Cary Neeper's Blog: Reviewing World-changing Nonfiction - Posts Tagged "birds"

The widely distributed Los Alamos Daily Post is now publishing How The Hen House Turns blog as a weekly column. http://caryneeper.com/blog.htm I'll be staying with the exploration of the steady state there along with the hens' connection to complexity and sustainable issues. You're invited to join the discussion about a bright future that challenges how we do things now.
I'll be backtracking a little for the news column, concentrating on the earlier blogs that focused more on animal care.

Oh dear--Last year I discovered THE BIRD by Colin Tudge, and I was hooked. Love his chatty style and verbiage. And talk about complexity! He illustrates it well. First the details, in all their marvelous twists and turns of confusing evidence and theories, the connection of birds to dinosaurs. Then he delves into the definition of species, illustrating with engaging humor that "...when all work is done, omniscience is not in our gift, and nature feels no obligation not to be easily comprehensible."

In short, we care, a lot, about shoving ideas into neat boxes, but nature could care less. Definitions and categories are human crutches, vain attempts at defining paths through life's complexities. Sometimes useful, they are more often mini-prisons for the mind, keeping thought restrained and creativity trapped.

The complex nature of nature is awe-inspiring and humbling. Now what do I do? Colin Tudge has written a lot of books I probably won't be able to put down. See his web site.
Colin TudgeThe Bird: A Natural History of Who Birds Are, Where They Came From & How They Live

Reviews in reverse order: H is For Hawk, Octopus, Horsemanship Through Life, The Emotional Life of Animals, The Horse...Epic History, Zoobiquity, The Genius of Birds, Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?, The Mind of the Raven, Wild Things, Wild Places and Wesley the Own.

URL to the reviews on my website:
https://www.authorsguild.net/services...

Or read all the reviews here:

WESLEY THE OWL: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacey O'Brian, New York, Free Press, 2008.
Indeed, this is a remarkable story, told with elegant precision so that we learn how owls communicate, what they care about, what they won't tolerate, how they love, eat, gripe, clean themselves, and how they express the obvious emotions we all share.
Enough said. It's a real eye-opener. We are truly not alone in sensitivity and talent. Life on Earth is more ingenious than we have realized.

WILD THINGS, WILD PLACES by Jane Alexander, New York, Alfred A. Knopt, 2016.
The three parts of this book are divided into chapters named after countries, states, "Desert." "Ocean," and "Birds," but the stories are focused more on the author's experiences than on details about wild things.
In pages 292 and 293, however, the author does a nice job of reminding us that "We are all "…connected in milliseconds and transport…while faced with the obvious need to…consciously manage the planet [and]…save the declining species of the world…it is a moral imperative as the most evolved creature on the planet to care for the home we share with all others. Everything we need or make comes from natural resources…'"

THE MIND OF THE RAVEN Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds
By by Bernd Heinrich, New York, Harper Collins, 1997
Older detailed studies and everyday experience with captive ravens paint an entrancing personalized view of these intelligent birds. Heinrich's are charming readable stories of his careful exploring their nature and consciousness.

ARE WE SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW HOW SMART ANIMALS ARE? by Frans De Waal, New York, W. W. Norton, 2016. This is another must-read by De Waal for gaining some perspective on who we are and how we should be respecting animal cognition. The author promises to tell stories of "the everyday use of animal intelligence." He also provides supporting results from "controlled experiments."
He challenges our early—and too often ongoing—anthropomorphism and assumptions of human superiority. He gives us samples from the theory of mind and interspecies cooperation and a history of animal cognition. Indeed, we are not alone. Don't miss this attack on clearly outdated "behaviorism."

THE GENIUS OF BIRDS by Jennifer Ackerman, New York, Penguin Books, 2016
With copious notes and a detailed Index, Ackerman takes us on a journey into the lives of birds, their history, and the details of their "genius" recently recognized. She illustrates the capacity of birds--their "…mental skill that is exceptional compared with others--with three examples of talents that "…far exceed our own."--the navigation of pigeons, the memory of mocking birds for others' songs, and the memory of scrub jays and nutcrackers for hiding places.
The author treats us to anecdotes that illustrate how difficult it is to define intelligence in birds, and she makes clear the fascinating differences between birds' brains and structure and our genes. Their evolution from dinosaurs now makes a coherent tale, as do the differences found among modern avian species. Also closely examined, is the birds' creation and use of tools and their inventive play.
A chapter is devoted to various social and developmental behaviors, some birds' reactions to attack and death, and their capacity for empathy.
Most intriguing to me was Ackerman's detailed illustration of how young birds learn to vocalize, the role of genetics, and what their ears are like. Most puzzling are the questions of how Bowerbirds sense of aesthetics are like ours (or not) and how racing pigeons and white-crowned sparrows manage to navigate precisely over Earth's entire globe.
To wrap up the enlightening portrait of birds, the author looks at the options various birds have in dealing with the Anthropocene. How will they fare as we redo the world to meet human requirements?

