Local man completes book of bird photos
Posted on Wednesday, October 8, 2008
With the help of Bella Vistans, Jack Curran completed one of his life's dreams - writing a book about birds. His neighbors all across the city assisted him in finding birds he needed for his project. One of the birds he was having the most trouble locating was the pileated woodpecker. He discovered one on Rader Lane, and it's the lead bird for his section called "Birds of Forest and Yard. "The caption reads," Pileated woodpeckers are early risers and very camera shy."
In July, after six years of work, he had enough photos to write and design "Jack Curran's World of Birds. "Each photo has a caption either giving a fact about the bird or telling about Curran's own experience with it. "Birds of Forest and Yard "has many feathered creatures Bella Vistans know or know about. For example, if anyone wants to know if they have a painted bunting in their yard, they should check the photo on page 93. It shows a bright blue bird with a touch of yellow green at the back of its head and a tiny ring of red around its eye. The reason Curran wrote his book wasn't about making money. "It's about sharing my experience and helping people discover their interest in birds. "His own interest began when the 72-year-old was a boy and raised pigeons in Omaha, Neb. He later had the opportunity to feed his interest as art director for "NEBRASKAland Magazine "for 20 years.
He didn't get to keep the photos he took for the magazine because they belonged to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, publisher of the periodical. Since he wanted a section on "Birds of Prairie and Farm," he had to go back to Nebraska and start collecting photos again.
He confesses his favorite bird is probably the sandhill crane. He said it must be because he has 10 pages of photos of them in the section "Wading Birds."
The colors in his book reveal great details. In a close up of a nesting great egret, readers can see that not all birds have brown bills. The egret bill is mostly orange-brown on the bottom, with a thin green stripe above that, and on the very top a royal blue stripe.
In addition to the photos in the book, he offers photography tips to help others capture nature, including showing how he has set up his backyard to attract birds and camouflage himself.
Not all the book's photos are about live birds. The last section deals with his bird carvings and sculptures, including a bronze buffalo he created for the Omaha Zoo's Safari Park about seven years ago.
More than sharing his love of birds in writing, he's also willing to share his experience with groups and organizations.
When he was an art director, he hosted a television show about Nebraska wildlife, where he gained a lot of speaking experience. He said he can tailor his programs content and time to fit a group's needs.
Those wanting to meet the author can do so on Oct. 25. Curran will be at Border's Books Music and Cafe from 9 a.m. to 10 p. m., at 2300 Promenade Blvd., Bentonville.
For more information about the book and Curran's other photos, visit www. jackcurran. com.
The book is available at www. amazon. com.
E-mail him at jcurran @ jcurran. com, or call 855-0001 for more information about the book or about speaking engagements.
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