Pirate of the Plains

This is an intimate story of biology student developing both his knowledge of the prairie falcon and his own philosophical outlook on the natural world. Author Bruce Haak shares his passion for the prairie falcon and its habitat in this fascinating story of his journey to understand and record the behavior of this spirited bird of prey. Bruce Haak is a biologist and a falconer. But in this book, he reveals himself as a wonderful writer and a biophiliac: a person who loves nature and sees all its connections with a child's sense of wonder, a hunter's passion, and a scientist's knowledge. In this autobiographical account of research on the prairie falcon in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, Bruce Haak follows in the tradition of JA O'Brien (The Peregrine), Ronald Stevens (Laggard), and Dan O'Brien (The Rites of Autumn), by blending a deep appreciation for the outdoors and for falcons into some of the best nature writing of the late twentieth century. Full of interesting encounters with the wildlife of the high desert, the book focuses most informatively on its central image, the prairie falcon, and leads to new insights into the behavior and ecology of this remarkable raptor.