Central Park in the Dark: More Mysteries of Urban Wildlife [Paperback]

Marie Winn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 2009

Central Park in the Dark explores a natural world that flourishes in the midst of a crowded and mechanized city. These exuberant essays lead the reader through the cycle of seasons as experienced by nocturnal beasts (raccoons, bats, black skimmers), insects (moths, wasps, fireflies, crickets), and other denizens of the park's trees and swamps and thickets. Alongside a cadre of amateur and expert naturalists, Marie Winn reveals a world that lies hidden in the dark between the bright lights and traffic of Fifth Avenue and Central Park West.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Winn, who made the red-tailed hawk Pale Male the most famous resident of New York’s Central Park (Red-Tails In Love, 1999), now studies the city’s largest park at night. Although most people would shun the area in the evening, Winn points out that the majority of crimes committed in the park are in the daytime. And avoiding the park at night would mean missing Bug Night, when an inveterate group of birders prevailed on the American Museum of Natural History to lend them an entomologist, leading to a love affair with moths and the unearthing of some rare species. A hunt for emerging cicada nymphs leads to another discovery—the fascination of slug sex, a riveting drama that is seductive, alluring, and strangely beautiful to watch. Where do birds sleep? And how do they hide? Answering these questions led to observations of a large roost of robins with concomitant roughhousing and jockeying for position before they slept. Winn is an engaging writer, making us care about the evening denizens of the park (human or otherwise). --Nancy Bent --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Central Park in the Dark is a delight; I'd follow Winn into the park at any hour."--The New York Times Book Review

"A delightful chronicle of the animals that come out to hunt and play in the park at night . . . conveys the magic and enduring mysteries of Central Park."--Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

"Winn is an engaging writer, making us care about the evening denizens of the park (human or otherwise)."--Booklist

"Winn's book is a revelation. . . . A worthy addition to any nature lover’s shelf."--Buffalo News

"Exuberantly illuminates Central Park’s vibrant 843-acre nocturnal world."--Kirkus Reviews

"From screech owl rescues to slug sex, Winn pulls the reader into this tight-knit circle of people all searching for the same thing: a glimpse of nature in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city."--The Christian Science Monitor

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Picador; First Edition edition (June 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312428839
• ISBN-13: 978-0312428839
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,232,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wish I were a New Yorker!, September 5, 2009

By 

Braun Alain - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Central Park in the Dark: More Mysteries of Urban Wildlife (Hardcover)

I wish I were living right next to Central Park in NYC! Unfortunately I am not as I live in far-away Britanny, France just across the Atlantic Pond beyond Long Island but was a pleasure to be reading Central park in the Dark ! Although my English is sometimes defective as I am not practicing the language too often on this side of the Ocean, I was able, to my great delight, to enjoy the numerous puns from Marie Winn! Beside being extremely humorous the text is full of information regarding the unexpected and most extraordinary wildlife of Central Park.
Reading the book makes me feel really nostalgic about my past visits to the City as I missed Central Park's weird and wild animal population! Hawks, owls, skimmers, raccoons and giant moths! Myself a birder with several hundred species under my wings was astonished by learning how glistening is this natural treasure lying right in the heart of the Apple Megapolis! What a pity my English cannot truly reflect my thoughts! But I assume a lot of readers will have the required knowledge and will jump on this marvelous book. Once you read it you cannot think anymore of Central park as a "dark place" but to the contrary, it will appear now as a shining jewel in the city. Lucky New Yorkers! Please, forgive my not-too-good English!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever informative book, December 25, 2009

By 

Gabrielle S. Brodie (Philadelphia, PA, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Central Park in the Dark: More Mysteries of Urban Wildlife (Hardcover)

This book is very well written and extremely infomative, making one want to go out immediately to Central Park to see all the wildlife!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars captures the excitement of the chase, June 7, 2009

By 

christen mitchell (Ann Arbor MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Central Park in the Dark: More Mysteries of Urban Wildlife (Hardcover)

I haven't read this author's other books, but after reading this I definitely will! I'm a lifelong birder, and her vivid descriptions of different "chases" and the sense of community and fellowship when she meets up with other avid watchers is excactly why I find birding so much fun. I particularly appreciate that her interest in birding leads her to explore other curiosities such as moths. A very engaging and charming book.