The ferruginous hawk is the largest hawk in North America but is little studied due to its extremely shy nature. Naturalist Leon Powers describes his experiences and reactions whilst conducting a difficult investigation of the nesting and other habits of the hawk. It shows the intense passions which drive scientists in their field of investigation.
"...an example of an important part of future biology: ecology and biodiversity studies won't advance much further until we gain this kind of intimate knowledge, species by species, and figure out how to put it together and what it all means." - Edward O. Wilson