Overview
Ever wonder what the land of Nebraska looked like when Lewis and Clark traveled the region or when Prince Maximilian steamed up the Missouri River? Did the magnificent Sandhill Cranes fly their migratory route through Nebraska in the 1800's? Open James E. Ducey's Birds of the Untamed West and find out. Step back into the Nebraska of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries . . . a land rich in birdlife and other natural beauty, long populated by Native Americans, yet just opening its riches to Euro-American settlers. Discover the role of birds in Native American daily life, myth and religion. Experience the mystery and excitement early explorers felt as they forged into a land unknown to them. Journey through Nebraska's past, along river banks and virgin prairie, into Native American villages and U.S. military encampments, watching and listening all the while for the Birds of the Untamed West.
About The Author
James E. "Jim" Ducey is a fifth generation Nebraskan. He earned his B.S. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1979 and his Masters in Biology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1984. Ducey served as president of the Audubon Society of Omaha and as chairman of the Nebraska Audubon Council. His field research currently focuses on bird distribution in the Nebraska Sand Hills, as well as wetlands and land conservation. He remains a strong advocate for conservation and preservation of Nebraska's wetlands and environmental heritage.
Jim has written Nebraska Birds: Breeding Status and Distribution (1988) and numerous articles that have appeared in publications such as the Magazine of the Midlands, Nebraskaland and the Nebraska Bird Review. He actively has sought opportunities to share his research through the development of an online database focusing on the historical heritage of the Sand Hills. He also has created an internet site that contains resources on ancient avifaunas and bird records of North America from 40,000 B.C. to A.D. 1750. It is sponsored by the Birdnet site maintained at the Smithsonian Institute.
