Call of the Osprey (Scientists in the Field Series) by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Scientists in the Field

by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

This meticulously researched and photographed account follows three University of Montana scientists and their interdisciplinary work with 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Birds, Nature

Hardcover

First published June 2, 2015

About the author

As a child, my favorite activity was exploring nature, especially finding animals like frogs, toads, and lizards. I kept tropical fish, had a dog, and loved riding horses. My love of animals led to a Ph.D. degree from U.C. Berkley in Zoology. In grad school I met and married fellow student Greg Patent. Our two sons, David and Jason, were born before we finished school. I wanted to use my training and my knowledge, but I also wanted to raise my sons and be there for them when they needed me. I decided that writing the kind of books I'd always loved reading was a good solution to my dilemma, and that turned out to be true. One of my favorite things is learning new "stuff," and every time I tackle a new book project I get to indulge myself in that passion. I'm a lucky gal!

Fast forward to the present. Our sons are grown and have their own families. We live in Missoula, MT, where Greg is now a food writer (http://www.thebakingwizard.com) and a radio personality (httpp://www.mtpr.org--look for Food Guys). My writing has expanded to other nonfiction topics, especially ones dealing with the Westward Expansion period of U.S. history. I've taught writing classes in many venues, visited schools in most U.S. states, attended many conferences for teachers and librarians, won a number of awards, and had great travel adventures in pursuit of my subject matter.

Reviews

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another excellent entry in the Scientists in the Field series. Who knew that ospreys could be used to determine the contamination level of toxic metals in a river? But this is what scientists are doing at a Superfund site in Montana. Contamination from nearby mining operations ends up in the water of nearby rivers, which contaminates the fish, which the ospreys eat. The group of scientists here tests the blood and feathers of the ospreys for levels of the toxic metals to determine if the cleanup efforts are working. Pretty nifty. And in the process they get to learn a lot about ospreys. These birds build their nests on high places, some of which are dangerous, like electrical wire poles, so scientists build high platforms where the birds can nest safely. Webcams are attached to the platforms so that anyone who has a computer can watch the birds every day. Patent provides a list of webcam web sites where you can watch not just the ospreys in this book but other birds as well. Now is not the time of year to watch the ospreys, however, because they've flown south for the winter, but next spring would be the time to tune in, which young readers may be inspired to do. Highly recommended.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the lowest score I've ever given a book in the wonderful "Scientists in the Field" title. To my surprise, it is because of the text written by one of my favorite youth nonfiction authors, Patent. Often she uses language that is pretty hard, without defining terms well. There is a glossary but it isn't extensive enough. She talked about complicated chemical procedures in describing a lab experiment that left me at a loss and I assume I know more chemistry than a fifth or sixth grader. The book rather meanders along with many side notes to the extent that it is rather hard to follow the main story line. It still is interesting, and her enthusiasm for the ospreys shines through (this is at least her second book on ospreys). The photos are mostly excellent as you would expect with Munoz doing them. Some though, I did have trouble making out the details of the photos. Stipulated, this must have been a really challenging subject to photograph. Still, this would be good to hand to an advanced student or one who is really into science fair projects.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really fabulous study of the fish-eating osprey. In fact, this book hooked me on watching Cornell University's various bird cams, beginning with Iris, the osprey. I have also enjoyed watching the Savannah, Georgia osprey nest and chicks. I did not know that raptors do not regurgitate food for their chicks. Instead, they bring prey to the nest, tear pieces of it off, and feed it to the chicks, beak to beak. This book is packed with information about the Montana ospreys, with photos, sidebars, maps, etc. There is an entire chapter of spying on the ospreys with photos from the webcam. There is also ample info about the scientists studying the birds. The book concludes with a list of sources, a glossary, and an index.

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another outstanding entry in an outstanding series. This time, it's the fascinating work of scientists studying ospreys nesting around superfund sites in Montana. Chock full of information in an engaging narrative and text boxes as well as full-color photos of birds and scientist in action.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent photos, excellent organization, excellent text. What's not to love?

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great title in the Scientist in the Field series. Dorothy Hinshaw Patent has been writing nonfiction books for children for many years......I read her books to my kids when they were small. Her quest to keep learning is encouraging. This book not only tells the story of the life cycle of the osprey, but also the story of how pollution in the environment could potentially impact them, and the people who are studying these beautiful birds. As with other books in this great series, readers get a clear picture of the work scientists do. The author has partnered with photographer William Munoz on a number of other books, and the photography does a good job helping to tell this story. The picture on the back of the book is especially outstanding!!!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well of course I like it! I love Ospreys and I do so admire the folks who are part of MOP(Montana Osprey Project). As watchers are called CHOWS(Crazy Hellgate Osprey Watchers). This CHOW loved seeing a taste of what the study is all about and the importance of it all. Even though this book was written for juvenile audiences, anyone who loves to watch these creatures will enjoy this simple read.

[Meena Verma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Call of the Osprey by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent is a nonfiction book describing the work of field work scientists from the University of Montana who study the osprey living along the Clark Fork River Montana. The book also discusses the damaging effect of mining in the area. All the wonderful photographs along with the prologue, the epilogue, the glossary, and the author’s note work together to teach us about the rehabilitation efforts to restore the river. Rating 4.0

[Mokihana · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellent book! I watch the streaming Osprey webcam everyday throughout the year, and learning more about why the website was created was very informative. The photographs are wonderful as well as the narrative. It was good to read about the steps are being taken to protect these magnificent birds. I highly recommend this book.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like this book, and LOVE the project from my knowledge from the web cams. I was a little dissapointed with the low quality of photos. I can understand the screen captures, but some of the other ones were grainy.

