A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds
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- Create Date：2021-06-02 02:16:16
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Scott Weidensaul
- ISBN：1509841032
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Summary
Bird migration remains perhaps the most singularly compelling natural phenomenon in the world。 Nothing else combines its global sweep with its inherent ability to engender wonder and excitement。
The past two decades have seen an explosion in our understanding of the almost unfathomable feats of endurance and complexity involved in bird migration – yet the science that informs these majestic journeys is still relatively in its infancy。
Pulitzer Prize-shortlisted writer and ornithologist Scott Weidensaul is at the forefront of this cutting-edge research， and A World on the Wing sees him track some of the most remarkable flights undertaken by birds around the world。
His own voyage of discovery sees him sail through the storm-wracked waters of the Bering Sea; encounter gunners and trappers in the Mediterranean; and visit a forgotten corner of northeast India， where former headhunters have turned one of the grimmest stories of migratory crisis into an unprecedented conservation success。
As our world comes increasingly under threat from the effects of climate change， these ecological miracles may provide an invaluable guide to a more sustainable future for ourselves。 This is the rousing and reverent story of the billions of birds that， despite the numerous obstacles we have placed in their path， continue to head with hope to the far horizon。
The past two decades have seen an explosion in our understanding of the almost unfathomable feats of endurance and complexity involved in bird migration – yet the science that informs these majestic journeys is still relatively in its infancy。
Pulitzer Prize-shortlisted writer and ornithologist Scott Weidensaul is at the forefront of this cutting-edge research， and A World on the Wing sees him track some of the most remarkable flights undertaken by birds around the world。
His own voyage of discovery sees him sail through the storm-wracked waters of the Bering Sea; encounter gunners and trappers in the Mediterranean; and visit a forgotten corner of northeast India， where former headhunters have turned one of the grimmest stories of migratory crisis into an unprecedented conservation success。
As our world comes increasingly under threat from the effects of climate change， these ecological miracles may provide an invaluable guide to a more sustainable future for ourselves。 This is the rousing and reverent story of the billions of birds that， despite the numerous obstacles we have placed in their path， continue to head with hope to the far horizon。
Reviews
Roy Howard
，
It is unlikely there is a finer book on bird migration than A World on the Wing， unless it is Scott Weidensaul’s Pulitzer Prize nominated earlier book， Living on the Wind。 World on the Wing is written in similar manner combining story telling with scientific knowledge and the implications for bird migration in light of the challenges global climate change。 I remain astounded by the physical capacity of birds to take the migratory patterns that Weidensaul describes。 I else enjoyed hearing about t It is unlikely there is a finer book on bird migration than A World on the Wing， unless it is Scott Weidensaul’s Pulitzer Prize nominated earlier book， Living on the Wind。 World on the Wing is written in similar manner combining story telling with scientific knowledge and the implications for bird migration in light of the challenges global climate change。 I remain astounded by the physical capacity of birds to take the migratory patterns that Weidensaul describes。 I else enjoyed hearing about the researchers and local birders that he met along his world journeys。 Weidensaul is nature writer with a sublime combination of poetic vision， skilled writing and scientific knowledge。 As others have noted， this is a long book filled with details - perhaps too many for the average birder。 I am an avid birder and still found it challenging at times。 In the end， it’s a rewarding book particularly for dedicated birders and ornithologists， both amateur and professional。 。。。more
Steven
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Weidensaul travels the globe， reporting first-hand on the latest work and experiments related to migration science。 Much of his writing centers around the new technologies in tracking equipment -- smaller， cheaper and lighter -- that have allowed ornithologists to learn the migration routes of many bird species for the first time。 And there are quite a few surprises。Each chapter focuses on a different part of the world， unique species， or type of environment that attracts specific migrants。 Much Weidensaul travels the globe， reporting first-hand on the latest work and experiments related to migration science。 Much of his writing centers around the new technologies in tracking equipment -- smaller， cheaper and lighter -- that have allowed ornithologists to learn the migration routes of many bird species for the first time。 And there are quite a few surprises。Each chapter focuses on a different part of the world， unique species， or type of environment that attracts specific migrants。 Much of the new migration knowledge is being gained just as the environment is rapidly changing。 Some species seem quite capable of adjusting。 Others， not so much。The story that really stuck with me was the chapter on the Kirtland's warbler， which evolved to winter in the Bahamas when sea levels were lower and the islands were 10 times larger。 It breeds in young jackpine forests which used to grow all the way down to the US Gulf Coast， but as the glaciers retreated slowly moved north so that now these little birds need to find a small area in norther Michigan。 And not just jackpines， but very young jackpines， which only grow in burned over areas。 It's world is every shrinking， but it is a conservation success story as people try to manage their delicate world。 And it's working -- so far。From long-distance migrants like wading species that stop on the mudflats around the Yellow Sea to recharge on their trip from the Arctic to New Zealand， to Amur Falcons that all gather in one little corner of India on their way back to South Africa， Weidensaul does a great job of outlining the new insights and challenges that migratory birds face today。 And there are many， many challenges。 But throughout the books， his awe at what these creatures are capable of shines through。 I think， ultimately， he's optimistic about their futures。 。。。more
