Montgomery, Sy

Sy Montgomery is a naturalist, documentary scriptwriter, and author of 31 nonfiction books for adults and children, including The Hummingbirds’ Gift; The Soul of an Octopus, and the memoir The Good Good Pig, which was a New York Times bestseller. After spending a day at falconer Nancy Cowan’s farm, home to a dozen magnificent birds of prey, Montgomery started a deep love affair with hawks. Cowan allowed her to work with Jazz, a feisty, 4-year-old female Harris’s hawk with a wingspan of more than 4 feet. Jazz – not a pet but a fierce predator – was willing to work with a human to hunt. When Jazz swept down and landed on Montgomery’s leather-gloved fist, she fell under the hawk’s spell. Over the next few years, she spent time with these creatures, getting to know their abilities and instincts. They are deeply emotional, quick to anger and frustration, and can hold a grudge for years. But they are also loyal and keenly aware of their surroundings. The Hawk’s Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty (Atria Books), illustrated with 16 pages of color photographs, reveals the wondrous world of hawks and what they can teach us about nature, life, and love.