Dangerous Birds: A Naturalist's Aviary

Readers who enjoyed Lembke's River Time and Looking for Eagles will welcome another visit to coastal North Carolina. The title essay invokes birds of myth and film, brought to Lembke's mind by her discovery that one of her neighbors shot robins for the table, while another waged a vendetta against bluejays. With her Doberman, Sally, Lembke watches birds along the Lower Meuse River and in the piney woods nearby; a huge brushpile proves especially rewarding for fall migrants. One essay chronicles a field trip to look for the declining red-cockaded woodpecker, a victim of Hurricane Hugo. Lembke offers ``Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Grackle,'' tries to rescue an injured kingfisher and describes the ethical dilemma when a rat snake approaches a flycatcher's nest. Her ``dangerous birds'' are wholly captivating. (Oct.)