Kyra
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Absolutely loved this， which is not surprising。 I particularly enjoyed the chapters about doppler technology （did you know that bird migration shows up on weather doppler？ It's deemed "bioscatter" and is immensely helpful in measuring bird migration numbers and patterns） and climate change。 Absolutely loved this， which is not surprising。 I particularly enjoyed the chapters about doppler technology （did you know that bird migration shows up on weather doppler？ It's deemed "bioscatter" and is immensely helpful in measuring bird migration numbers and patterns） and climate change。 。。。more
Jack Hicks
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A World On The Wing， a Global Odyssey of Migratory BirdsScott Weidensaul， 2021I remember my father was fascinated by birds。 He kept a life list identifying all the different species of birds that he had encountered。 It may have been part of his collecting hobbies because he also obsessively collected stamps。 But in the case of his obsession with birds and bird sightings all that collected information probably in the end was just discarded。 We are now in a new era。 Computer power and microchip el A World On The Wing， a Global Odyssey of Migratory BirdsScott Weidensaul， 2021I remember my father was fascinated by birds。 He kept a life list identifying all the different species of birds that he had encountered。 It may have been part of his collecting hobbies because he also obsessively collected stamps。 But in the case of his obsession with birds and bird sightings all that collected information probably in the end was just discarded。 We are now in a new era。 Computer power and microchip electronics have revolutionized the field of Ornithology。 Scott Weidensaul in his new book documents the amazing new discoveries in the field of migratory birds and informs his readers how they cannot only glean amazing information about the birds in their locale but also participate in increasing the global knowledge database。 No longer do life lists of bird sightings need to end in a dustbin。In 2002 eBird。org was launched as a joint project of Cornell University and the Audubon Society。 Since that time millions of bird hobbyists from around the world have posted into a vast database of hundreds of billions of sightings and photographs。 Put together this information has painted an incredibly detailed picture of bird populations and migrations。 The other day a rather beautifully orange， black and white colored bird came to my feeder。 Went to eBird and there was the bird， a Black headed Grossbeak， another person in Santa Fe had posted their sighting from May 17th with a picture。 Technology has also fostered another revolution in Ornithology; GPS microprocessors and radio transmitters have become so miniaturized that even some the smallest bird’s migrations can be tracked。 The data revealed has been outside of amazing。 The author details the yearly travels of a Gray-cheeked thrush who left from Denali Park， Alaska in September where it was fitted with a geolocator， flew from Alaska， down through British Columbia through Minnesota， down the Mississippi from Ohio to the Gulf of Mexico， across the Gulf to Panama and then south to winter in Venezuela and then returned to Denali in April， a total distance traveled of 13，000 miles in 6 months。 Swainson’s Hawks GPS tagged in Butte county California travel south each year to Patagonia registering a yearly round trip of over 18，000 miles。 A tagged Albatross， with an 11 foot wingspan， from Tristan， a remote island in the south Atlantic circumnavigated the Antarctica three times registering 74，000 miles traveled in one-year， Frequent flier miles anybody？ How do birds achieve these astounding feats of navigation and endurance？ Here again the research has revealed nothing less than astounding capabilities。 How do birds navigate？ It was until recently thought was related to magnetic particles in their beaks。 Recent research indicates that this was wrong。 Instead， would you believe， Quantum entanglement？ In most cases birds migrate at night。 “a migrating bird， flapping through the night sky， glances up at the stars。 A photon， strikes the birds eye and strikes a molecule of cryptochrome， Cryla。 The photon knocks free one of Cryla’s electrons， kicking that electron into a neighboring Cryla; because they each have an odd number of electrons， the two molecules are known as a radical pair， and are linked-entangled， in the jargon of quantum mechanics。 They are also magnetic。 …。 Such entangled particles are joined regardless of distance。 …。 In the eye of a migrating bird， the effect of countless radical pairs probably creates a dim shape or a smudge – visible as the bird moves its head， but not opaque enough to interfere with normal vision – that shifts with the bird’s position relative to the ground and to the inclination of the magnetic field lines arcing out of the planet。” In effect the bird sees a compass needle within its eye。 How does a bird sleep on its long overwater passages？ By fitting EEG sensors on to tagged transmitters， researchers have found that birds sleep one hemisphere at a time， alternating between hemispheres as they travel into the night。 How do birds achieve such an astounding feat of flying nonstop， 24 hours a day， sometimes five to six days over water， a feat comparable to a human running six consecutive marathons each day for six days？ It turns out that before each migration birds bulk up on fats and proteins， doubling their weight， and then as their trip progresses they not only burn their fat reserves but also cannibalize their digestive organs that they aren’t using and that can be reconstituted when they arrive at their destination。 As you might imagine， pit or refueling stops on their multi thousand-mile flights， are critical to migratory birds。 That is where this new GPS gleaned information is vital because we now know each specie’s flight paths and exactly where their stopovers are。 The author takes us to a number of these locations and tells of the worldwide， conservation efforts to preserve their viability。 One such place is the Yellow Sea between southern Korea and China， a stopover for millions of birds migrating from Siberia。 The most pressing problem here is that recent extensive developments such as seaports， reclaimed land for steel mills， clam， shrimp and fish farms that are rapidly reducing the stop over forage opportunities and thus bird populations such as the near extinction of the Spoon billed Sandpiper。 Leading the efforts to lobby the Chinese government is non other than Hank Paulson， Treasury Secretary under G。 W。 Bush， and his wife， Jing Li。 Another fascinating place the author takes us is to Nagaland， a small north-eastern province of India。 Here every spring and fall the largest concentration of raptors in the world takes place， numbering in the millions and providing one of the most spectacular aerial displays in all the bird world。 Nagaland is on the migration route of one of the only social raptor species， the Amur Falcon。 The Amurs breeds in northern Manchuria and Siberia， migrating to winter each year in South Africa， and stops on its route in Nagaland to fuel up for its nonstop 2500-mile trip across the Indian ocean。 It turns out that what has happened in Nagaland is one of the great conservation stories of the last decade where pressure from environmental groups in India but also around the world stopped a predation of hundreds of thousands of birds each year with the promise of new revenue to the impoverished population by turning this spectacular display into a wildlife tourist attraction。 Throughout the book the author details the increasing threats to bird populations around the world ; destruction， development of breeding， wintering and stopover sites， pesticides， pollution， predation， climate change and makes a fervent call for conservation and preservation。My take on this book: If you are a bird person it is essential reading。 If you are not a bird person， reading this book may well turn you into one， for you will be amazed by the resilience， capabilities and ingenious design of a class of vertebrates that has been evolving for the last 60 million years and regardless of where you live are ubiquitous all around us。 Also be sure to visit eBird。org， punch in your location， see which birds have been visiting recently， scan through them by clicking on each one， view the pictures and details and discover what you may have seen。 Register and report your findings if you are so inclined。 JACK 。。。more
Colleen
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A great survey of some important migration research， enlivened by the authors first hand accounts of bear and bird and human encounters along the way。 Couldn’t quite wrap my mind around how quantum entanglement works in bird migration
Angela
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Being stuck inside for more than a year has made me yearn to travel again。 This book provided a wonderful way to travel on the wing from the comfort and safety of my home。 I gained a huge respect both for the birds who are doing massive global migrations and the researchers who have developed novel ways to research these birds。 I would highly suggest this to anyone who has an interested in migration， birds， or environment in general。
Alessandro Rosborough
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Great book that covers a variety of bird species and environmental issues。 Would recommend， but it’s pretty dense。 Not for the faint of heart。
Felicia
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A must-read for serious birdersThis beautifully written book captures the strangeness and wonder of bird migration。 Part scientific treatise， part travelogue， it gives the reader a literal bird's eye perspective on the perils birds face as they navigate the world。 Highly recommended for any birder who regularly looks forward to spring and fall migration， as well as for curious nature lovers in general。 A must-read for serious birdersThis beautifully written book captures the strangeness and wonder of bird migration。 Part scientific treatise， part travelogue， it gives the reader a literal bird's eye perspective on the perils birds face as they navigate the world。 Highly recommended for any birder who regularly looks forward to spring and fall migration， as well as for curious nature lovers in general。 。。。more
Msl
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Nature writing at its best。 Each chapter is fascinating and accessible regardless of one’s knowledge base related to birding or bird migration。
Val
