Figure it out? Not sure, but so far it looks to me that it has to do with a counter-strategy to foil other females that try to dump off their eggs into nests that are not theirs. Q: What's the most surprising bird behavior you write about in the book? Did you eventually figure it out?īernd: That tree swallow males perched and chirped all the while that the female builds the nest, at a spot the male seems to show her, and then when she starts to lay eggs he starts to bring her feathers-but mostly white ones. Depends on kinds, numbers, circumstances. But we do know birds (depends which ones) recognize each other as individuals. Q: Do we know whether birds within a flock recognize many other individuals?īernd: We don't know. What does it get them? It was an education. I knew this was an opportunity to see accentuated why in the h- these woodpeckers put so much emphasis on noisy drumming. He was just back from migration and he went nuts. Well, I happened to see one discover a super drum. For example, I knew sapsuckers are famous for trying to find the loudest drumming place. Q: For the book did you choose birds that had engaged in behavior not considered typical of their species?īernd: In a way yes, and no. It could apply to all if they had been in similar circumstances. Thus, when I see something interesting in one bird, I see it as interesting. Q: Are birds more individualistic than we typically think?īernd: I don't think they are necessarily quirky individually as such, except from circumstances. These birds just happened-I saw something quirky and got interested. When watching one thing you see another you never thought of. Q: What inspired you to write about individual wild birds?īernd: Nothing as such. I'd been at the cabin window all too long when there was daylight, and then went through two tankfuls of gas on my Stiehl, sawing up wood for next winter into stove-lengths. Q: Let's give the audience a mental image of you as you answer the questions.īernd: Well, I've just eaten a bunch of popcorn fresh off the stove, and I'm now finishing it off with a glass of red wine. Recently, before One Wild Bird at a Time came out, we emailed Bernd several questions about the book and the birds in it. In 2012 we did a Q-and-A with him, which you can read here: He has given talks at The Naturalist's Notebook, where we've long highlighted his work, and we've often visited him at his wood-stove-heated cabin in western Maine. We've been fortunate enough to get to know Bernd quite well. And so he devotes chapters to individuals from 17 species, from crows to evening grosbeaks and chickadees to woodpeckers. His years of closely observing birds (especially in Maine, where he has spent much of his life) has led Bernd to write this different sort of book-not a guide to identifying species but a look at the behavior of individual birds he has watched. "In this book I hope to celebrate individuals as they presented themselves during my encounters with them in the wild," he writes. Bernd has written best-selling books on ravens and owls (among other subjects) and has devoted portions of other books to the migration, winter survival techniques and other behavior of a wide range of wild birds. He has long been recognized as one of the planet's foremost naturalists, field biologists and nature writers, and he ought to be further recognized for the superb illustrations and paintings he has done of the birds, mammals, plants and insects he has studied. In the ensuing decades, Bernd came to know the wild world as few others have. "I roamed the woods hunting his food-frogs, field mice, caterpillars, beetles, and grasshoppers-and feeding him by hand. It's an affordable and convenient way to teach your child about new and exciting animals, in a fun and engaging way."As a child I had Jacob, a pet crow," Bernd Heinrich writes in the introduction of his wonderful new book, One Wild Bird at a Time: Portrait of Individual Lives. Overall, I would highly recommend My ZOO Box to any parent with young children. It's clear that they are passionate about helping children learn and develop a passion for animals and the world. What really sets My ZOO Box apart, however, is the attention to detail and customer service. My son was particularly taken with the soft and cuddly plush animal that was included in our box, and he has been carrying it around with her everywhere he goes. The box arrived promptly and was filled with a variety of high-quality toys and activities that kept my little one engaged and entertained for hours. I recently subscribed to My ZOO Box for my toddler and I couldn't be more thrilled with the experience.
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