Seaside Series: Marnie Reed Crowell & Danielle D’Auria
The Heron Witch
Marnie Reed Crowell will read from her new young adult novel The Heron Witch, published by Green Writers Press in February 2025, followed by a conversation and book signing. She will be joined by Danielle D’Auria, a wildlife biologist who contributed data and original research to the novel.
About The Heron Witch
When city girl Nancy moves to a small coastal Maine town she meets Mariner, the Great Blue heron with a GPS tracking device on its back. We follow the actual tracking data of this real-life heron through the story as a lobster fisherman’s son and a mysterious naturalist with an uncanny way with animals take Nancy in hand with engaging results.
Marnie collaborated with Danielle D’Auria, a wildlife biologist who works in the Bird Group at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, on the Heron Tracking Project data used in the novel.
About Marnie
Marnie Reed Crowell is a natural history writer with an MS in biology from University of Pennsylvania. She is married to Ken Crowell, a retired ecology professor who taught at St Lawrence University. She has written a number of books based on nature such as Great Blue: The Odyssey of a Great Blue Heron (Times Books 1980), as well as magazine articles for such publications as Audubon, Natural History, and others.
About Danielle
Danielle D’Auria, Waterbird Specialist, is a wildlife biologist who works in the Bird Group of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. She focuses on understanding statewide populations of colonial wading birds, secretive marsh birds, black terns, loons, and other rare water birds. Since 2009, she has spent the majority of her time researching why great blue herons have undergone a decline along Maine’s coast.
The rain venue for all Seaside Series programs is SPL, 64 Main Street.