A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds
- Downloads：8997
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-02 06:19:35
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Scott Weidensaul
- ISBN：0393882411
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Laura
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What an amazing life Scott Weisensaul has had out among the laneways of migrating birds。 A fascinating and wonderful read。
Becks
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Read this for the 2022 BookTube Prize Octafinals so I can’t share my thoughts just yet。
Brian
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I learned so much about birds and migration I hadn't known that I will need to read this again。 I learned so much about birds and migration I hadn't known that I will need to read this again。 。。。more
Art
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This is my first book by Scott Weidensaul and I'm so glad I picked it up。 I never knew about pelagic raptors。。。。。albatrosses and other raptors that live in the air over deep water， never touching land but every year or two！ Or the hundreds of thousands of Amur falcons that congregate in Nagaland southeast of Nepal to feed on the trillions of termites that emerge from the ground every year to mate。 Nor did I understand how Cyprus and other countries （US included） have eaten some species of songbi This is my first book by Scott Weidensaul and I'm so glad I picked it up。 I never knew about pelagic raptors。。。。。albatrosses and other raptors that live in the air over deep water， never touching land but every year or two！ Or the hundreds of thousands of Amur falcons that congregate in Nagaland southeast of Nepal to feed on the trillions of termites that emerge from the ground every year to mate。 Nor did I understand how Cyprus and other countries （US included） have eaten some species of songbirds to near extinction。 A World on the Wing is a combination travelogue and reverie for migrating birds。。。。well written and highly informative。。。。you can only come away with a growing sense of awe for all the nature that surrounds us。。。it's crazy。。。。。but that songbird outside your window may migrate 7，000， 15，000 or more miles a year。。。。。。。。。with some birds traveling more than 70，000+ miles during their annual migration。 The scary thing is that birds are hardwired to migrate when and where they do。。。。。。so every time we "develop" some new parcel of land along the migratory route we likely destroy habitat that evolved species have depended on for thousands and thousands of years。。。。and they can't change their DNA on short notice。 I think Shakespeare had it wrong。。。。。。。"first， kill all the developers！" 。。。more
Ryan
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I read this book because it was recommended on Nate Swick's ABA Podcast episode where they talked about the best birding books of 2021。 The entire panel seemed very positive about the book and described the author in very glowing terms， so I was really excited to listen to the book。 I've only recently gotten into birding so I've only listened to one other book on birds before this， Jennifer Ackerman's "The Genius of Birds"。 Weidensaul's global migratory narrative is very different from that one。 I read this book because it was recommended on Nate Swick's ABA Podcast episode where they talked about the best birding books of 2021。 The entire panel seemed very positive about the book and described the author in very glowing terms， so I was really excited to listen to the book。 I've only recently gotten into birding so I've only listened to one other book on birds before this， Jennifer Ackerman's "The Genius of Birds"。 Weidensaul's global migratory narrative is very different from that one。 I'm not quite sure how to word this， but Ackerman seemed to focus more on birds， whereas Weidensaul focuses more on environmental issues around birds。 It's not a bad book; it's just not quite what I was expecting。 I found the chapter about theories on how ornithologists think birds navigate migration to be incredibly fascinating （even if the quantum physics is way over my head）。 And the author has amazing stories about his experiences studying bird migration around the world that will make anyone envious of what he has seen and done。 It was a good book， and very interesting。 It just wasn't quite what I expected。 As a beginning birder， I found the book opened my eyes to issues around the world--environmental， economic， political， cultural， etc。--that affect bird populations。 I would guess this book is a must have for more serious birding conservationists。 。。。more
Melody
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Spectacular。 Weidensaul makes birding accessible to me in a way I really appreciate。 I'm boggling over how much data the "ordinary" birdwatcher is contributing to Big Data Bird Science， and how we are learning so much at the end， here。 By the time the last bird falls silent， we will truly understand what we have lost。 Spectacular。 Weidensaul makes birding accessible to me in a way I really appreciate。 I'm boggling over how much data the "ordinary" birdwatcher is contributing to Big Data Bird Science， and how we are learning so much at the end， here。 By the time the last bird falls silent， we will truly understand what we have lost。 。。。more
David Rudin
