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Just call him Dr. Dolittle

10,000 Birds

If you’ve ever wanted to understand why warning calls by one bird species seem to spread rapidly, like an avian version of the Wave , to birds of other species, Professor Erick Greene from the University of Montana is your man. To paraphrase a very cool Facebook page, I @#$*-ing love science.

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Feather Trails: A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds–A Book Review

10,000 Birds

49-50) She is also adept at writing about conservation’s larger context in terms of its history, public policy struggles, and the science behind species re-introduction. Well-researched and footnoted, these sections never feel disconnected from the more personal sections.

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Chickadee Symphony

10,000 Birds

The University of Montana Symphonic Wind Ensemble, to be precise. But on the whole, it was a very enjoyable evening, and I hope that this work inspires more composers to look to science and the avian world for inspiration. October 13 found me doing something very unusual, even for me: learning about birds while watching an orchestra.

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Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans

10,000 Birds

The single greatest challenge facing any book of science writing is balance. Otherwise, there would be no science writing, everyone would just go straight to the journals. That issue aside, though, this is a fascinating book which will engage not just birders, but most people who have any interest in nature or the science of the mind.

Humane 145
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Some Chinese Pheasants

10,000 Birds

Bonus note for science nerds (not related specifically to birds): Whenever Chinese researchers give percentages, they do so up to two digits behind the decimal – thus the exact percentages in the HBW citation above. Examples: California. Connecticut. New Jersey. North Dakota. Rhode Island. South Dakota. Washington. Wisconsin.

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What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds: A Book Review

10,000 Birds

Jennifer Ackerman points out in the introduction to What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds , that we don’t know much, but that very soon we may know a lot more. What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds is a joyous, fascinating read.

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Starlings and Eagles

10,000 Birds

If we were just birders, or photographers, this would be dreadful behavior, but we were here to watch people engaged in Science. And Science requires Sacrifice. Enough to draw the attention of a predator. Do I sound facetious? I’m not. The aim of the game was to band raptors, and specifically to band Golden Eagles.

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