Music of the Birds: A Celebration of Bird Song

Descriere

Reviewing this book while listening to its accompanying CD was at times a magical experience. It is not so much a scientific study of the biological meaning of birdsong as an introduction to the beauty of birdsong. The aesthetic pleasure of listening to birds sing is often forgotten in popular field guides to identifying birdsong, and the author produced this work to fill that vacuum. The text does not ignore the behavioral elements of birdsong but weaves scientific explanations of the meanings of birdsong with lyrical descriptions of the singing and quotes from poets such as William Wordsworth and Robert Browning and essayists such as Henry David Thoreau and John Muir. Not just celebrating the most accomplished songsters, such as the thrushes and wrens, the author also finds much to appreciate in the more insectlike vocalizations of the sparrows and flycatchers. Elliott's stunning photographs of birds in full song alone would make this book hard to resist, but when combined with the text and superb CD, they create a package that every library will find difficult to keep on the shelf.
Nancy Bent