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An update on Weidensaul’s classic “Living on the Wind”， for this epic journey the author literally travels to the ends of the earth to document the incredible stories of bird migration。 It helps that he can write， and tells stories of not only birds but the scientists， activists and other people working to save birds and their migratory routes。 Awesome in its scope and the sheer splendor of bird migration， this is a must read for “birders”， ornithologists and anyone interested in the natural his An update on Weidensaul’s classic “Living on the Wind”， for this epic journey the author literally travels to the ends of the earth to document the incredible stories of bird migration。 It helps that he can write， and tells stories of not only birds but the scientists， activists and other people working to save birds and their migratory routes。 Awesome in its scope and the sheer splendor of bird migration， this is a must read for “birders”， ornithologists and anyone interested in the natural history of our feathered friends。 。。。more
Bruce
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This book is remarkably informative and fun to read。 New information about global migrations in places I’ve been and those that I will never see。 It is one of the very best “bird” books I’ve read。 Highly recommended for any birder or conservationist。
Kristin
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Loved this book！ Fascinating stories of various types of birds and their migration。 I learned so many incredible facts and felt like I was traveling along with the author。 Only thing I would have liked to see is better organization and flow of the chapters。 I didn’t feel like the names of the chapters gave me a clear idea of the theme or what was happening。
Jordan
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A fascinating read that I feel is deeply researched and both easily accessible and challenging。 It doesn’t shy away from technical descriptions， and always offers layman’s term translations。 The writing is excellent - the descriptions， pacing， and structure are all top shelf。 I love this book and learned so much from it， and felt the powerful emotions of joy， thrill， anxiety， and sadness at all the aspects of the lives of these amazing birds and the larger context of the world we live in。 My kid A fascinating read that I feel is deeply researched and both easily accessible and challenging。 It doesn’t shy away from technical descriptions， and always offers layman’s term translations。 The writing is excellent - the descriptions， pacing， and structure are all top shelf。 I love this book and learned so much from it， and felt the powerful emotions of joy， thrill， anxiety， and sadness at all the aspects of the lives of these amazing birds and the larger context of the world we live in。 My kids love nature and animals too， especially my second son。 This might be a bit much for him now， but I definitely look forward to talking with him about everything I learned in this amazing book。 。。。more
Robyn Puffenbarger
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This is a wonderful book about migration。 Some of the stories are enlightening， some heart breaking， some hopeful。 I have heard the author speak once in person and once by zoom， highly recommend his books and talks。
Sydney Bouldin
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It took me forever to get through， but that's a fault of the reader， not of the text。 This book depressed me from start to finish。 But that's what it needs to do。 It's impacted me tremendously and deepened my passion for conservation。 I feel more equipped to be a better advocate for birds having read this。 I hope one day there can be a sequel detailing how we've reversed some of the challenges migratory birds face。 It took me forever to get through， but that's a fault of the reader， not of the text。 This book depressed me from start to finish。 But that's what it needs to do。 It's impacted me tremendously and deepened my passion for conservation。 I feel more equipped to be a better advocate for birds having read this。 I hope one day there can be a sequel detailing how we've reversed some of the challenges migratory birds face。 。。。more
Rasmus Tillander
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Linnut on jänniä。 A World on the Wing oli tavallaan tosi kiinnostava tietokirja。 Opin siitä paljon uutta mm。 lintujen anatomiasta， ekologisten järjestlemien keskinäisriippuvuuksista ja tiettyjen valtioiden （katson sinua Kypros） ongelmallisista metsästysperinteistä。Mutta。 En tiedä olenko ainoa， joka on vähän väsynyt tällaiseen tarinoivaan tietokirjatyyliin。 Siis mua nyt kuitenkin kiinnosti ne muuttolinnut eikä Weidensaulin matkakertomukset。 Ymmärrän， että niiden tarkoituksena oli tuoda esiin tutk Linnut on jänniä。 A World on the Wing oli tavallaan tosi kiinnostava tietokirja。 Opin siitä paljon uutta mm。 lintujen anatomiasta， ekologisten järjestlemien keskinäisriippuvuuksista ja tiettyjen valtioiden （katson sinua Kypros） ongelmallisista metsästysperinteistä。Mutta。 En tiedä olenko ainoa， joka on vähän väsynyt tällaiseen tarinoivaan tietokirjatyyliin。 Siis mua nyt kuitenkin kiinnosti ne muuttolinnut eikä Weidensaulin matkakertomukset。 Ymmärrän， että niiden tarkoituksena oli tuoda esiin tutkijoiden ja suojelijoiden työtä ympäri maailmaa， mutta suureksi osaksi ne tuntuivat vain turhalta lätinältä。 Jos kirja olisi puolet lyhyempi se voisi olla erinomainen。 Olen kuitenkin ihan iloinen， että luin tämän。 Sillä silloin kun kirja on hyvä， se on oikeasti hyvä。 Ja muuttolinnut on niin päättömän siistejä， että iloitsin kun sain viettää aikaa niiden parissa。 。。。more
Kim