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This non-fiction book tells the amazing story of how birds make long migrations between the northern and southern hemispheres。 The biology of birds to allow them to do this is very interesting。 For successful migrations， birds need accommodating summer and winter environments and resting stop overs。 This is rapidly being reduced and it was sad to read about the vast number of migrating birds that have disappeared， though there is some hope of rehabilitating sites。 If you are interested in birds， This non-fiction book tells the amazing story of how birds make long migrations between the northern and southern hemispheres。 The biology of birds to allow them to do this is very interesting。 For successful migrations， birds need accommodating summer and winter environments and resting stop overs。 This is rapidly being reduced and it was sad to read about the vast number of migrating birds that have disappeared， though there is some hope of rehabilitating sites。 If you are interested in birds， I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Dahlgren General Library
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DA100000031230
Melanie
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Some of this book was fascinating， but it's just not my type of read。 Too scientific and boring for me。 Some of this book was fascinating， but it's just not my type of read。 Too scientific and boring for me。 。。。more
Jenn
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Fascinating， and alarming。 I so appreciate all of the conservation work being done on the ground。
samuel-levi
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Very interesting。 I am a bird lover and I learned so much I did not know about bird migration。 I really enjoyed his discussion of places I have also visited。
Katharine
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Crammed with the latest research - but a bit sad。。。
John W。
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A fascinating study of migratory birds including their odyssey from their northern summer homes to their southern winter homes based on miniaturized GPS instruments attached to certain birds which tracked their flights provided that a particular banded bird can be recaptured months later。 I had not thought of reading a book about birds until I read the review in the Sunday New York Times Book Review on Sunday April 12。
Robert Mulvihill
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I just finished Scott Weidensaul's "A World on the Wing，" and I easily count it among the best science and natural history books that I have ever read！ Thanks to Scott's own diverse field research experience， his meetings with friends and colleagues doing their researches around the globe， and his scoping knowledge of the current ornithological literature， his book is， in fact， a master class in ornithology， avian migration ecology， and global bird conservation。 At the same time， it is exactly w I just finished Scott Weidensaul's "A World on the Wing，" and I easily count it among the best science and natural history books that I have ever read！ Thanks to Scott's own diverse field research experience， his meetings with friends and colleagues doing their researches around the globe， and his scoping knowledge of the current ornithological literature， his book is， in fact， a master class in ornithology， avian migration ecology， and global bird conservation。 At the same time， it is exactly what he intended for it to be--a mind expanding （at times， mind-boggling） narrative about the physical， navigational， and survival challenges of bird migration; the awesome （here used in an altogether proper context） spectacle that it is， from one end of the earth to the other。 Equally amazing are the innovations of the researchers who have dedicated themselves to de-mystifying migration。Scott balances his descriptions of the massive， awe-inspiring scale and natural beauty of global bird movements， for example of countless thousands of Amur Falcons in the remote mountains Nagaland on the Indian subcontinent， with descriptions of the ugly human-caused harms， both advertent and inadvertent， that come to birds in too many places around the world and on an agonizingly large scale。 Scott knows ornithology and wildlife conservation--he has long been actively involved in both--but it is his ability to synthesize and clearly communicate volumes of information， and to personalize it， that makes his writing so compelling and authoritative。 I highly recommend this book to bird and book lovers alike！ 。。。more
Nancy Mcdaniel
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I had to race to finish this before it was due back at the library （with people waiting）。 What a magnificent book。 Bird migration completely fascinates me 。 This book was meticulously researched and documented。 And so beautifully written that even if someone "isn't really into birds"， it is still brilliant and mesmerizing storytelling。 The bio says that the author has written "nearly 30 books"。 I am in trouble now b/c this was my first by the author Scott Weidensaul。 Next up？？？？ I had to race to finish this before it was due back at the library （with people waiting）。 What a magnificent book。 Bird migration completely fascinates me 。 This book was meticulously researched and documented。 And so beautifully written that even if someone "isn't really into birds"， it is still brilliant and mesmerizing storytelling。 The bio says that the author has written "nearly 30 books"。 I am in trouble now b/c this was my first by the author Scott Weidensaul。 Next up？？？？ 。。。more
Dennis Tra
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Indepth look at birds and their endurance。 Well worth the read
Michele
