JanDunlap.com » owls http://jandunlap.com -- Author - Teacher - Speaker -- Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:03:22 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Hello 2011 http://jandunlap.com/2011/01/hello-2011/ http://jandunlap.com/2011/01/hello-2011/#comments Thu, 13 Jan 2011 13:21:01 +0000 admin http://jandunlap.com/?p=337 I put away the last bit of Christmas decor yesterday, so now it's time to dig in to a new year.

...more...]]> I put away the last bit of Christmas decor yesterday, so now it’s time to dig in to a new year. Though from my office window, it looks more like a case of needing to dig out – last month was the snowiest December here in the Twin Cities in 30 years! What’s sort of funny is that I clearly remember that winter 30 years ago, because it was the year my husband, infant daughter, and I first moved to Minnesota. In fact, we drove here from Nebraska on the one day between two blizzards that the interstate highway was open. What a welcome that was!

I’m working hard to finish the fourth Bob White Birder Murder by the end of the month. Actually, I’m finding it a bit therapeutic, since in this adventure, Bob and friends spend the bulk of the book in Flagstaff, Arizona, in August. So I get to visualize sunny skies, dry heat, and fabulous mountain/red rock scenery. Flagstaff used to be one of my favorite destinations the few years we lived in Arizona back in the 1990s, and it’s fun to write it into a book.

I’ve also got some exciting events coming up in the next few months – I’ll be reading from my books at the Savage Library as part of the MELSA Legacy program, and in March, I’ll be giving presentations at the International Festival of Owls in Houston, MN, and the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN.

Happy New Year!

]]> http://jandunlap.com/2011/01/hello-2011/feed/ 0 The countdown is on for 3rd Bob White Birder Murder http://jandunlap.com/2010/08/the-countdown-is-on-for-3rd-bob-white-birder-murder/ http://jandunlap.com/2010/08/the-countdown-is-on-for-3rd-bob-white-birder-murder/#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:32:19 +0000 admin http://jandunlap.com/?p=317 A funny thing happened on the MOU listserve last week. (If you aren't familiar with the listserve, it's the Minnesota Ornithologists Union's means of keeping all the birders updated on what bird was seen where, along with other items of interest to Minnesota birders. Since I am a member of the MOU (as is my fictional protagonist Bob White), I get all the emails, and the one that caught my eye last week was a sighting of Northern Bobwhites, which is the premise of my third Birder Murder, titled "A Bobwhite Killing". Another birder responded to the one who saw the bird, explaining that Northern Bobwhites are no longer considered wild in Minnesota because they have been so domesticated by farms. This is true, as I point out in my

...more...]]> A funny thing happened on the MOU listserve last week. (If you aren’t familiar with the listserve, it’s the Minnesota Ornithologists Union’s means of keeping all the birders updated on what bird was seen where, along with other items of interest to Minnesota birders. Since I am a member of the MOU (as is my fictional protagonist Bob White), I get all the emails, and the one that caught my eye last week was a sighting of Northern Bobwhites, which is the premise of my third Birder Murder, titled “A Bobwhite Killing”. Another birder responded to the one who saw the bird, explaining that Northern Bobwhites are no longer considered wild in Minnesota because they have been so domesticated by farms. This is true, as I point out in my new book. Because it IS fiction, though, I do take a little creative license in my story…and that’s all I can tell you because I don’t want to spoil the story. I just thought it was one of those funny coincidences in my life – just as my book about a Bobwhite is about to debut, Bobwhites pop up in the MOU listserve.

This reminded me of when my first book, “The Boreal Owl Murder” came out. Boreal Owls were almost impossible to find in the northernmost reaches of the state for many years….until the year my book came out. Then there was a flood of sightings of them that winter of 2008. Everytime I had a book talk, I’d explain how Boreals were very hard to find…usually. The owls were making a liar out of me publicly. Actually, this profusion of a bird wasn’t unique – I recall some winters back when we had Great Grey Owls all over the place, and other years have likewise been marked by unusual numbers of an atypical bird for the region and/or time of year. It’s all part of the intrigue and variety of the world of birding.

A final note – I just saw that “A Bobwhite Killing” is now listed on Amazon.com for advance orders. That means I’ll be out promoting the book in another month. I hope to see you soon!

]]> http://jandunlap.com/2010/08/the-countdown-is-on-for-3rd-bob-white-birder-murder/feed/ 0 Owls and eagles http://jandunlap.com/2010/03/owls-and-eagles/ http://jandunlap.com/2010/03/owls-and-eagles/#comments Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:09:38 +0000 admin http://jandunlap.com/?p=300 ...more...]]> Maybe I should rename March and make it Predator Month. The first weekend I was in Houston, MN, for the International Festival of Owls. Karla Kinstler and her team of fabulous volunteers put on a great festival as usual, although all the little kids with faces painted like owls probably tickled me the most. I met owlers from all over the region and got to connect with both old and new fans of my Birder Murder series, talking about birding experiences and mystery writing. This last weekend of the month I was in Wabasha, on my first visit to the National Eagle Center. Scott Mehus, one of the program directors there, told me they’d had about 14,000 visitors in March during their month-long celebration of the spring migration. It’s a gorgeous center right on the Mississippi, and again, I met lots of readers and birding fans, along with a wide range of folks who are fascinated with eagles. You can get fairly close and personal with several education birds there – a popular activity is getting your photo next to a live bald eagle held by a handler. Believe me, if you’ve never realized how big these birds really are, you will when you stand next to one! Now I know why mice and fish quake in their little paws and fins when they realize an eagle has an eye on them….Happy spring!

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