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