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In order to solve his self-discovered mystery, Bernd Heinrich spent four winters in the woods of Maine and Vermont, hauling eight tons of dead animals to bait stations in the midst of howling blizzards. All in the name of fun---I mean, science.
This is one of the best, most exuberant books I've ever read on how an academic field biologist actually solves a scientific conundrum. The only other book I can compare it with is Farley Mowat's "Never Cry Wolf." Mowat was dropped alone onto the frozen Canadian tundra, where he studied the ways of wolves. Heinrich spent his winters in a tiny tarpaper shack in the Maine wilderness, galumphing through thigh-deep snow with a hundred pounds of cow entrails slung over his back, in order to study the ways of ravens.
Maine Ravens are almost exclusively carrion eaters, so in order to lure them to his observation posts the author had to feed them. He also had to crawl out of his half-frozen sleeping bag (the tarpaper shack had no amenities such as central heating) at 5:30 in the morning in order to beat the ravens to their frozen breakfast, because they are such notoriously wary birds. One false move or sound from him would send them winging away from his bait, sometimes never to return.
Heinrich makes all this sound like wonderful good fun. He periodically lured his graduate students and friends up into the endless forest and through the blizzard to help him trap and band ravens.
I wish I had been one of his students.
... Read more ›What a wonderful book! I have never given much thought to ravens...until now. I enjoy my birdfeeders and seeing the chickadees and cardinals come to feed but now I am seeking ravens! Taking a cue from Heinrich, I plan on picking up road kill and tossing it in my yard to see if these interesting creatures will descend in my yard!
Bernd Heinrich takes a research subject and makes it very entertaining. I enjoy nature and found his passion for the out-of-doors to be contagious. He dives in and at times secludes himself from the world of humans and fully gives of himself, (including living in unbelievable cold), all on his quest to find an answer to his question; Do ravens recruit other ravens to food?
The book is laid out as; part journal, part research paper and part review of literature. I found the latter two informative. Although I was tempted to skip over the short forays into the lit reviews, I am pleased that I took the extra time to read and develop a background into the nature of the raven. The journaling that Heinrich offers is both informative and very entertaining. This is where I began to find great humor, and through Heinrich's description of his actions to investigate and study the ravens, my interest grew in learning the outcome to his ultimate question.
Here's a quote that I think sums up this book:
"We then try to justify what we do by trying to make it sound as if it has some "useful" application. But, really, we do it because it is fun. Nature is entertainment-the greatest show on earth. And that is not trivial, because what is life, if it isn't fun? I think that the greatest contribution we could make would be to help make life more interesting." -from Ravens in Winter, page 221
This book is education and most of all...fun.
... Read more ›I don't know of any other such detailed studies on Ravens, except for other work that Heinrich himself has done. The author takes us through discussions on members of Corvidae (the crow family), Ravens in mythology, their intelligence, courting and display, nesting, calls, and all other matters dealing with the birds behavior. Heinrichs' illustrations of "eared", "fuzzy-headed", and "strutting" displays shows not only his artistic skills but that he is also very patient. The subtle details come only with spending a lot of time in quiet observation.
Heinrich does solve his riddle and Ravens do indeed share their food, or in the language of the study "they actively recruit". As to why, this involves the difference in behavior by juvenile birds as against adult pairs. It's juveniles that call others to the food and Heinrich offers his theory. "They are gregarious, joining other juveniles to roost and feast with, and to find an attractive mate. An unmated Raven finding food invites eligible singles to join him (or her?) at the feast, thereby not only gaining or maintaining access to the food, but possibly also increasing its status and demonstrating fitness as a future provider...
... Read more ›