Synopses & Reviews
Review
"No one listens to birdsong as intently - or makes so enthusiastic and knowledgeable a guide to this fascinating realm of avian behavior - as Don Kroodsma. In Birdsong by the Seasons, Don explores the dawn chorus of tanagers, the autumnal drumming of grouse, and many more vocalizations, revealing the previously unrecognized complexity of bird communication. And with the book's accompanying CDs, you can listen along to the chatter of tropical wrens, the bugling of cranes, and the sweet flutings of thrushes. You will never listen to a singing bird the same way." - Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind and Of a Feather
"With the training of a scientist and the soul of a poet, Don Kroodsma can show us both the technical and the magical aspects of birdsong, marveling at it even as he explains it. Birdsong by the Seasons is, like the phenomenon it describes, both an education and a sheer delight." - Kenn Kaufman, author of The Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America
"Seeking out birds from southern swamps and pine woods to prairie grasslands and eastern forests (punctuated by a revealing jaunt to the tropics), Don Kroodsma listens with sharp and sensitive ears, gathers sound recordings with captivating stories in mind, analyzes and synthesizes with the uncompromising precision of a well-trained scientist, and then writes with a poet's flair . . . what an extraordinary combination of talents! Without hesitation, I recommend Birdsong by the Seasons to all who embrace the amazing sounds of nature." - Lang Elliott, author of The Frogs and Toads of North America
"This book is a real gem - a rare, honest, insightful treasure-trove of firsthand experiences with natural symphonies and musical solos of the bird world. A world-class scientist puts us inside his blind - and even inside his curious mind - for dozens of intimate moments, appreciating and interpreting the sounds of nature throughout the year." - John W. Fitzpatrick, Louis Agassiz Fuertes Director, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
"Kroodsma's book, full of infectious enthusiasm for his subject, reminds us that eco-tourism and its rewards are as near as our own backyards, where, if we listen attentively, we can begin unlocking the marvelous mysteries of birdsong." - Ned Brinkley, author of the National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Birds of North America
Synopsis
Birdsong by the Seasons is a celebration of birdsong from January through December. The stories begin with a pileated woodpecker on New Year's Day; they unfold through the year, covering limpkins and scrub-jays in February in Florida, prairie birds in May, Scarlet Tanagers in July, and ending with a chorus of singing birds in Massachusetts just before Christmas. Readers get inside the mind of a scientist and see how answers only lead to more questions. Kroodsma provides a unique experience: with his gentle guidance, the pairing of sonagrams with the audio CDs make birdsong accessible and fascinating.
Synopsis
"Birdsong by the Seasons" along with the accompanying CD celebrate a bird's unique song each month in the year.
About the Author
A retired biology professor at the University of Massachusetts, Donald Kroodsma's work on bird song is legendary. His book The Singing Life of Birds won the 2006 John Burroughs Medal Award and the American Birding Association's Robert Ridgway Distinguished Service Award for excellence in publications pertaining to field ornithology. In 2003 the American Ornithologits' Union called him the "reigning authority on the biology of avian vocal behavior." Kroodsma received his Ph.D. at Oregon State University and has traveled all over North and South America researching bird song. He is a Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union and the Animal Behavior Society and has published hundreds of academic and popular articles.