When Eagles Roar: The Amazing Journey of an African Wildlife Adventurer

James Currie burst upon the birding scene in 2009 as the host of Birding Adventures, a TV show about birding. The birds and (often) exotic locations are prominently featured, but Currie is the real star of the show. He can be a bit over-the-top at times, but his infectious enthusiasm perfectly shows how exciting birding can be. He obviously knows his birds, is a great storyteller, and, based on his posts on the 10,000 Birds blog, is a good writer. But I didn’t know anything else about him or the genesis of the show. So I was excited to discover that he, along with Bonnie Fladung, has written a book – When Eagles Roar: The Amazing Journey of an African Wildlife Adventurer

The book, and Currie’s love of nature, begins on Table Mountain, at Africa’s southern tip. His parents operated a restaurant there, so as a child he would explore the mountain. On one such trek, a close observation of an eagle’s attack on some hyraxes changed the course of his life. “The sheer power and splendor of the massive black eagle” roused in him a desire to seek out such experiences with nature.

For a South African, what better way to do that than to become a game ranger? Being a game ranger for one of Africa’s many public and private reserves is a prestigious occupation. And after reading about the training that Currie had to go through in order to become one, it’s easy to see why. As a ranger, you have to know your natural history. I mean, really know it, including not just the names (both common and scientific) of the mammals, birds, plants, and other wildlife but their behavior and other aspects of their lives. You have to be able to convey this information to your guests in an entertaining manner. You have to be able to cater to your guests. And, one of the most difficult things, you have to be able to shoot. Being a ranger is not only difficult, it’s also dangerous.

Currie’s experiences as a ranger make up the majority of When Eagles Roar. There are some fantastic stories here. The grueling training process rangers have to endure was eye-opening. And, as you can imagine, there are plenty of close encounters with wildlife, with entire chapters dedicated to each of the Big Five (elephant, leopard, lion, buffalo, and rhinoceros). It’s a miracle that Currie even survived his time as a ranger. He recounts some harrowing experiences, some caused by his own foolishness, others just due to living in the bush. He once was horrified to discover a large venomous snake at his feet in an outhouse. Or imagine walking up to your doorstep at night only to find it occupied by a leopard. I absolutely loved this peek into the life of an African game ranger.

After a few years, Currie moved on. He started to do work as a private guide, mostly catering to birders. He tells a couple of stories of guiding clients, including one in Namibia when he catches someone breaking into their car. Currie chases the thief through the thorn forest and is even shot at! But with the help of some passers-by, he catches the criminal. As he writes, birding isn’t a passive pursuit.

He then transitions into his television endeavor. We get a look at what it took to start it up and some challenges that they faced while filming. One of those challenges was the inexperience of the host. Currie reveals that he was “not trained in any type of film, media, or acting”. But the enthusiasm and storytelling ability that served him well as a ranger also helped in his new career. He found that he’d “been guiding for so long that the role of nature show host came effortlessly to me.”

As a fan of the show, I wish there were more details about it here. I’d love to read more behind-the-scenes and making-of stories. Perhaps another book is in order? (Hint, hint James.) But, in the meantime, When Eagles Roar does contain one incredible, unforeseen consequence of filming the show.

The biggest surprise in the book is that Currie nearly died from birding. Not while birding, but from birding. He was watching a Harpy Eagle while filming an episode of his show. Wanting to see and film the bird so badly, he understandably couldn’t take his eyes off of it once found. But that had him looking upward at an awkward angle for hours, which caused him sharp pain. More than mere “warbler neck”, this nearly killed him. A few days later, back in the U.S., he was hospitalized and his doctors found that this had caused a condition that could easily lead to a stroke – and death.

Obviously, since he wrote this, that didn’t happen. But lying in bed with the very real possibility of eminent death, Currie re-examined his life and priorities. He found that:

I see with new eyes how my obsession with wildlife has affected the people around me. I develop a new perspective about the relationships that mean the most to me. My life priorities are now shifting.

Besides giving one more reason to be careful while birding, this tale inspires the reader to take stock of their own life. If When Eagles Roar were just a bunch of stories from the African bush and on-location filming a TV show, it would be a good read. But, as just mentioned, it’s more than that. The authors also look at Africa in a broader view regarding conservation and people. In the time he spent at various reserves, Currie realized that for conservation to work it would take more than just setting aside land; the local people need to be engaged. Further, losing several dear friends to AIDS reveals to him, and us, that AIDS is still a huge problem in Africa. Currie’s front-line perspective on these issues is enlightening.

As a ranger and TV host, Currie has to be an excellent storyteller, and that is clearly evident in this book. It’s simply a great read. One word of caution, however. Currie states that he has tried to faithfully recount conversations and events, and that includes some language that is decidedly R-rated.

Recommendation

Filled with great stories, When Eagles Roar: The Amazing Journey of an African Wildlife Adventurer is a fun and entertaining read. It’s also very informative about wildlife, game rangers, and conservation in Africa. This book is very highly recommended to anyone interested in such things and to fans of the Birding Adventures show.