A quick report

Since I've been sharing info about my work in progress over the years, I'll quickly catch you up with what's going on as my new book is about to come out. Of course you never know where the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune are going to come from, but so far so good. There have been a couple of reviews out already, a REALLY nice one in OneEarth Magazine [published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund.] And there'll be something in the NY Times Book Review on Sunday 6/22 -- that's the scary one.

These days have been wildly busy-- with walks in the park with reporters for various papers and one for an NPR segment. And I'm also busy learning Powerpoint for the Natural History Museum presentation next Tuesday. Thank God an 11-year-old relative came over and helped me the other afternoon.

That's it about me. Here's unencouraging news Pale Male:

I spoke with Glenn Phillips at the NYC Audubon day before yesterday and learned that the while NYCA had managed to get permits for retrieving the eggs from the Fifth Ave. nest, the window washers were NOT willing to go that near the nest and declined to retrieve them.

I do believe we cannot fault Audubon for this! I am convinced that they've been acting in good faith. NYCA is an organization that has long worked for the well-being of our urban birds and their habitats, and I have worked with them many times on various issues. They don't deserve to be whipping boys for this unhappy story.

You can imagine that I get lots and lots of mail about this. Some of it is very angry. But I feel obliged to repeat that anger directed to anyone other than the management of 927 Fifth Avenue, who chose to remove the nest in 2004, is misplaced. And even that anger might be tempered by the knowledge that the powers-that-be at 927 Fifth acted in good faith too, [after acknowledging their mistake,] and the building invested time and much money to try to restore the ledge as a nesting place for the hawks.