Wings for My Flight

Wings for My Flight chronicles a young wildlife biologist's summer monitoring endangered peregrine falcons at Chimney Rock, Colorado in 1975. Working for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Marcy Cottrell Houle must protect a nesting pair of falcons while navigating local opposition to her conservation efforts. The book details the author's scientific observations of the falcons against the backdrop of a community conflict over land use. At the time, peregrine populations had been devastated by DDT pesticides, with only 324 pairs remaining in North America, making Houle's mission to protect this nesting site crucial for species survival. Written years later and updated across multiple editions, the book captures both a specific moment in conservation history and the broader story of the peregrine falcon's recovery. The narrative explores themes of environmental stewardship, human-wildlife conflict, and the complex relationship between scientific work and community values.

Readers describe this as an engaging first-person account of studying peregrine falcons in remote Oregon. The book has a 4.33/5 rating on Goodreads (30 ratings) and 4.7/5 on Amazon (17 ratings). Readers highlighted: - Clear, descriptive writing about wilderness experiences - Balance of scientific observation and personal narrative - Details about falcon behavior and biology - Author's growth from inexperienced student to confident researcher Critical feedback focused on: - Early chapters moving slowly before getting to falcon observations - Limited scope compared to other wildlife biology memoirs - Some repetition in describing daily monitoring routines From reviews: "Takes you right there on the cliff edge" - Amazon reviewer "More than just a nature book - it's about finding your path" - Goodreads user "Wanted more depth about falcon conservation efforts" - Goodreads user

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🦅 Peregrine falcons can reach speeds of over 240 mph during their hunting dives, making them the fastest animals on Earth 🌿 DDT was banned in the United States in 1972, just three years before the events in this book, after decades of devastating effects on bird populations 📝 The author wrote this book while still a college student, based on her experiences as a 21-year-old wildlife biology intern 🏔️ Chimney Rock, where the story takes place, became a National Monument in 2012, protecting 4,726 acres of archaeological sites and wildlife habitat 🦅 Between 1950 and 1965, peregrine falcon populations in North America declined by up to 90%, but have since made a remarkable recovery thanks to conservation efforts like those described in the book