[Karen Kline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read my review at: https://pscreviews.org/public/rdetail...

[Madison Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs and interesting information about the Montana Osprey Project — my cat and I are now devoted viewers of their Cornell Lab nest cam.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patent and Muñoz take readers to Montana where scientists are studying ospreys, apex predators in the ecosystem there, to figure out the overall health of an area severely damaged by mining pollution in centuries past. Readers are introduced both to those focusing on the study of the birds of prey and how that is done, as well as those who focus on the rivers and dirt in the area and what measures are being taken to remove the pollutants. The combination provides a look at a wide array of people involved, from those who own ranches and provide access to osprey nests to university professors and students to nursing home residents.

I really like the Scientist in the Field series and the treasure trove of resources they provide for educators and students. This was not the best one in the series in my opinion. It didn't flow quite as well as some of the others I've read. That's mostly because we jump back and forth between the osprey study to the heavy metal pollution issues, and it doesn't always proceed seamlessly. It's still got some great information and would be useful for those studying ecosystems, pollution recovery methods, how scientists gage the health of an ecosystem, or birds. The osprey study highlighted has drummed up a lot of public interest via video cams that people can watch, and that link along with other similar links are provided.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and well-researched book about Ospreys in Montana. This book has a strong ecological message and shows how interconnected our world truly is. It is a bit long and would be most appropriate for middle grade children.

Part of the Scientists in the Field series, this book is not quite as polished as some of the others, but it is still very interesting and informative.

We've read several of the books in this series and they are terrific. We all learn something new when we read these books. I was thrilled to learn more about the Osprey, since we see quite a few of them along the local riverways, and it is very easy to pick out their nests.

The narrative is detailed without being boring or overwhelming and the color photographs really help to show the scenes, the action, and especially the beautiful raptors.

Overall, I found this book to be very educational and entertaining. I shared it with our oldest daughter because I thought she might be interested in the heavy metal/element pollution aspects, since she is doing a project about that for school.

[Jim Erekson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to see an elementary teacher use this series as the backbone for a year's science curriculum. As with all the other books in the series, the direct feature of scientists working in the field, and clear writing about specific projects in their work is enough to recommend the book. But the fact that the content is from just a year or two ago? Amazing. With events from 2013 and 2014 documented in a 2015 book this is fabulous series editing. The author and photographer must have felt more like journalists on assignment than children's book authors.

A few minutes on 'look inside' on amazon.com, and I was able to dig up the following editor names at HMH: Kate O'Sullivan, Erica Zappy (Wainer), Ann Rider, Erin Dees, Tatty Bartholomew, Meredith Meier, Amy Flynn, Cynthia Platt.
O'Sullivan and Zappy show up multiple times, so I must assume they are on this project long-term (maybe one of them is a managing editor for the series?). A few series authors neglected (boo!) the editors in their acknowledgment, a shame for such a quality series.

[Estelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep a "life list" of birds that I've seen, and my husband and I enjoy treks in the woods to search for new sightings. There is an osprey platform at one of our favorite places where we have watched a pair nesting and seen them feeding their chicks.

Scientists have used tools such as banding and web cams to study the habits of these birds. For instance, we know that ospreys mate for life, during migration they can wander many, many miles before they return to their previous nesting place and that they compete with eagles for fish.

But the research does more than tell us about this bird. At the Superfund site at the Clark River in Montana, ospreys are helping scientists in the cleanup of industrial and mining operations. Because the osprey chicks eat fish from the river, the level of contaminants in their blood can monitor their progress.

Written in an accessible style, and illustrated with color photos, the book is aimed at middle and high school students. It's part of the "Scientists in the Field" series to encourage science as a vocation.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book doesn't just explain the osprey, their lives, and habitat, but goes into a lot of description of the work of scientists at the University of Montana who track and study the birds, as well as their student research assistants and citizen volunteers, including local ranchers and landowners. The reader gets a wonderful sense of the Montana community pulling together to learn more about the species and how it is impacted by mining and other environmental factors. A terrific read for budding scientists as well as birders, with beautiful photographs.

[Penny Peck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent entry in the "Scientists in the Field" series, this focuses on osprey, a large fish-eating bird studied in the wild in Montana. Aside from facts about these birds is the companion story concerning the effects of pollution, heavy metals, and pesticides on the osprey. Dramatic full color photos, sidebars, useful back matter, and an engaging text makes for a personal "you are there" tone that draws in the reader.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was submitted for consideration for the Jefferson cup- but it is a science book and not a history book. That being said, I found parts of it interesting, and other parts dry. I liked learning about the osprey's and how scientists can monitor pollution through the information they gather, but the longer passages about the cause of the pollution- while important- were dry and hard to get through.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about Ospreys that I didn't know before. The book has a good balance of pictures to print making it a book you want to read. It's a great addition to the Scientists in the Field series.

[Shauna Yusko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teen daughter might steal this one for her school instead of mine.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the Scientists in the Field Series! This book on the Ospreys was great! Excellent photographs, great sidebars and notes.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps a little more about the Osprey and a little less about the author... Still a part of one of my favorite non-fiction series.