Sandy

Sandy The True Story of a Rare Sandhill Crane that Joined Our Family By Dayton O. Hyde, 192 pages 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 Paperback with photographs by Dayton O. Hyde Ages 10 and up

It takes a special kind of man to brave icy floodwaters to save the egg of a sandhill crane, but such a man is Dayton O. Hyde. This is a charming, often-funny story of the rare bird he rescued, and how the irrepressible crane, dubbed Sandy, became a full-fledged member of the Hyde household. The author’s deep love and respect for wild things, and his passionate commitment to help them thrive, are evident throughout the book. As the author notes, “Sandy is the story on one man’s faltering steps, a tiny a cockeyed counterrevolution against despair to save an endangered species.”

“From the moment of her chaotic emergence from a storm-tossed egg in an incubator at Bly, she seemed destined for survival in spite of all. Surely, this vain, difficult, often pathetic bird was singular in the unique gift she gave her fellow creatures. Sandy breathed the element of hope, for the first time, into the whole new concept of aid for endangered species. What followed at Yamsi, through the years, would not have come about had not she paved the way, set up the whole incredible series of events that are now avicultural history and have so considerably brightened the future of the sandhill crane and the whooping crane alike. Because of Sandy, and because through her we were able for the first time in history to put cranes raised in captivity back into the wild as fully wild, migrating, producing birds, there is new hope that man, fired by a new sense of responsibility, can help a species threatened with extinction adjust to the tremendous pressures of our changing times.” – Dayton Hyde

“A fascinating account of the companionship of a good man and a great bird, and a valuable treatise on man, nature, ecology and eternal values.” – John Kieran

“Funny and charming...a good account of a big step forward in preserving wild birds.” – Publishers Weekly