&i;`Charles Brown began his ongoing study of cliff swallows in 1981 in southwestern Nebraska, where the birds return in May from their wintering grounds in Argentina. All summer he, his wife, and several student assistants net and observe the birds, sometimes wading in mud up to their knees. In this chronicle of his fifteenth field season, Brown conveys his fascination with these swallows.'&o; Natural History Magazine
&i;`This recording of the ups and downs of doing fieldwork is a marvelous look at how scientists conduct their research...Brown's first-person accounts of the personalities of field assistants and how they affect the work, the continuing bad weather that delays the birds' nesting, and encounters with curious local residents - along with his asides explaining in nontechnical language why they are interested in these birds - make for absorbing reading.'&o; Booklist