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An amazing journey and so informative。 It definitely shares how important environmental conservation is。 Like the canary in a coal mine， migratory birds' health and numbers reveal the health of the globe。 An amazing journey and so informative。 It definitely shares how important environmental conservation is。 Like the canary in a coal mine， migratory birds' health and numbers reveal the health of the globe。 。。。more
Camelia Rose
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An astonishing book on migratory birds。 I have read elsewhere that migratory birds can navigate by sensing the earth’s magnetic field， but the sense is achieved by facilitating quantum mechanics？ That just blows my mind away。 The discovery was made by Klaus Schulten， a biophysicist。A large part of the book consists of the author’s birding experiences all around the globe， from China， Alaska， Central California， remote islands in South Atlantic ocean， to Cyprus and Nagaland in Eastern Indian。 New An astonishing book on migratory birds。 I have read elsewhere that migratory birds can navigate by sensing the earth’s magnetic field， but the sense is achieved by facilitating quantum mechanics？ That just blows my mind away。 The discovery was made by Klaus Schulten， a biophysicist。A large part of the book consists of the author’s birding experiences all around the globe， from China， Alaska， Central California， remote islands in South Atlantic ocean， to Cyprus and Nagaland in Eastern Indian。 New tracking technologies （miniature devices and more powerful batteries， GPS and radio tracking） have greatly enhanced the study of migratory birds。 New discoveries lead to better understanding of these birds and more precise conservation effort。 Did I know albatrosses fly across oceans， and swifts stay airborne for 10 months straight？This book is also a harrowing read。 We live in a depleted world regarding life forms except us。 Tidal plains and coastal wetlands are crucial to a lot of migratory shorebirds， and these areas will be hit hard by the Climate Change。 When people celebrate Elon Musk’s starlink， no one pays attention to the light （as in “bright light”） pollution that will affect migratory birds。 Wild bird poaching is still a big problem across the globe。 Asia is a “death trap” for a lot of migratory birds， but even Europe is not without crimes。 Cyprus， with its tradition of a bird dish called ambelopoulia， stands out like a sore thumb。Quote:“（I have） reverence for creatures that despite every obstacle we as species have placed in its path， continue to hold faith with wind and far horizon， with its genes and with the seasons; reverence for endurance and tenacity that I can’t match nor fully comprehend， but which leaves me breathless when I am confronted with it; reverence for this extraordinary bird and billions more like it， which by obeying their ancient rhythms， lit up the scattered and belligerent wild places of the world into seamless whole， through the simple act of flight。 May it always be so。” 。。。more
Kathleen
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A fascinating insight into the truly amazing lives of migratory birds and all the incredible information science has recently gleaned。 Equal parts depressing climate change prediction and stories of conservation success and change。 An excellent read， especially if you're in the market for incredible bird facts to tell all your friends。 A fascinating insight into the truly amazing lives of migratory birds and all the incredible information science has recently gleaned。 Equal parts depressing climate change prediction and stories of conservation success and change。 An excellent read， especially if you're in the market for incredible bird facts to tell all your friends。 。。。more
Will
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Detailed account of the migration of birds， written in a folksy American way， if you like that kind of thing。
Cathy
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I rarely if ever read a book more than once， but this is one I believe I will return to。 Deep research， well written， absolutely fascinating topic that made me want to know more。 My only caveat is that I took the book slowly because sometimes it was so sad to read about the challenges to our world of birds。 With the prospect of accelerating climate change and socio-political negative impacts on the environment， it was a quick step to feeling discouraged。 As recent convert to birding however， I s I rarely if ever read a book more than once， but this is one I believe I will return to。 Deep research， well written， absolutely fascinating topic that made me want to know more。 My only caveat is that I took the book slowly because sometimes it was so sad to read about the challenges to our world of birds。 With the prospect of accelerating climate change and socio-political negative impacts on the environment， it was a quick step to feeling discouraged。 As recent convert to birding however， I soldiered after some breaks。 I highly recommend this book to any new or avid birder and anyone who has wondered where the birds go！ 。。。more
Lindsay Robbins
