Those of the Gray Wind: The Sandhill Cranes

University of Nebraska Press, 1986. Trade paperback. Like New. 84x4x128. With Paul Johnsgard, we follow the annual migration of the sandhill cranes from the American Southwest to their Alaskan mating grounds and then home again. It is a flight unaltered in nearly ten million years. By presenting various cycles of the migration in four time periods from 1860 to 1980, Johnsgard, a prominent naturalist, is able to show how man's encroachments have imperiled the flocks. In each section there is interaction between a child and an adult brought about by some ritual event in the migration of the cranes. The story is enriched by the author's exquisite illustrations, by Zuni prayers, and by Eskimo and Pueblo legends. Paul Austin Johnsgard (28 June 1931 – 28 May 2021) was an ornithologist, artist and emeritus professor at the University of Nebraska. His works include nearly fifty books including several monographs, principally about the waterfowl and cranes. After completing his graduate degree, Johnsgard moved to England at the Wildfowl Trust at Gloucestershire founded by Sir Peter Scott. Over the course of two years, he produced his first book, the Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior, which was published by Cornell University in 1965. He is considered one of the most prolific authors of ornithology books.