The Narrow Edge – A Tiny Bird, an Ancient Crab, and an Epic Journey

Intrigued by the delicate balance of the life of the knots. This book made me more aware of nature. Enjoyed the historical references.

The Narrow Edge, takes the reader on an increadible journey. Well written.

A wonderful book. It's not just about birds. If you're interested in the health of the planet it's a must read.

The natural world is full of so many many wondrous things, and the amazing seasonal journeys of the Red Knot from the southern tip of South America along the eastern seaboard of the United States to the high Arctic is surely one of them. These birds and many other shore birds like them travel many, many miles on the wing, often only stopping a few times to refuel as they continue on their journey to their nesting grounds. These travels as well as the intricate connection the Red Knot has with the Horseshoe Crab, whose eggs in May are a prime food source, are chronicled beautiful in this wonderful book by Deborah Cramer. Ms. Cramer is an extremely skilled nature writer and her description of the landscapes, the birds, and the intricate ways the various ecological webs she discusses are intertwined and their inherent fragility should one integral piece be removed made for a wonderful reading experience. Cramer also writes of the various people she encounters in her quest to follow the trail of the Red Knot on it's lengthy migration route, from biologists, native peoples, farmers, birders, and conservationists, all fascinating individuals with a true connection in one way or another to the land and the birds they share it with. It is not all the rapture of nature and the wonderful humans that care about it though. Some very distressing issues are brought to the fore throughout the book, including the practice of the bleeding of Horseshoe Crabs by the bio-pharmaceutical industry (the blood is used to test for biological impurities in various medical products) which as well meaning as it is and critical to the health of every human being who has every received an intravenous injection or even a needle, is also very detrimental to the species and is definitely having an effect on it's population numbers, the increasing use of wind power, which has an impact on birds and other flying wildlife, the loss of beaches and habitat along the east coast, and the effects of global warming on our oceans, both in the rising of the seas and the increased acidity of the ocean ecosystem. With all this bad news, I was still left with hope and wonder after reading this book; hope that we as a species can still understand and appreciate the intricate ways the natural world works and how important it is to protect it as much as we are still able and even help to rebuild some of what has been lost in both habitat and species, and wonder at the incredible tenacity and pluck of these little birds as they struggle to survive in an ever changing ecological landscape. A well written, poignant, at times depressing but overall enlightening and uplifting book which I can wholeheartedly recommend to any nature lover and especially to those interested in birds.

OK, I admit I am a birder, so naturally I found this interesting. But it is about a lot more than the red knot, it is about how we are disrupting the chain of life, and how this ripples thru the ecosystem. The author takes you on a journey from the tip of Argentina to the arctic circle in Canada, with stops along the way, following the red knot migration path. So it is part environmental pean, part travel lit, part birding story, and well written to boot. This holds a permanent spot on my birding bookshelf.