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The author’s passion for the subject area flies off of every page （pun intended）。 This book isn’t a quick read， but the time and effort is totally worth it for the adventure。 The author’s use of vivid language takes you across the globe with so many different species of birds; you feel as if you’re traveling with them as they fly over oceans from continent to continent。 The author does an amazing job of making the reader see not only through his own eyes， but the birds’ eyes as well （you could s The author’s passion for the subject area flies off of every page （pun intended）。 This book isn’t a quick read， but the time and effort is totally worth it for the adventure。 The author’s use of vivid language takes you across the globe with so many different species of birds; you feel as if you’re traveling with them as they fly over oceans from continent to continent。 The author does an amazing job of making the reader see not only through his own eyes， but the birds’ eyes as well （you could say it’s a bird’s-eye view）。 I found myself reaching for this book almost every spare moment I had， and I truly enjoyed reading it。 I’ve always had a love for nature， but my appreciation for birds has grown significantly thanks to this book and author。 。。。more
Trish Mcintosh
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I did part of this as audio and part as ebook。 The audio was good and interesting。 The written was better。 Very interesting for this interested in birds， natural conservation， etc。 I’ll definitely look for Weidensaul’s other titles。
Heidi Erland
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A book I know I will read and read again， sometimes sad and at times uplifting。
Kelly Kline
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[4。0] An excellent but dense book about migratory birds。Things I liked: the impressive author （it’s no wonder birders adore him）， even more impressive descriptions of bird physiology， “we used to think but now we know，” a gripping tale of songbird poaching in Cyprus， how truly global this book is。 “When in 2019 an Ethiopian athlete set a new record by running a marathon in less than two hours， it was routinely described as ‘superhuman。’ Perhaps， but also subavian。”
Nancy
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Migratory birds are even more amazing， and more endangered， than I realized。 Their biological adaptations and complicated journeys are mind-boggling。 The threats come not only from climate change and rampant development but also from massive slaughterAwe inspiring and deeply worrisome。
Miguette
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This read like a filing cabinet worth of field notes with some travel journal thrown in。 Which is fine。
Martin
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Did not finish - the author obviously loves migratory birds and is very knowledgeable on the subject。 Unfortunately， as a reader he didn't spark the same love in me。 The book goes into great depth and， as has been said by another reviewer， is depressing at it chronicles the deterioration of our eco-system under the assault of the human population。 I think would be better suited to someone who is already engaged in the subject and wants to learn more。 Did not finish - the author obviously loves migratory birds and is very knowledgeable on the subject。 Unfortunately， as a reader he didn't spark the same love in me。 The book goes into great depth and， as has been said by another reviewer， is depressing at it chronicles the deterioration of our eco-system under the assault of the human population。 I think would be better suited to someone who is already engaged in the subject and wants to learn more。 。。。more
Shane Murphy
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Really enjoyed the case studies of this one and how Scott told the story of the distinct locations/birds he looked at。 Would recommend this to any birder who wants to know more about migration/conservation。
Socraticgadfly
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A must-read for any birder anywhere in the globe。And yes， first， this is not just about American birds; in fact， the book opens on the shores of China's Yellow Sea and ends in northeast India。 All sorts of global flyways， plus what we've learned about pelagic birds， are discussed。How do migratory birds do this？ Weidensaul also discusses what we've learned here。 First， on the navigation side， they may use quantum entanglement， vis a vis magnetism。 Many birds also use starlight。 Some also appear t A must-read for any birder anywhere in the globe。And yes， first， this is not just about American birds; in fact， the book opens on the shores of China's Yellow Sea and ends in northeast India。 All sorts of global flyways， plus what we've learned about pelagic birds， are discussed。How do migratory birds do this？ Weidensaul also discusses what we've learned here。 First， on the navigation side， they may use quantum entanglement， vis a vis magnetism。 Many birds also use starlight。 Some also appear to use smell。How do they survive these trips？ First， they bulk up as much as any pre-hibernation grizzly。 Second， many have "pit stops" on the way。 Third， they use high-level winds to reduce their effort。 （Pelagic birds almost entirely coast and expend very little energy。）They also shed ANYTHING that might be excess weight。 Intestines and gizzards shrink and shrivel for the non-stop migrators。 Gonads drop to almost nothing。But， if they get to their wintering grounds too late， or it's a bad year there， or if climate change is hitting either winter or summer grounds （actually， for trans-hemispheric migrants， they're BOTH summer grounds！） ripple effects happen。This is just a bare-bones summary of a must read。 。。。more
David Ross
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Excellent Book。。。 from which I learned so much。 Everyone should read this book for the insights it provides on the devastating impact climate change and human behaviour are having on our migratory feathered friends。
Katy
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Did not finish。Interesting but serious and too depressing to read。
Ann
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