We don’t see or hear the border patrol agents until they’re almost on top of us. There are two of them, both white; one older and wiry, the other young and beefy. They are dressed in olive drab uniforms. The wiry one gives our little group of four the once-over. “We thought we might get some action today,” he says, “but you guys look all right.” He sounds just a touch disappointed. “What are you all up to?” the beefy one asks. “We’re out for a hike,” says Jason De León. De León, 34, is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan and the ... Read More
The Value of Dead Bird Watching
June 15, 2010 • By • Leave a Comment
In a truly free state, citizens do everything with their own hands... — Rousseau, The Social Contract The smell makes my eyes water, but that doesn't stop Jane Dolliver from plopping down and digging the carcass out of the sand. She is not wearing gloves. Stefanie Porter, who is, stands off to the side, wincing a bit. Slowly, a shape appears: a long bill, a billowy fleshy pouch, thin bedraggled wings, large webbed feet — a juvenile brown pelican. From the general decay and the size of the maggots and, of course, the stink, Dolliver guesses that it has been dead for several days. She ... Read More
