'The Birds of Heaven' by Peter Matthiessen

In 'The Birds of Heaven', Peter Matthiessen retells his world-wide journeys spent studying, observing, and protecting cranes. Through acute and focused observation, he offers a rare glimpse into the world of this enchanting group of birds.

Peter Matthiessen's other nature books include 'The Tree Where Man Was Born' and 'The Snow Leopard', which won the National Book Award. He has also received numerous awards for his work including the Gold Medal in Natural History from the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, and he is a 1991 Laureate of the Global Honor Roll of the United Nations Environment Programme.

Cranes—the largest of all flying birds—soar to astonishing heights during migration, reaching at times over a mile above the earth's surface. Their heavenly migrations have earned them a widespread place in legend and folklore. References to cranes can be found in ancient cultures including the Cree, Ainu, Aztecs, Tlingit, Tewa, and Hopi. Their grand migrations are mentioned in writings by Homer and Aristotle. And now, in 'The Birds of Heaven', Peter Matthiessen interweaves fact and legend to reveal the intricate natural history, conservation, and cultural role of these magnificent birds. His story is a fascinating tapestry of both concern and hope.

In 'The Birds of Heaven' Matthiessen tells of his experiences accompanying the numerous researchers and conservationists who work tirelessly to protect cranes. Through the retelling of his journeys, Matthiessen teaches us a great deal about the biology and protection of these great birds—but more importantly, more fundamentally, he teaches us how to appreciate their humbling, irreplaceable beauty.

In this work, Matthiessen explores the ecological threats that face crane species and reveals the subtle human obstacles that impede conservation efforts: politics, natural resource consumption, population growth, and international cooperation:

In a hard November in 1997, a young sandhill crane turned up at a salt pond on the coast near my house at Sagaponack and passed the winter in the company of a great black-backed gull. Since this was only the third crane ever reported on Long Island, and since it arrived just as I commenced the writing of this book, I interpreted its appearance a half mile from my house as an auspicious sign—even more so when, departing in early spring, it passed right over the small shack where I was working. Hearing that wild summons, I ran outside in time to watch it cross the sky on a northeasterly bering, bound for points unknown. ~ Peter Matthiessen, 'Birds of Heaven'