As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Bird language book a call to use our instincts


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.


No comments:

Post a Comment