Parts Unknown: A Naturalist's Journey in Search of Birds and Wild Places [Hardcover]

Tim Gallagher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001

Here are tales of adventure-birding in the far corners of the world.

When Tim Gallagher was a child, he went to a museum exhibit of early maps. These tattered, ornately drawn charts often had one thing in common-a vast, blank area to the north labeled "Parts Unknown." Tim was fascinated with the idea of places completely unknown to mapmakers, and made it his goal to visit and photograph these "unexplored" regions (and their aviary inhabitants) for himself.

Parts Unknown is the result of that quest. Here is a remarkable new collection of essays on Tim's lifelong fascination with birds, and how it has evolved into a daring brand of "adventure birding." Join Tim as he dangles on ropes at gryfalcon nest cliffs in northern Iceland, traps migrating Arctic peregrine falcons on barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico, journeys with the chief inspector at Britain's Royal Society to hunt down illegal egg collectors, and fights to save the endangered California condor. With a stunning full-color insert of Tim's finest photographs, Parts Unknown is an extraordinary look into an unexplored world.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Author of Wild Bird Photography and editor of The Living Bird, the excellent quarterly of Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology, Gallagher has a special affinity for the Arctic and hawks. This volume is concerned with exotic locales such as India, Iceland, Greenland, northern Manitoba, and Alberta, and the birds of those regions. However, Gallagher also writes of the wildness found in our own backyards New Jersey, coastal Texas, and Southern California and of tracking the sounds birds make when they fly overhead at night, which is the manner in which most migrate. This evocative book is presented in three parts: "Parts Unknown" (exotic places), "Rare Raptors" (condors, falcons, eagles, and hawks), and "Birding and Ornithology" (a potpourri the Everglades, birding marathons, wildlife law enforcement, Santa Catalina Island, etc.). Delightful, informed reading with excellent photographs; highly recommended for all wildlife collections. Henry T. Armistead, Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The blank "parts unknown" areas in a display of antique maps intrigued Gallagher as a boy. A growing interest in falconry led to travels farther and farther afield as the teenager grew more adept in the study of birds of prey in the wild. Observing nests required rock-climbing skills, and finding eagles and hawks meant trips into increasingly remote areas. By honing his writing talents and working with bird researchers in the field, Gallagher was able to turn his avocation into a life work. This collection of essays spans the period from 1978 to the present and focuses on subjects as disparate as the plight of the California condor, the World Series of Birding, and photographing sandpipers behind grain elevators. Gallagher has a conversational writing style that lends immediacy to the narrative. The text is complemented by an insert of the author's color photographs of many of the species he mentions. Overall, this is a nice addition for large natural history collections. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 244 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585742759
• ISBN-13: 978-1585742752
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,463,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Birds & Birdwatching > Excursion Guides

More About the Author

Tim Gallagher got his first field guide at the age of 8, and he's been watching birds ever since--especially birds of prey. He has traveled on several expeditions to northern Greenland, Iceland, Canada, and Alaska to study raptors. He also spent several years tracking down Ivory-billed Woodpecker sightings across the South, which is detailed in his award-winning book, The Grail Bird. His most recent book, Falcon Fever, is a memoir tracing his lifelong interest in falconry.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Neat Book for Raptorphiles, October 15, 2001

By 

Stan Moore (San Geronimo, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parts Unknown: A Naturalist's Journey in Search of Birds and Wild Places (Hardcover)

Although non-raptor species are mentioned in this book, as an unabashed admirer of birds of prey, I was attracted to Tim Gallagher's new book. I first saw the book in a local book store, and the photo of the white gyrfalcon on the cover caught my attention even before I saw the title or contents.

Many of us admire the spectacular beauty of large falcons, such as gyrfalcons and peregrines, but we know that we will never have opportunity to visit the northern breeding grounds in places like Greenland and Iceland. Tim takes us there and lets us feel what it is like to set foot in such faraway places and his photographs also help us visualize the stark environment some of these magnificent predators survive in.

Other spectacular raptors are mentioned, too. The ferruginous hawk is the largest non-eagle in North America, and one of the species experts is Dr. Joe Schmutz of the University of Saskatchewan. I loved Tim Gallagher's discussion of some of the factors affecting ferruginous hawk population dynamics, and how Dr. Schmutz analyzed the ecological factors involved.

I loved reading about Pete Bloom's feelings after trapping the last wild California Condor, and about Dave Garcelon's joy in seeing adult bald eagles in places where he had released juveniles into the wild. I enjoyed hearing about trapping and banding of migrant peregrine falcons at Padre Island, Texas.

Tim Gallagher has been privileged to visit wild places most of us will never travel to. And he has been able to visit top raptor researchers carry out their work. Usually the only access we have to this sort of information is limited to scientific texts, which are interesting, but not as colorful as the stories in this book.

I found this book an easy read, but captivating and enjoyable at the same time. I think raptorphiles, falconers, and bird lovers in general will enjoy hearing Tim Gallagher's stories in this collection.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic voyage, September 14, 2001

By 

Carol Melville (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parts Unknown: A Naturalist's Journey in Search of Birds and Wild Places (Hardcover)

Who knew that birdwatching could be so exciting? Tim Gallagher goes on lengthy voyages through stormy, iceberg-infested waters in northern Greenland. He crawls around on thousand-foot cliffs in Iceland while huge gyrfalcons dive at his head. In his essays, he captures all the flavor and feel of each place's history (both natural and human) and culture. And the writing is so vivid, I felt like I was right there with him. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about the outdoors and nature and also to share vicariously in an adventure.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Falcon fanatic, July 2, 2002

By 

Bob R. Whittemore (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parts Unknown: A Naturalist's Journey in Search of Birds and Wild Places (Hardcover)

You know, I thought I'd been on some wild adventures in search of raptor nests. I've rappeled down spectacular cliffs to see young prairie falcons and golden eagles. I've scrambled up treacherous trees to get to goshawk nests. But everything I've done seems tame compared with Tim Gallagher's feats of daring in PARTS UNKNOWN. I recommend it highly to anyone who loves birds of prey and adventure.