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Four stars plus for anyone who is fascinated by birds and bird migration。 This is not a picture book， but a fully detailed explanation of the amazing migratory patterns of many birds - who knew that some tiny thrushes travel 6，500 miles each way - and the methods and travels necessary to gain definitive information on these travels。It is also discouraging in many ways， as many forms of human and other behavior endanger these birds。 Islands infested by rats which got there via shipwrecks， the kil Four stars plus for anyone who is fascinated by birds and bird migration。 This is not a picture book， but a fully detailed explanation of the amazing migratory patterns of many birds - who knew that some tiny thrushes travel 6，500 miles each way - and the methods and travels necessary to gain definitive information on these travels。It is also discouraging in many ways， as many forms of human and other behavior endanger these birds。 Islands infested by rats which got there via shipwrecks， the killing of songbirds for eating， and the destruction of essential stopover habitat are among the challenges。A fascinating book， a bit heavy duty for the casual reader， but loaded with information that absolutely merits a wider audience。 。。。more
Petra X's phone fell overboard & drowned yesterday
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When I was sailing the Atlantic on a small yacht， Mother Carey's Chickens， aka stormy petrels used to delight me， but puzzle me too。 We would see them walking on the water when it was calm， sitting in groups on waves chatting， and flying out of sight to where we didn't know， but there were often stormy petrels around。 Apparently they can sleep with half their brain when on the wing and also sleep 'roosting' on a wave。 They live at sea， returning to land， the same place and the same partner， ever When I was sailing the Atlantic on a small yacht， Mother Carey's Chickens， aka stormy petrels used to delight me， but puzzle me too。 We would see them walking on the water when it was calm， sitting in groups on waves chatting， and flying out of sight to where we didn't know， but there were often stormy petrels around。 Apparently they can sleep with half their brain when on the wing and also sleep 'roosting' on a wave。 They live at sea， returning to land， the same place and the same partner， every year for up to 30 years。 The rest of the time， the air above the ocean is their home。And that was the most interesting thing I read in the book after the beginning where the author nearly becomes food for a big bear in Alaska。 I've dnf'd it half way as it is boring。 There is a lot about bird migration from the point of view of numbers， destinations， rest stops， it's a convervationists book really - here is where we protect because the numbers are falling due to。。。 （catching， land being used， etc。 etc）。 Lots of facts and figures， but it had no 'heart' to me。 I'm probably the wrong reader。 Three stars because it's not a bad book， just boring to me。Heinrich Bernd's The Homing Instinct: Meaning and Mystery in Animal Migration was a much more fascinating book detailing how they did it， not just how they were constructed， but the organs， the interpretation。 It was just so much more interesting。（view spoiler）[There are only two post-publication reviews， One is by someone who has been a member since 2017 but only written this one review， I wonder if it was a giveaway。 The other reviews are ARCs or authors。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Ann Samford
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I really enjoyed this book。 It’s a personal narrative of the author’s travels to Scott’s study birds。 Bird migration is fascinating and Scott Weidensaul makes much of the current science accessible。 Interesting factoids:Some birds internal organs atrophy before migration and their muscles expandThe distances some migrants fly are unbelievableMany birds travel huge distances to basically nest in the same place year after year。
Onceinabluemoon
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I love to learn new things， amazing flights， but the blights of man ruined this for me。。。
Jessica Pepitone
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I was transfixed by this book。 I wish the maps had been better so as to help geolocate for those of us who are not as oriented in every hemisphere as the author。 Jessica
Lynn Haraldson
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Weidensaul’s new book， A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds （W。W。 Norton， 2021）， expands on his research from Living on the Wind， and while the poetics are similar， his writing is more personal。 Whether he’s comparing the diets and physiology of godwits to humans， describing the plight of spoon-billed sandpipers along the Yellow Sea coastline or his encounter with a grizzly bear while banding thrushes in Denali National Park， his descriptions are breathtaking and at times u Weidensaul’s new book， A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds （W。W。 Norton， 2021）， expands on his research from Living on the Wind， and while the poetics are similar， his writing is more personal。 Whether he’s comparing the diets and physiology of godwits to humans， describing the plight of spoon-billed sandpipers along the Yellow Sea coastline or his encounter with a grizzly bear while banding thrushes in Denali National Park， his descriptions are breathtaking and at times urgent， in the vein of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring。 。。。more
Lou
