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The Quarry Fox: And Other Critters of the Wild Catskills
A red fox stands poised at the edge of a woodchuck den, his ears perked for danger as two pudgy fox cubs frolic nearby. A mother black bear and her cubs hibernate beneath a felled tree. A barred owl snags a hapless cottontail from a meadow with its precise talons. In The Quarry Fox and Other Tales of the Wild Catskills, Leslie T. Sharpe trains her keen eye and narrative gifts on these and other New York wildlife through her tales of close observations as a naturalist living in the Great Western Catskills. The Quarry Fox is the first in-depth study of Catskill wildlife since John Burroughs invented the genre of nature-writing, in which Sharpe weaves her experiences with the seasons, plants, and creatures with the natural history of each organism, revealing their sensitivity to and resilience against the splendor and cruelty of Nature.Sharpe's frank, scientific observations join with her deeply felt connection to these creatures to instill in readers an appreciation of the undaunted and variegated beauty of the Catskills and camaraderie with its animals. From contemplating the importance of milkweed for monarchs to lay their eggs to reveling in the first steps of a wobbly fawn, The Quarry Fox is a celebration of the natural world and our place in it.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published March 7, 2017
11 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 21, 2020
If you love the little details about wildlife one sees on walks outdoors, or looking out the back door at birdfeeders in all seasons, this book will nourish and entertain.
August 19, 2020
Writerly and elegant, The Quarry Fox is a well-crafted nonfiction work that explores human interactions with the natural world. Rife with engaging descriptions and intimate anecdotes, Sharpe is at her finest in the eponymous chapter, writing about the human impulse to anthropomorphize and sentimentalize wildlife.
Some snippets gave me pause (pun intended). Her observation that pet cats make good naturalists raised an eyebrow due to domesticated felines’ impact upon songbird populations. Cats are effective predators and their role in the decimation of songbird species is well documented. I had never thought to compare them to naturalists. I’m impressed with Sharpe’s graceful prose, and her ability to portray pets from another angle.
Her mention of coyotes killing fawns (in the same chapter), however, was out of step with much of the rest of her book – alarmingly inaccurate and unintentionally supportive of the barbaric persecution coyotes face. An accurate description of the coyote diet (heavy on small mammals, light on whitetailed deer) could have provided a much-needed correction to the folkloric but inaccurate shibboleth of coyotes as fawn killers. Coyote killing contests are held regularly in Delaware County (the setting of The Quarry Fox), despite the clear evidence that such efforts to control their population are ineffective. Coyotes do not prey upon fawns as a preferred spring meal, as Sharpe suggests, but bears do (as the opportunity presents), upon awakening from torpor. To casually refer to coyotes as predators of fawns as a matter of course preserves the inaccurate and prejudiced view of coyotes as troublesome "varmints" and nuisance animals that do harm rather than good. It feeds the hatred and dangerous practices common in our area – including poaching and poisoning bait. Coyotes have been badly misrepresented, misunderstood, and persecuted in literature and in the Catskills. I was saddened to see a keen observer and polished writer fail to educate readers about this fascinating species. In fact, beyond diet, coyotes’ practice of compensatory reproduction, the role of the howling roll call, and their hybridization with both wolves and domestic dogs are all fodder for a future chapter I do hope Sharpe will write. Her prowess with the written word makes her uniquely well-suited to the task of correcting these fallacies surrounding coyotes and could go a long way towards a more peaceful coexistence.
The Quarry Fox explores human interventions in nature with enthusiasm and style. It is an entertaining read for locals and non locals alike.
Some snippets gave me pause (pun intended). Her observation that pet cats make good naturalists raised an eyebrow due to domesticated felines’ impact upon songbird populations. Cats are effective predators and their role in the decimation of songbird species is well documented. I had never thought to compare them to naturalists. I’m impressed with Sharpe’s graceful prose, and her ability to portray pets from another angle.
Her mention of coyotes killing fawns (in the same chapter), however, was out of step with much of the rest of her book – alarmingly inaccurate and unintentionally supportive of the barbaric persecution coyotes face. An accurate description of the coyote diet (heavy on small mammals, light on whitetailed deer) could have provided a much-needed correction to the folkloric but inaccurate shibboleth of coyotes as fawn killers. Coyote killing contests are held regularly in Delaware County (the setting of The Quarry Fox), despite the clear evidence that such efforts to control their population are ineffective. Coyotes do not prey upon fawns as a preferred spring meal, as Sharpe suggests, but bears do (as the opportunity presents), upon awakening from torpor. To casually refer to coyotes as predators of fawns as a matter of course preserves the inaccurate and prejudiced view of coyotes as troublesome "varmints" and nuisance animals that do harm rather than good. It feeds the hatred and dangerous practices common in our area – including poaching and poisoning bait. Coyotes have been badly misrepresented, misunderstood, and persecuted in literature and in the Catskills. I was saddened to see a keen observer and polished writer fail to educate readers about this fascinating species. In fact, beyond diet, coyotes’ practice of compensatory reproduction, the role of the howling roll call, and their hybridization with both wolves and domestic dogs are all fodder for a future chapter I do hope Sharpe will write. Her prowess with the written word makes her uniquely well-suited to the task of correcting these fallacies surrounding coyotes and could go a long way towards a more peaceful coexistence.
