Salt Tide
Posted by pinguinus under
book review [4] Comments
“The piping plover is a pit bull of a bird…”
Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that either!
I wasn’t sure WHAT to expect when I picked up a copy of Curtis J. Badger’s Salt Tide: Currents of Nature and Life on the Virginia Coast
; I knew it was about the coastal marshes of Virginia, and I knew that those were interesting, so I gave it a shot. I didn’t know that I was picking up a book of essays that in my opinion deserve to be ranked but slightly lower than those of Aldo Leopold in terms of perfectly balancing the specific and the sublime. Like Leopold, Badger is gifted at capturing the majesty of nature and the beauty of the human life connected to the land by dwelling on the individual. The essay “Plover Watch”, for instance, spirals out from its peculiar opening metaphor and the sandpiper-chasing critter that inspired it to embrace not only the whole of the endangered bird’s life cycle and the efforts of humans to protect it, but the relations of all sorts of native birds to the delicate seaside territory that humans covet so destructively. The biology of Spartina, the art of digging for clams, the peaceful joy of the small boat and the grand scope of history and the ultimate impermanence of all beaches and barrier islands in the face of the relentless sea, are all tiles in a mosaic of love for a place that is a home. It’s a mystery to me why this book isn’t considered a classic in nature writing.
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
Like this:
Like Loading...
November 10, 2008 at 11:51 am
I dunno, pinguinus.
While the smallish bill and pale plumage of the Piping Plover convey a certain cuteness, the form of the bill itself is quite reminiscent of the crumpled face of a boxer (man or dog alike).
My emotional connection towards the Piping Plover is thus as ambivalent as it is towards the hyaena: torn between the horrors of a human’s skull and the cuteness of a teddy bear’s face.
November 10, 2008 at 3:30 pm
See, this is why I need to spend more time on the fine continent of Africa; when I think of hyenas, all I think of is Whoopi Goldberg, and that’s unfortunate, since they’re actually very interesting animals.
Although I wouldn’t want to have dinner with one.
November 11, 2008 at 11:46 am
Well, they may not be reknown for their appreciation of candle light and classic music at dinner, but I suppose having dinner with one means having an interesting time. As long, of course, as your shared dinner’s main course is not prepared from your dissected facial muscles (another reason not to sleep outside of your tent in hyaena country on the fine continent of Africa). I may however, drift towards the off-side of your initial post with this comment though, in which case we’d have to steer back a little:
You’re right. I suppose I’d prefer having dinner with a Piping Plover. Although, they can be vicious when hungry and are easily aroused.
December 2, 2008 at 4:26 am
[...] Great Auk – or Greatest Auk? [...]