The first book by natural history writer Todd McLeish profiles fourteen of New England’s most rare and endangered flora and fauna — mammals, birds, insects, plants, and fish — by following the biologists who are researching, monitoring, and protecting them. Each chapter includes a first-person account of the author’s experience with these experts, as well as details about the species’ life history, threats, and conservation strategies. Todd traps bats in Vermont and lynx in Maine, gets attacked by marauding birds in Massachusetts, and observes the metamorphosis of dragonflies in Rhode Island. He visits historical cemeteries to see New England’s rarest plant, tracks sturgeon in the Connecticut River, and observes a parade of one of the rarest mammals on earth, the North Atlantic right whale, in Cape Cod Bay.

Golden Wings and Hairy Toes clearly demonstrates that each rare species has an important story to tell about the causes of its population decline, the obstacles each face in rebuilding a sustainable population, and the people who go to extraordinary lengths to give these species a chance to thrive.

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	Field Notes - September 2008 - At 6:40 a.m., the net was slowly hauled back in. It seemed to take a long time, but it may have just been that my anticipation of seeing the results was so high. Once the bulging net was onboard and hanging from the reel overhead, Puggy Jr. gave a hard tug on a rope on its underside to release its contents. More...

Listen to Todd

• Listen to Todd's "This I Believe" segment on Rhode Island public radio from February 2008.

• Listen to Todd on Worcester public radio's Inquiry program from April 2008

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What They're Saying

Book List "[McLeish's] combination of firsthand reporting and background science is irresistible and will leave the reader caring about the ultimate fate of each species."

Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy "Both haunting and hopeful, this book reminds us how much damage we've done to lovely old New England, and how many people devote their lives to undoing that damage. It will inspire many to carry on the fight!"

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