From 'Wild Florida' to Palm Beach: Kirsten Hines brings new book to island

Author and photographer Kirsten Hines grew up knowing that she wanted to work with nature and wildlife.

After high school she studied biology, with the goal to spend time in the field as much as possible.

"But once I got there, I realized, wow, if I get really good at this, I'll be stuck in a lab looking at data, and that's my least favorite part of the job," she said with a laugh.

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She moved to the Sunshine State to obtain her master's degree at Florida International University, followed by years of traveling the world and photographing animals around the globe that led Hines to her current position: a published author and prolific wildlife photographer who recently published her book "Wild Florida: An Animal Odyssey."

Hines, who lives in Coconut Grove, will share stories of her three years of patiently tracking and photographing the sometimes-elusive Florida wildlife, both native and non-native, that fill the book, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Palm Beach Book Store, 215 Royal Poinciana Way.

The event also will mark the Palm Beach Book Store's 35th anniversary while launching its event programming for the coming season.

She plans to give those who attend the event a behind-the-scenes look at her process, while providing a look at some of Florida's unique wildlife. She'll also have a selection of her photos to show during the talk. "Wild Florida" features more than 200 of Hines' photographs, with vignettes on more than 100 animals.

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"I'm hoping that it will give people a new appreciation for Florida and its wildlife and its nature, and I'm hoping that even people who maybe wouldn't care that much about nature and wildlife, that it will give them an intro and some level of interest," Hines said.

This isn't Hines' first foray into the publishing world. She's written several books with her husband, James A. Kushlan, including "Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens," "Birds of Fairchild" and "Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Bird Trail Guide."

She was inspired to create "Wild Florida," her first truly solo book, when she was asked to pitch a book to the editor with whom she worked on "Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens."

"It became clear to me very quickly that there wasn't a comprehensive Florida wildlife book out there that really was accessible to the public, in a kind of friendly reading rather than a text," she said.

Hines was particularly excited to work on "Wild Florida" as she sought to realize her vision of writing a book that would appeal to a wider audience. "I tried to make it more like, 'OK, I'm going to go on this journey. Why don't you come with me and let's go into Florida's wild and see what happens?'" she said.

She originally sat down with one picture in her head for how the writing portion would look, she said. But after more than two years in the field taking photos, Hines said she returned to her writing and knew she had to start over.

"From the beginning, I'd know I wanted these thematic essays that covered bigger topics, and then I wanted these animals essays that were paired with pictures that were specific to that animal," Hines said. "But what I found what I did end up using almost the same overall style, but some animal essays are all first-person. Because I'm literally taking you with me where I went to go take a picture of that animal."

Into her biological descriptions of Florida's many creatures, Hines wove personal stories of her travels around the state.

She found challenges along the way — and a particular challenge from Florida's bears, who proved elusive to her camera.

The day after Hines signed the contract for "Wild Florida," she decided to go to Ocala, to an area known for bear sightings. At a campground, the host told Hines that she was set up in a spot where a mother bear and cub were known to pass through every day.

"And they never came," she said.

Finding and photographing a bear became one of the biggest hurdles for Hines in writing "Wild Florida."

"I sat there, waited for them. I wore camo. I tried scent-blocking perfumes," she said. "I was working so hard, and I realized these animals really are trying to avoid us if given the opportunity. They don't want to engage with us."

It was only when she went looking for bears in people's yards, bears that were used to the presence of humans, that she finally photographed not one, but two bears — that just happened to be mating.

"I ended up putting so much effort into them, and they were one that I just felt like at the end, I really intimately understood," Hines said. "And also, I had a very intimate experience because the first bears that I finally saw were having sex right in front of me."

Hines said that as she sat there watching and photographing the bears, she shook from adrenaline, unable to believe she finally had the images she needed.

The book features two photos from that encounter: One of the bears in their "foreplay, wrestling around on the ground, and then one in the middle of it," Hines said. She also included images of bear cubs, including one with a mother bear nursing her cubs.

"It's one of the longer animal essays in the book," Hines said.

She also knew that she would need help finding a python to photograph, because the snakes are known for being secretive, Hines said.

Her opportunity came when she was working as artist-in-residence at Big Cypress National Preserve in Southwest Florida. The park superintendent one day invited Hines to join a group that was doing python research. As the group radio-tracked a male python, they struggled to find it, she said.

"We knew we could hear that we were right on it," she said. "And sure enough, it took a long time. But we finally discovered this python coiled at the base of a cypress tree underwater. You could barely see it."

The snake remained in its position for at least 20 minutes, Hines said. She stayed behind, waiting for the python to surface. When it did, it just stuck its nose out of the water to breathe, and then went back below the water.

"It make me have a whole new appreciation for what a challenge getting rid of animals like that can be," Hines said. You hear that they're here to stay, but to have that kind of firsthand experience and see really what a challenge it is, you know, I guess they are here to stay."

Panthers proved to be another challenge for Hines, as she waited patiently in places that panthers were known to frequent. When she finally did find them, she spotted seven of the elusive big cats.

Hines feels that the COVID-19 pandemic and closures worked in her favor. She was working on her photographs for "Wild Florida" during the stay-at-home order. When that was lifted, Hines went to one of her chosen spots to try to see a Florida panther.

Not only did she see one, but that first morning she saw a mother panther with her three cubs.

"They were just walking down the road," Hines said. "It was like it was theirs. It made me realize how our presence, our mere presence, even in those protected areas, is enough to keep the wildlife in the bushes. But if we're not there, it's all theirs."

If you go

What: Kirsten Hines discussion and signing of "Wild Florida: An Animal Odyssey"

Where: Palm Beach Book Store, 215 Royal Poinciana Way, Palm Beach

When: 5:30 to 7 p.m. Nov. 14

Information: 561-659-6700

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Kirsten Hines brings 'Wild Florida' to Palm Beach Book Store