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A review by laurieb755
Slow Birding: The Art and Science of Enjoying the Birds in Your Own Backyard by Joan E. Strassmann
3.0
Joan E. Strassmann is an accomplished scientist, more specifically an evolutionary biologist. While her research involves wasps (see the opening link), she is an avid birder. Her interest in and love of these feathered winged creatures is obvious. She enjoys the stories that come from the fruits of research into bird behaviors.
For those reasons, and because the idea of what slow birding conjures is so amenable (and something I strive towards), this book was one I looked forward to reading. The stories Strassmann shares are interesting and illuminating. Some of what she relays I've seen taking place outside our kitchen window. However, when it comes to sharing statistics and numerical information related to research, well, that's where this book fell quite short.
To my mind, the best way to share data is in simple table form rather than multiple sentences comprising a paragraph. I remember data better if it is presented visually. Further, by placing data in a table the narrative can then focus on telling the story that the data represents. Each chapter concludes with suggestions for slow birding. Since these suggestions typically involve observing and then recording what is seen, having tables sprinkled throughout the book would have provided templates for ways to record the data observed.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed learning about some of the birds we see in our backyard, which borders on a protected tidal salt marsh. Did you know that Blue Jays can hold upwards of five or six acorns in their mouths. They tend to remove the crown of the acorn before scooping them up and flying - sometimes far distances - back to their nests. Turns out this behavior was responsible for changing the diversity of some mountains where oaks would not have grown. (See page 26 of the book, it's quite an interesting story!)
Robins are year-rounders in my area and, while they sometimes appear on tree branches (particularly as the adults eat berries), they are also seen scavenging on the ground for worms to feed their young. I was intrigued to learn that they are able to locate worms underground via sound!
Northern Red Cardinals have an extensive set of syllables from which to create their strong songs, and it's not just the males who sing but also the females. Indeed, one reason the females sing is to let their mates know whether or not to come closer to the nest - if the eggs have hatched it is okay to approach with food, otherwise they tell the males to stay away so as to not attract predators.
Strassman covered 16 birds so you know there are more stories worth reading about. The last one I'll share involves one of my favorite birds, the Great Egret (am also a fan of the Great Blue Heron). Watching either of these birds fly is an awesome treat. They are powerful, majestic and graceful, until you hear them make their sounds. Those long narrow throats produce strong yet jarring sound, definitely not graceful! The chapter on Great Egrets tells the story, not an uncommon one for other birds, of siblings, birth order and survival. It was a great reminder that no matter how stunning birds appear, they are birds and their beauty does not guarantee fidelity and their parenting approaches may seem strange to humans.
For those reasons, and because the idea of what slow birding conjures is so amenable (and something I strive towards), this book was one I looked forward to reading. The stories Strassmann shares are interesting and illuminating. Some of what she relays I've seen taking place outside our kitchen window. However, when it comes to sharing statistics and numerical information related to research, well, that's where this book fell quite short.
To my mind, the best way to share data is in simple table form rather than multiple sentences comprising a paragraph. I remember data better if it is presented visually. Further, by placing data in a table the narrative can then focus on telling the story that the data represents. Each chapter concludes with suggestions for slow birding. Since these suggestions typically involve observing and then recording what is seen, having tables sprinkled throughout the book would have provided templates for ways to record the data observed.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed learning about some of the birds we see in our backyard, which borders on a protected tidal salt marsh. Did you know that Blue Jays can hold upwards of five or six acorns in their mouths. They tend to remove the crown of the acorn before scooping them up and flying - sometimes far distances - back to their nests. Turns out this behavior was responsible for changing the diversity of some mountains where oaks would not have grown. (See page 26 of the book, it's quite an interesting story!)
Robins are year-rounders in my area and, while they sometimes appear on tree branches (particularly as the adults eat berries), they are also seen scavenging on the ground for worms to feed their young. I was intrigued to learn that they are able to locate worms underground via sound!
Northern Red Cardinals have an extensive set of syllables from which to create their strong songs, and it's not just the males who sing but also the females. Indeed, one reason the females sing is to let their mates know whether or not to come closer to the nest - if the eggs have hatched it is okay to approach with food, otherwise they tell the males to stay away so as to not attract predators.
Strassman covered 16 birds so you know there are more stories worth reading about. The last one I'll share involves one of my favorite birds, the Great Egret (am also a fan of the Great Blue Heron). Watching either of these birds fly is an awesome treat. They are powerful, majestic and graceful, until you hear them make their sounds. Those long narrow throats produce strong yet jarring sound, definitely not graceful! The chapter on Great Egrets tells the story, not an uncommon one for other birds, of siblings, birth order and survival. It was a great reminder that no matter how stunning birds appear, they are birds and their beauty does not guarantee fidelity and their parenting approaches may seem strange to humans.