The Scarlet Kingfisher: Discovery of a new species

Nothing could excite Doctor Beach O’Neill more than the dream of discovering an unknown species in some exotic rainforest. He and his girlfriend’s world is flipped out of control when a ranch hand reports seeing a strange red bird on the banks of an isolated Texas river. Things turn ugly when Beach discovers a mutilated body, and the sheriff thinks he’s the killer.
Thus begins a reckless contest between O’Neill and an array of despotic villains who wish to be the first persons on Earth to possess a Scarlet Kingfisher. Unsavory characters want Beach and Becky out of the way and off the trail of this unique avian rarity. O’Neill is torn between his obsessive desire to capture and introduce the bird to science and Becky’s wish to let it remain in its river bottom home, as nature intended. Will this red kingfisher and two different world views mean the end?
Will disparate forces have their way?

Robert Benson studied physics at Texas A&M University, graduating in 1985 with a doctorate in Cosmic Ray Physics. He founded the Center for Bioacoustics at TAMU and completed numerous research projects related to the sounds animals make (mostly birds). He is an avid birder and naturalist and a past president of the Texas Ornithological Society. Robert, and his wife Karen, live on a small farm near Normanna, Texas where they maintain a vineyard, propagate and grow native Texas Plants, and spend a great deal of time outdoors. His hobbies are birding, photography, and falconry.