MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 23, 2021
Turns out, the clever and unflappable 007 was named after a well-known ornithologist by author Ian Fleming. And the real James Bond – who actually went by Jim – spent summers birding with his uncle on Mount Desert Island, where the two compiled a well-known field guide that was published in 1941, “Birds of Mt. Desert Island Acadia National Park Maine.” In his book, “The Real James Bond,” New Jersey journalist Jim Wright – who also enjoys birding on Mount Desert Island – explains why the fictional undercover agent was named after James Bond, a birder from Philadelphia, and how similar the two were. And while the British M16 agent was not a birder, the author who created him was. In fact, when Ian Fleming first met the real James Bond in Jamaica, the two went birding, according to Wright. In June, Wright will offer three talks in Maine to explain the parallels between the two Bonds.