Golden Wings and Hairy Toes:
Encounters with New England’s
Most Imperiled Wildlife

Comments and reviews of Golden Wings and Hairy Toes

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Massachusetts Wildlife Magazine "While hundreds of books have been published on the plight of endangered species, few authors have managed to master the genre as well as Todd McLeish has done with Golden Wings and Hairy Toes....McLeish provides a very personal, thorough, and authoritative account of the natural history of his selected species, including their appearance and behavior, what factors caused their decline, and what is being done to reverse that decline. A must have' book for any New England wildlifer, it offers a clear understanding of not only the problems the species must face, but also of the difficulties the scientists must deal with as they attempt to secure the future of these rare plants and animals.  It will be a useful reference for many years to come."

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Bird Watcher's Digest "By focusing on specific species, McLeish is able to delve deeply into the subtleties of each...One can't help but appreciate his breadth of knowledge about the natural world, which becomes evident as he draws connections among a wide range of plant and animal species...McLeish illuminates the plight of each of the profiled species and is acutely sensitive to the broad-ranging impact -- whether advantageous or destructive -- that human beings can have on endangered wildlife. His stories will leave even the most focused birder concerned not only for the birds discussed in the book, but for the other rare and beautiful wildlife species described as well."

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South County Independent "In enlightening but unsentimental prose, yet with an underlying sense of wonder and passion for the creatures that share our planet, McLeish fleshes out the mysterious, secret lives of threatened species and gives us a glimpse at the people who spend their days improving the chances of survival for these imperiled animals."

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Northern Woodlands "Todd McLeish takes the reader on a lively and enlightening adventure with field biologists working to better understand the natural history, ecology, habitat requirements,and conservation status of 14 of New England's rarest plants and animals....He treats the reader to the nuances and subtleties that make each of these 14 species unique -- as well as the people who study them -- and in the process provides plenty of reasons to, as he says, 'help postpone permanently the day that they, like the heath hen, disappear entirely."

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Peter Lord, environment writer, Providence Journal "I have observed the rescue of an endangered North Atlantic right whale and walked among plants so rare you could count the few that remained. That is why I can appreciate Todd McLeish’s writing. He takes his readers into the woods and ponds and other wild places in New England and introduces them to many more rare and endangered bugs and birds, turtles and plants and mammals and fish. He writes with modesty, with precision and with great enthusiasm. I wish I had gone to all the places Todd visits in this book. It reads so well, I almost feel like I did."

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Doug Parker, executive director, Audubon Vermont "Wonderful descriptions of encounters with some of New England’s rarest species, several of which I have personally worked to protect.  This book gives vivid pictures of the species, their challenges to survive, and the biologists and conservationists who are working to protect them."

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Gregory Walsh, founding editor, Natural New England "Todd McLeish is a scientifically-connected, scholarly writer who gives us his own story as well as those of the endangered critters of New England.  His outdoor explorations always make great reading.  Todd’s new book inspires me to get out there swimming with turtles myself."

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