The Quarry Fox explores human interventions in nature with enthusiasm and style. It is an entertaining read for locals and non locals alike.
June 20, 2018
Lovely tribute to my beloved Catskills and the beings with whom humans share the land.
January 19, 2018
Sharpe writes beautifully about the seasonal round on her rural property in Delaware County, New York. Each chapter is dedicated to a different writer and talks about the various animals she encounters, their history in the region, their habits and their status as endangered or recovering but she does it in such a way that it is a lovely prose poem about the natural world. I was particularly struck by her encounters with wild predators: fox, bobcat, and black bear. Her experiences were benign and filled her with quiet joy but also worried her because wild animals who lose their fear of humans are often killed by frightened people. She always kept her distance and shouted at them if they didn't seem wary enough of her though she missed them when they ran off. For anyone who enjoys reading nature books, I would put this one on your TBR list.
June 20, 2017
LOVE this book! Wonderfully written, and also so informative. Nature writing has to have both awe and inspiration, as well as lots of information, true state-of-the-art science, to really intrigue and satisfy me. This book has both and more. I really learned a lot reading this and was transported along the way. I will return to THE QUARRY FOX again and again. HIGHLY recommended
November 8, 2017
This is nature writing at its best. I was transported to the beautiful Catskills. Leslie Sharpe is a keen observer and a trustworthy recorder. She shares her prodigious knowledge of the native critters and their landscape and engenders a sincere interest to learn more. A great book. It doesn't have to be read in one gulp. Savor it.
November 18, 2019
That deep yearning to be subsumed, this very instant, into the Enchanted Garden such as Leslie Sharpe qua naturalist efficaciously paints by way of eloquent diction adorned with alluring, paradisiacal details...You’ll want to keep this book beyond arm’s reach if you know you can’t afford to lose track of time. While, a growing sense of forlornness develops as it approaches the end.
September 26, 2025
A lovely book, but I wish I'd read it rather than listened to it. It was narrated by the author, who was not up to the task–at points it was difficult to understand because of her weird emphasis on the wrong words. That said, I would recommend this book if you live in the Catskills or upstate NY—just pick up the hard copy and skip the audio.
October 18, 2017
I reviewed this book for The Literary Review ~ http://www.theliteraryreview.org/book...
October 23, 2017
I really wanted to like this book but was unable to finish it. I expected "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek," but found this rather dry.
August 23, 2018
A meditative look at the creatures sharing a backyard with the author, from short-lived moths to curious bears. The Catskills sound like beautiful place to visit.
September 26, 2021
Enlightening, fun and personal.
May 15, 2025
Lots of cute animal stories, minimal plot. Cute light read for an outside day and some tea :)
February 21, 2018
Upon picking up the book, I was immediately immersed in a world of mountains, trees, rocks, streams, flora, birds, bears, deer, fox, and other critters. From the beginning till the end, I luxuriated in Leslie T. Sharpe’s #TheQuarryFoxAndOtherCrttersOfTheWildCatskills. Ms. Sharpe is a Buddhist master, a Native American storyteller, a nature guide, a geologist, a word maestro. She finds Zen in her everyday chores, and moves through the forest becoming one with the fauna and landscape.
February 16, 2018
Upon picking up the book, I was immediately immersed in a world of mountains, trees, rocks, streams, flora, birds, bears, deer, fox, and other critters. From the beginning till the end, I luxuriated in Leslie T. Sharpe’s #TheQuarryFoxAndOtherCrttersOfTheWildCatskills. Ms. Sharpe is a Buddhist master, a Native American storyteller, a nature guide, a geologist, a word maestro. She finds Zen in her everyday chores, and moves through the forest and adapts to the seasons becoming one with the fauna.
July 5, 2017
An enjoyable and informative read
Living in the Catskills, though in a more populated area, I found this book an enjoyable mix of memoir, useful insights and regional history. I could even identify with the occasional sentimentality. My main complaint is the writing style, rather ornate and full of overly long sentences with long embedded parentheses.
Living in the Catskills, though in a more populated area, I found this book an enjoyable mix of memoir, useful insights and regional history. I could even identify with the occasional sentimentality. My main complaint is the writing style, rather ornate and full of overly long sentences with long embedded parentheses.
March 26, 2017
Although I don’t live near the Great Western Catskills, "The Quarry Fox" not only transported me there but inspired me to pay deeper attention to the wonders of nature near my home in the Pacific Northwest. What a rare pleasure to spend time with Sharpe and the creatures, plants, and seasons she describes so deftly here! Sharpe’s beautiful prose and keen observations create such a vivid portrait of life’s wonders large and small, you can’t help but see things anew in your own backyard. This is a lovely book, a meditation reminiscent of Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, that teaches you not only how to really see, but how to be fully present in our hectic world.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews