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The Seabird's Cry: The Lives and Loves of Puffins, Gannets and Other Ocean Voyagers by Adam Nicolson
snoakes7001's review
4.0
The Seabird's Cry investigates the lives and habits of ten different seabirds. Each gets a chapter of its own, stuffed with fascinating information covering a vast array of topics. The mating rituals, breeding habits, how they raise their young and where they feed are all covered as well as the effects of global warming, loss of habitat and pollution. Adam Nicolson also explores their impact on humans, those who traditionally hunted them, those who now spend their lives studying them as well as the writers, poets and artists who were inspired by them.
Due to the nature of the book, it can't help but get a little same-y, but it's all very interesting nonetheless.
Due to the nature of the book, it can't help but get a little same-y, but it's all very interesting nonetheless.
backpackfullofbooks's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
bookish_spoonie's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
Fantastic books focusing on seabirds. As a keen amateur wildlife photographer and birder, I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot.
Half a star taken off because I found some of the history to be a bit too much and wish there was more information on the birds themselves.
Fantastic books focusing on seabirds. As a keen amateur wildlife photographer and birder, I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot.
Half a star taken off because I found some of the history to be a bit too much and wish there was more information on the birds themselves.
sapphire's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.0
enantiodromia's review against another edition
4.0
As a birder, I had a great time reading this book. There was plenty that I did not know myself about the natural histories of some of these species. It's well-written and poetic, and accessible to just about any reader. I doubt that you need a solid knowledge of birds to enjoy reading about and learning more about these various species of seabirds. There are interesting anecdotes about people coming across the various species over time, and harrowing stories about the tragedies of the necessities of nesting in colonies. The author also talks about how badly these species have been affected by humans, both in historical times and currently, sometimes in horrifying, disgusting, and enraging ways.
My only irritations with the book are some factual errors, which were surprising due to the extremely long list of primary sources in the back. The number of species of gull mentioned is too low (it's actually somewhere around 54, including the kittiwakes he writes about). And perhaps it is from learning the sciences in the United States, but I was surprised at the level of anthropomorphizing of the mated relationships of males and females, using terms and phrases such as "wife," "husband," "her man," "marriage," and "divorce rate." Some of these are entirely human constructs that don't even make sense to be used with anything but human beings. The mere definition of "man" even states that it is a human male. Perhaps these were used to make the interactions more accessible to the layperson, but I think it does a disservice to teaching the general public to talk this way about the non-human interactions between species that have their own correct way of interacting (considering that most animal's breeding cycles have specific time periods rather than the weirdly erratic, and perhaps too-long ones of human beings, and culturally and socially humans are changing how they view their own relationships anyway).
My only irritations with the book are some factual errors, which were surprising due to the extremely long list of primary sources in the back. The number of species of gull mentioned is too low (it's actually somewhere around 54, including the kittiwakes he writes about). And perhaps it is from learning the sciences in the United States, but I was surprised at the level of anthropomorphizing of the mated relationships of males and females, using terms and phrases such as "wife," "husband," "her man," "marriage," and "divorce rate." Some of these are entirely human constructs that don't even make sense to be used with anything but human beings. The mere definition of "man" even states that it is a human male. Perhaps these were used to make the interactions more accessible to the layperson, but I think it does a disservice to teaching the general public to talk this way about the non-human interactions between species that have their own correct way of interacting (considering that most animal's breeding cycles have specific time periods rather than the weirdly erratic, and perhaps too-long ones of human beings, and culturally and socially humans are changing how they view their own relationships anyway).
abookolive's review against another edition
4.0
Click here to hear my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive.
The winner of the 2018 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing, this book is a consideration of the lives of ten different seabirds/groups of seabirds and gives readers a glimpse into their worlds. Each chapter is a self-contained unit - making the book read more like an essay collection - but it's jam packed with fascinating information and insights, all presented in a masterful way.
The winner of the 2018 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing, this book is a consideration of the lives of ten different seabirds/groups of seabirds and gives readers a glimpse into their worlds. Each chapter is a self-contained unit - making the book read more like an essay collection - but it's jam packed with fascinating information and insights, all presented in a masterful way.
cayleejanet's review against another edition
i’ll come back to it, his writing is just so like dense it isnt easy to read i just need to read things i love right now