What the Robin Knows

Zusatztext "This book will enhance our own ability to learn what the nestlings learn."- Birding Business "Don't tell lifelong birder Jon Young that robins are boring. He can sit still in his yard, watching and listending for the moment when robins and other birds no longer perceive him as a threat. Then he can begin to hear what the birds say to each other, warning about nearby hawks, cats, or competitors. Young's book will teach you how you, too, can understand birds and their fascinating behaviors." - BirdWatching "A sophisticated guide for amateur bird watchers and a door-opener for newbies." - Kirkus "Though primarily geared toward birders and naturalists rather than lay readers, this passionate instruction manual offers enjoyable anecdotes." - Publishers Weekly Informationen zum Autor Jon Young is on the leading edge of animal tracking and understanding bird language. He has been exploring animal communication for 35 years and was mentored by the famous tracker Tom Brown Jr. as well as a tribal elder in Africa. Jon developed the 8 Shields Cultural Mentoring System, a model that has influenced more than 100 nature programs in communities in the U.S., Canada, and Europe and is also creator of the Shikari Method for data collection, which is used by the USFWS. Jon has given over 1,000 public presentations and has mentored numerous students of his own. Married, with six children, Jon lives in Santa Cruz, California. Klappentext Award-winning naturalist and author Jon Young's What the Robin Knows reveals how understanding bird language and behavior can help us to see more wildlife. A lifelong birder, tracker, and naturalist, Jon Young is guided by three basic premises: the robin, junco, and other songbirds know everything important about their environment, be it backyard or forest; by tuning in to their vocalizations and behavior, we can acquire much of this wisdom for our own pleasure and benefit; and the birds' companion calls and warning alarms are just as important as their songs. Deep bird language is an ancient discipline, perfected by Indigenous peoples the world over, and science is finally catching up. This groundbreaking book unites the Indigenous knowledge and the author's own experience of more than four decades in the field to lead us toward a deeper connection to the animals and, in the end, a deeper connection to ourselves. "This elegant book will deepen the kinship between humans and other species. It decodes our common language."?Richard Louv, author of Our Wild Calling: How Connecting with Animals Can Transform Our Lives?and Save Theirs Leseprobe INTRODUCTION: WHAT THE ROBIN KNOWS ONE EARLY SPRING DAY when I was a teenager and already keenly interested in birds, I was scouting the vast salt marshes of southern New Jersey, and I saw a ruff. A ruff! This wading bird (considered a sandpiper) wasn't supposed to be on the North American continent at all, but there it was, fresh in from Europe or perhaps even Asia. That was an exciting moment, and so was my teenage discovery of the scissor-tailed flycatcher and the snowy owl, both way out of their respective ranges, and the very rare golden-winged warbler. I went to the trouble of identifying those unexpected birds because I identified every bird I saw and heard. If I couldn't do so on the first encounter, I went back the next day, and the next. If I heard a sound from a bird I hadn't heard before, I grabbed my binoculars and went searching until I found the sourceor left defeated, but determined to find it at the next opportunity. In May, when the warblers migrated across New Jersey over the course of just three or four peak days, I was out there aggressively trying to sort them outfifteen or so species at my hangout, as well as the forty others that breed in New Jersey. At Rutgers, where I studied anthropology and natural history, I was probably the first one to sign up for t...

Auteur

Jon Young is on the leading edge of animal tracking and understanding bird language. He has been exploring animal communication for 35 years and was mentored by the famous tracker Tom Brown Jr. as well as a tribal elder in Africa. Jon developed the 8 Shields Cultural Mentoring System, a model that has influenced more than 100 nature programs in communities in the U.S., Canada, and Europe and is also creator of the Shikari Method for data collection, which is used by the USFWS. Jon has given over 1,000 public presentations and has mentored numerous students of his own. Married, with six children, Jon lives in Santa Cruz, California.

Texte du rabat
Award-winning naturalist and author Jon Young's What the Robin Knows reveals how understanding bird language and behavior can help us to see more wildlife.

A lifelong birder, tracker, and naturalist, Jon Young is guided by three basic premises: the robin, junco, and other songbirds know everything important about their environment, be it backyard or forest; by tuning in to their vocalizations and behavior, we can acquire much of this wisdom for our own pleasure and benefit; and the birds' companion calls and warning alarms are just as important as their songs.

Deep bird language is an ancient discipline, perfected by Indigenous peoples the world over, and science is finally catching up. This groundbreaking book unites the Indigenous knowledge and the author's own experience of more than four decades in the field to lead us toward a deeper connection to the animals and, in the end, a deeper connection to ourselves.

"This elegant book will deepen the kinship between humans and other species. It decodes our common language."?Richard Louv, author of Our Wild Calling: How Connecting with Animals Can Transform Our Lives?and Save Theirs

Échantillon de lecture
INTRODUCTION:
WHAT THE ROBIN KNOWS

ONE EARLY SPRING DAY when I was a teenager and already keenly interested in birds, I was scouting the vast salt marshes of southern New Jersey, and I saw a ruff. A ruff! This wading bird (considered a sandpiper) wasn’t supposed to be on the North American continent at all, but there it was, fresh in from Europe or perhaps even Asia. That was an exciting moment, and so was my teenage discovery of the scissor-tailed flycatcher and the snowy owl, both way out of their respective ranges, and the very rare golden-winged warbler. I went to the trouble of identifying those unexpected birds because I identified every bird I saw and heard. If I couldn’t do so on the first encounter, I went back the next day, and the next. If I heard a sound from a bird I hadn’t heard before, I grabbed my binoculars and went searching until I found the source—or left defeated, but determined to find it at the next opportunity. In May, when the warblers migrated across New Jersey over the course of just three or four peak days, I was out there aggressively trying to sort them out—fifteen or so species at my hangout, as well as the forty others that breed in New Jersey. At Rutgers, where I studied anthropology and natural history, I was probably the first one to sign up for the annual one-day bird count that began in the Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge—a major point along the Atlantic Flyway in southern New Jersey—and concluded at Helyar Woods near the campus. Success for our van full of varied birders began that day before dawn with a singing Chuck-will’s-widow and concluded after nightfall with an eastern screech-owl. That very long day’s scouring yielded ninety-six species. While that may not be so impressive to some really good birders, it was my best day up to that point. I was eighteen years old.
   I’ve had a lot of great birding moments in North America, the Hawaiian Islands, Europe, and Africa, and I’ve drawn solid lessons from them, but this fact remains: the American robin in my yard has much more to teach me as I sit quietly ben…