Robert W. Nero

Naturalist, ornithologist, avocational archaeologist and poet, Winnipeg's Dr. Robert W. Nero has authored nine books dealing with his amazing spectrum of interests. Growing Old Together is the newest collection of poetry by this gifted writer, revealing his sensitivity and keen observation of the natural world. In his frequently passionate poetry Nero pays tribute to his wife, Ruth, who has, over many years, encouraged Bob to write and to pursue his outdoor interests -- all the while sharing him with "Lady Grayl," the great gray owl he found injured and starving in 1984. From that time on, Lady Grayl toured with Bob Nero to raise funds for numerous environmental projects and to educate thousands of children and adults about conservation. This remarkable association ended in October of 2005 with the passing of Lady Grayl at age 21.5. It is fitting that Manitoba Day 2005 honoured the Great Gray Owl, the official provincial bird -- and, yes, Lady Grayl was involved.

Poetry or potsherds? That's the surprising dilemma one of Canada's well-known nature writers confronts in The Site: A Personal Odyssey, a highly personalized account of a lifetime's involvement as an avocational archaeologist. With deft descriptive powers, Robert Nero leads us gently into this new facet of his amazing spectrum of interests. Not unexpectedly, there even is poetry in his approach to studying prehistoric remains! From childhood through adolescence, to wartime service with the U.S. Army in the Southwest Pacific, from exploring the vast sand dunes of Lake Athabasca to excavating a 3,000-year-old site he discovered west of Winnipeg, Nero allows us to share his enthusiasm and excitement in outdoor adventures. There is always a wonderful immediacy in his narrative, the mark of a gifted writer, whether expressed in prose or poetry.

In this collection of poems, noted naturalist-writer Robert W. Nero offers insightful reflections on a variety of birds from peregrine falcons, great grey owls and common ravens to purple martins and orioles. We are also offered surprising glimpses of such diverse wildlife as frogs, chipmunks, shrews, ants, dragonflies and spiders. It is nature in all its seasons that holds Dr. Nero’s attention as he develops intriguing views of ordinary scenes and events. But the poems in this collection also speak of love, passion and introspection, thus revealing a deeper and increasingly personal side of one of Canada’s most respected naturalists. A combination of scientific training and experience, along with ecological awareness and writer’s craft, is brought to bear in this fine assortment of poems. As in his two previous poetry books, we are privileged to share some fairly intimate aspects of the relationship between Bob Nero and his wife, Ruth. This surprising writer enriches our awareness of the diversity of nature while exposing some of his deepest and most tender thoughts and feelings.

"This is the story of a man and his owl. But what a man and what an owl The owl is one of our planet's most beautiful and elusive beings, an enchanting spook, a feathered spirit from some ancient world. "The man is Robert Nero, his name synonymous with that of the Great Gray Owl, his love affair with the species spanning twenty-five years. For me, a non-professional adrift in a sea of biologists, it is heartening to find in Dr. Nero not just the able scientific mind but also a sense of wonder, undiminished by the years. Perhaps it is the mortality of all living things that makes them exquisite to him, for he writes of their brief beauty in poetry and prose. His words remind us of joys we once knew, of worlds to which we have grown blind. "What a privilege it is to share a time on Earth with a man like this, and to call him friend." - Katherine McKeever, The Owl Foundation, Vineland, 1994 "Bob Nero, one of Canada's finest nature writers, has done it again His fifth book, about Lady Grayl, is a personal account, something close to a love story. For nine years, since the rescue of a starving runt owlet from a wild brood, he has taken his beautiful owl, Lady Grayl, to countless schools and public meetings to preach the gospel of conservation. She and Bob are well-known throughout Manitoba, and beyond. "Bob's careful observations of this imprinted owl supplement his 25 years of research into Great Gray Owls in the wild. Six sensitive poems and numerous photographs depict the owl in many moods and settings. This book will rank along with Bernd Heinrich's acclaimed One Man's Owl, which dealt with an imprinted Great Horned Owl, and will be of special interest to all who have been fortunate enough to see Lady Grayl." - C. Stuart Houston, University of Saskatchewan

Ornithologist, ecologist, naturalist and poet Dr. Robert W. Nero of Winnipeg is the acknowledged North American authority on the Great Gray Owl. "Like his earlier book, Woman By the Shore, it is rather like an album of snapshots to leaf through … here is Bob walking the dog, here in the garden with Ruth, here pensively watching from his window. Each poem is carefully crafted to reveal the essence of one event and his appreciation of it."- From the introduction by Ardythe McMaster

In 1990 Louise de Kiriline Lawrence celebrated her ninety-sixth birthday. The richness of her detailed nature observations and her exceptional use of the English language have attracted an international following. Dr. Robert Nero, a noted ornithologist, demonstrates his admiration and affection for this remarkable woman through his environmentally sensitive and insightful poetry. "Robert Nero etches with a loving hand – spider webs, fallen feathers, insect wings – significant encounters with the beauty of ’ordinary’ life. He teaches us to see."- Candace Savage, The Northwest Territories