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A World on the Wing is an epic reflection on what we're learning about the greatest natural phenomenon on the planet—and what we must do to preserve it。 In the past two decades， our understanding of the navigational and physiological feats that enable migratory birds to cross immense oceans， fly above the highest mountains， forgo sleep for days or weeks， or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch， has exploded。 Migrant birds continually exceed what we think are the limits of physical e A World on the Wing is an epic reflection on what we're learning about the greatest natural phenomenon on the planet—and what we must do to preserve it。 In the past two decades， our understanding of the navigational and physiological feats that enable migratory birds to cross immense oceans， fly above the highest mountains， forgo sleep for days or weeks， or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch， has exploded。 Migrant birds continually exceed what we think are the limits of physical endurance， like a six-inch sandpiper weighing less than an ounce flying 3，300 miles nonstop for six days from the Canadian subarctic to northern South America -- the equivalent of 126 consecutive marathons with no food， water or a moment's rest。Using the earth’s magnetic field to navigate through a form of quantum entanglement that made Einstein queasy。 Yet for all the strength and tenacity of migrant birds， the phenomenon of migration is increasingly fragile on this ever-more altered planet。 A World on the Wing， the newest book from acclaimed nature writer Scott Weidensaul， is at once a celebration of global bird migration， an exploration of our rapidly evolving understanding of the science that underpins it， and a cautionary tale of the challenges humans have placed in the way of migrating birds。 It conveys both the wonder of bird migration and its global sweep， from the mudflats of the Yellow Sea in China to the wilderness of central Alaska， the remote mountains of northeastern India to the dusty hills of southern Cyprus。A World on the Wing is also the story of Weidensaul's own journey over the past two decades from a deeply interested amateur to someone immersed in migration research， using cutting-edge technology to answer questions that have fascinated him all his life--and， with fellow scientists， researchers， and bird lovers， trying to preserve global migratory patterns in the face of climate change and other looming challenges。 This is a fascinating， captivating and richly-detailed book that shines a light on a topic that for so long was misunderstood。 Part study， part memoir， it is an eminently readable， information-rich read packed with facts， maps and statistics and a must for bird enthusiasts and nature lovers the world over。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Verity Halliday
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A World on the Wing is a fascinating read， full of facts， maps and statistics about migratory birds and the effect that human-caused climate change is having on their various habitats around the world。 It's a long book， but it's packed with information and truly globe-trotting。I would have enjoyed some illustrations or photographs of the birds， but was able to supplement the book with some Cornell University YouTube videos which helped me and might interest other readers。One slightly irritating A World on the Wing is a fascinating read， full of facts， maps and statistics about migratory birds and the effect that human-caused climate change is having on their various habitats around the world。 It's a long book， but it's packed with information and truly globe-trotting。I would have enjoyed some illustrations or photographs of the birds， but was able to supplement the book with some Cornell University YouTube videos which helped me and might interest other readers。One slightly irritating thing that the author did was to constantly compare bird sizes to "a robin" without making it clear whether he was talking about an American robin （a thrush about 25cm long） or a European robin （an old World flycatcher about 13cm long） which was quite confusing for this non-specialist reader from the United Kingdom。 Despite this， the book was an enjoyable if intense read。Thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback。 。。。more
Amelia
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“Most of what we know about migrants comes through limited snapshots， the few places and times where their travels intersect with humans who take the time to notice， leaving us to try to imagine the wide landscape of their lives by peering through tiny， scattered peepholes。”A main theme of this book is the use of GPS tracking and other methods to fill in the gaps between those peepholes。 The bird is humanely trapped， fitted with the tracking device， and freed， then when it returns from its migra “Most of what we know about migrants comes through limited snapshots， the few places and times where their travels intersect with humans who take the time to notice， leaving us to try to imagine the wide landscape of their lives by peering through tiny， scattered peepholes。”A main theme of this book is the use of GPS tracking and other methods to fill in the gaps between those peepholes。 The bird is humanely trapped， fitted with the tracking device， and freed， then when it returns from its migration it’s trapped again and the data on the device downloaded。 Researchers can then see all the places it has been over the past year， and how long it stayed。 Data like this helps conservationists to find out previously unknown locations that are important for migrants， and helps to explain why some species are in decline despite having apparently good conditions in their breeding and winter territory。 The book also includes a lot of fascinating information about how birds migrate， such as the methods they use and what happens to their bodies before， during and after migration。I really enjoyed how the author interspersed the scientific information with accounts of birding trips， his own fieldwork， and research journeys he made in the course of writing the book。 I like his relaxed style and the way he draws you in with a story。 The book is also heavily scientific with plenty of statistics and technical terms， which I appreciated。 This does make it less of a pop-science book， but great for enthusiasts。 If you enjoy books about science， birds， technology or conservation then I highly recommend you try it。I’d like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance review copy。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Tilly
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