HAWK HIGHWAY IN THE SKY

Each fall and spring scientists and volunteers from HawkWatch International gather at Goshute Mountain, Nevada, to count the thousands of raptors that fly overhead on their annual migratory journey. Arnold (Stone Age Farmers Beside the Sea, p. 296, etc.) describes how scientists classify the various raptors, investigate why and how they migrate, and study and measure birds. At Goshute Mountain, over 10,000 hawks, eagles, kites, harriers, osprey, falcons, and caracaras are counted annually, and nearly 4,000 are trapped, banded, and released. Full-color photographs provide dramatic close-ups of these magnificent birds, although sensitive readers may find it somewhat disconcerting to see so many of these free-flyers in the grasp of well-meaning volunteers. Arnold concludes with a list of the 31 different species of raptors found in North America and a map. Without size and range information for species, silhouettes, or comparison drawings done to scale, it's difficult to gauge the size of these birds; further, readers will have to know if a bird is a hawk or a falcon in order to locate a species in the brief index. An attractive though specialized volume. (map, index) (Picture book/nonfiction. 8-12)