There’s a new book out that would make a great
gift this year. It’s called “What the Robin Knows.”
It’s about bird language.
While the chirping of birds may seem
inconsequential, this book is not your ordinary bird guide and is not just for
birders. Author Jon Young makes a strong case for what humans are missing by
ignoring or neglecting to give our attention to the vocalizations of birds.
In “What the Robin Knows,” Young describes five
basic types of vocalizations: songs, companion calls, territorial aggression,
adolescent begging and alarms. Anyone who has sat in a tree stand, walked a
trail or stood knee deep in a river has heard all of these at some time.
What you may have been missing, or may have
noticed but not been able to interpret, is that both the silences and the
sounds of birds are communicating information about the wider forest.
To teach about bird language, Young describes
the relationship between a zone of awareness and a zone of disturbance. The
goal of anyone wanting to learn bird language is to make your zone of awareness
larger and your zone of disturbance smaller.
For experienced woodsmen and trackers, this may
seem obvious, but the actual technique of walking with “invisibility” is not an
easy skill to obtain. Young learned the old-fashioned way — years outside with
the guidance of mentors.
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