Bald Eagles, Bear Cubs, and Hermit Bill: Memories of a Wildlife Biologist in Maine (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781952143458)

Author Ronald Joseph was born in Waterville, Maine. Spending childhood summers on his maternal grandparents' nearby dairy farm, he became fascinated with songbirds, often spending hours perched on stacks of hay bales in a post-and-beam barn watching swallows dart in and out to feed their nestlings. Ron's mother encouraged his love of birds by giving him a copy of Peterson's Field Guide to Eastern Birds. The book's colored plates and range maps revealed a fascinating world of birds just outside his front door. His farm chores, from milking cows to collecting chicken eggs, were often interrupted by sprints through the barnyard to identify Indigo Buntings, Chestnut-sided Warblers, Brown Thrashers, and dozens of other songbirds. His first bull moose sighting would also leave a deep impression: chased by his grandparents' Border Collie Bonnie, the moose ran between the farmhouse and barn, ducked beneath a clothesline, and escaped across a hayfield with a bra attached to his antler. Birdwatching, though, became Ron's passion, inspiring him to pursue a B.S. degree in wildlife conservation and a M.S. in zoology. In 1978, he began a 33-year career, first as a state wildlife biologist, and later as a federal biologist specializing in the restoration of eagles, peregrines, and other endangered species in Maine. Now retired, Ron volunteers for the Kennebec Land Trust, participates in the Maine Bird Atlas, a statewide citizen science project evaluating songbird population trends, and leads Maine birding trips. This is his first book.