Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds
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In Mind of the Raven, Bernd Heinrich, award – winning naturalist, finds himself dreaming of ravens and decides he must get to the truth about this animal reputed to be so intelligent.
Much like a sleuth, Heinrich involves us in his quest, letting one clue lead to the next. But as animals can only be spied on by getting reasonably close Heinrich adopts ravens, thereby apt a “raven father,” as well as observing them in their natural habitat, studying their daily routines, and in the process painting a plain picture of the world as lived by the ravens. At the heart of this book are Heinrich’s like and respect for these complex and engaging creatures, and through his keen observation andanalysis, we become their intimates too.
Throughout history there has existed an extraordinary relationship between humans and ravens. Ravens, like early humans, are scavengers on the kills of fantastic carnivores. As scavengers, ravens were linked with hunters they establish in the north: wolves and, later, men. The trinity of wolf, man, and raven in the hunt is an extremely very ancient one. In considering the appeal of the raven, Bernd Heinrich suspects that a meeting of the minds might reside in that hunting trinity.
Heinrich’s passion for ravens has led him around the world in his research. Mind of the Raven takes you on an exotic journey–from New England to Germany, Montana to Baffin Island in the high Arctic–offering dazzling accounts of how science works in the meadow, filtered through the eyes of a passionate observer of scenery.
Heinrich has a right gift; through his tales, his gorgeous writing, illustrations, and photography, the ravens come alive. Each new discovery and insight into their behavior is thrilling to read. just as the title promises, the reader is agreed a rare glimpse into the mind of these wonderful creatures.Following the dictum of Leonardo da Vinci–”It is not enough to judge what you see. YOU Must also know what you see”–Bernd Heinrich enables us to see the natural world through the eyes of a scientist. At once lyrical and scientific, Mind of the Raven is bound to be a modern classic. Amazon.com Review
Beyond croaking, “Nevermore,” what exactly do ravens do all day? Bernd Heinrich, biology professor at the University of Vermont and leader of Ravens in Winter, has spent more than a decade learning the secrets of these giants of the crow family tree. He has experimental incredibly complex activities among ravens, including strong pair-bonding, use of tools, elaborate vocal communication, and even play. Ravens are just unadorned smart, and we can see much of ourselves in their behavior. They seem to be affectionate, cranky, joyful, greedy, and competitive, just like us. And in Mind of the Raven, Heinrich makes no bones about attributing emotions and intellect to Corvus corax–just not the kind we humans can know. He mostly catalogs their behaviors in the manner of a respectful anthropologist, although a few moments of proud papa show through when he describes the pet ravens he hand-raised to adulthood.
Heinrich spends hundreds of loving hours feeding roadkill fragments to endlessly hungry raven chicks, and cold days in blinds watching wild ravens quarrel and frolic. He is a passionate fan of his “wolf-birds,” a name he gave them when he made the central discovery of the book: that ravens in Yellowstone National Park are dependent on wolves to kill for them. Mind of the Raven offers inspiring insight into both the lives of ravens and the mind of a truly gifted scientist. –Therese Littleton
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A better title might be “Fooling Around with Ravens” or “All My Raven Experiments That Went Incorrect,” or, perhaps, “Why A Scientist Must Be Smarter Than His Theme.”
This isn’t science. It’s not even natural history, since most of the behavior he views is the result of his own, contrived experiments. Where his first book, _Ravens in Winter_, was a point study of a point problem, this books describes a series of lame experiments, a sort of “seat of the pants” approach to biology. It doesn’t work.
I live in interior Alaska and ravens are a part of the environment. They are clever, adaptable and resilient animals. Persons that have habituated to cities prefer dumpsters behind quick food restaurants over any additional kind, MacDonalds best of all. The incredible range of sounds they can make approaches the mysterious. And to see one on a streetlight at -50, a dim shape in the ice fog, is to know a part of what makes both ravens and Alaska special.
But as much as I like ravens, this book does small to help me or anyone else know them. This is dabbling. There is a real science of the Corvids, the family tree of birds of which the Common Raven is a member. To learn about ravens, try the real stuff.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
Very informative yet not too scientific. Contains many facts not commonly known about these intelligent birds. This book could change your mind about them.
Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5
Ravens know how to live, I watch them having a group boid outing over the hill windbreak saluting the evening sun and flying for the fun of it.
Bernd has been interviewed at lauralee.com
Delight in!
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
This is one of the best raven resources I’ve establish. The anecdotes are fantastic and the research is perfect. I very much loved reading this.
Word Ninja
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
There is not much for me to say that has not already been said by additional folk. This is a spectacular look at the way life in meadow goes right and incorrect for a biologist effective in ecology. That he doesn’t figure everything out is a perfectly alright with me. As a newbie to the meadow it makes me oh so pleased to know that there is still plenty for a a budding ornithologist to do.
Fantastic Work.
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5