ZOOBIQUITY: What Animals Can Teach Us About Health and the Science of Healing by Barbara Matterson-Horowitz, MD and Kathryn Bowers, New York,
Alfred A. Knopf, 2012
The conclusion of the authors (and their contributing partners from both the veterinarian and medical professions) is that we are not alone, we humans, in how we suffer and how we should be treated. Each chapter provides many stories of how different health problems are shared between humans and different animals.
Chapter 1: Yes, "Jaguars get breast cancer…rhinos in zoos get leukemia." Dinosaur bones show signs of brain tumors, "…gout, arthritis, stress fractures…even cancer."
Chapter 2: We all can faint or go vagal under "…extreme emotion or fear."
Chapter 3: We share various cancers with all kinds of animals and birds.
Chapter 4: The authors suggest that the many varieties of animal sexuality can teach us quite a bit about ourselves--like how females could "…audition males before allowing them to mate."
Chapter 5 is a fascinating tale of why we all--humans and animals alike--are subject to addiction. Our bodies and brains "…have evolved doorways for…potent drugs." Why?
Because evolution has provided all of us with nerves and brain chemicals that interplay to create emotions. In short, survival tactics are rewarded with hits of natural feel-good narcotics.
However, on the negative side, "…life sustaining activities, like "finding safety…happiness, foraging, eating and socializing, causes…release of…mostly dopamine…" that can be addictive. Note that "accumulating wealth" is also on that list!
We also share happiness, fear, anger, and pain--though our "…self-protective strategy may differ… Most animals don't vocalize when they're hurt… It's dangerous and could attract predators…Pain management is now a priority in both human and veterinarian medicine."
Chapter 6: We larger animals all share heart attacks, including those caused by dread and sudden panic.
Chapter 7: We all--even fish--can get too fat to be healthy.
Chapter 8: Self-injury can give us relief from stress. Even fish enjoy grooming.
The ninth chapter is entitled Fear of Feeding. Eating Disorder in the Animal Kingdon. Birds, mammals and spiders indulge in food caching, as do we.
Chapter 10 is all about our common problem with STDs. Some are shared between species via circuitous routes. The extinction of wild koalas in Australia has been threatened by an epidemic of chlamydia.
Chapter 11: Adolescence is defined in species from "…condors to capuchin monkeys to college freshmen [as] taking risks and sometimes making mistakes."
The authors conclude by reviewing how we share infectious agents with various animals.
This book of engaging stories includes many pointed suggestions that define how and why human physicians and veterinarians must work together to enhance patient care and solve our common medical puzzles.

THE HORSE: EPIC HISTORY OF OUR NOBLE COMPANION by Wendy Williams, New York, Farar, Strauss and Giroux, 2015.
Williams takes us on a fascinating journey through the life of horse ancestors, into the mystery of Equus disappearing from North America, and back to the future of horses as we know them. The book begins with a review of ice age cave art, where "Horses are the stars."
In the chapter "Watching Wild Horses," we learn that they are not "herd" animals. They live in small bands of three to ten, often squabbling, "…battling over personal space…by jockeying for position…."
And then we learn what has proven to be true even now--horses often behave "…one way in public.." and act very differently when alone or when others are not looking. Our history together goes way back thousands of years. We have much in common: we both communicate emotions with our eyes, a feature that could explain our extraordinarily cooperative shared relationship.
Williams begins her book by listing several studies of various animals—Goodall's observation of tool use by chimpanzees, communication of humpback whales with "rivers" of sound, the puzzle solving of crows, the agility and anger of octopuses, the protective teamwork of elephants and their mourning. Our neighbor here in California, Koko the gorilla, uses "...1300 gestural words to communicate her thoughts, feelings, needs and desires. She understands "…more than 2000 words of spoken English."
Oddly, though we humans have had a long-term relationship with horses, it's been only recently that the natural history of horses has been studied. Most ungulates (sheep, cows, sheep, and bison) form large herds, but horses live in small bands—small bonded groups that "are quite fluid." Three to ten horses interact as a group that is often based on several mares and their young. They often "squabble" and even switch allegiance in mating with those in other bands.
The puzzle remains: Why have horses been so accommodating to our needs, even to our demands for hard work, even portage in ancient battles? Perhaps a clue lies in their ability (or need?) to accept human leadership. And perhaps a clue lies in the author's comment that "...some horses act one way in public and then behave quite differently when no one is looking."
Horses battle over position and personal space. They argue, make alliances, posing and threatening with head raised and hindquarters "coiled" and pounding the ground with straight legs. They snort and bare their teeth and arch their necks. All this goes on so the stallions can establish position in the band or mating privilege, while the mares pay little attention.
Lead stallions can be turned down by stubborn mares. Two bonded mares were observed to leave their band, rejecting the main stallion. They mated with the stallion of another band. Not all fouls were fathered by the lead stallion of their band.
Some horses are free-roaming, waiting patiently for a chance to mate. Sometimes the mares or the subordinate stallions will "initiate" a band's movement. "Alliances are made and broken," the author tells us, but the "…one given is that no wild horse will never choose to be alone." Perhaps that is the most important thing to remember when we design the care of these quiet, persistent and socially creative beings. I worry when I see a horse in a large enclosure, alone.

THE EMOTIONAL LIVES OF ANIMALS: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy—and Why They Matter by Marc Bekoff, California, New World Library, 2007.
The bottom line for our times: "the burden of proof now falls more often to those who still argue that animals don't experience emotions." The author makes a good case, along with anatomic notes like the fact that whales have more Spindle cells for processing emotions than we great apes do. The spindle cells were once thought to be unique to us.
The book is filled with examples: Two baby mice were trapped in a deep sink. The stronger one finds an offered drink and helps the weaker mouse to the water and food so they can escape. A dog meets daily for six years with a 15-inch Koi fish, who gently nibbles his paws. Lions in Ethiopia rescue a whimpering 12-year-old girl from her kidnappers then stand guard over her until she is found by her parents.
Cognitive ethology is the new science of animals minds. I includes the study of "…emotions, beliefs…information process, consciousness and self-awareness. "Flexibility in behavior is one of the litmus tests for consciousness, for a mind at work." If I were younger I'd go for a degree.
The extensive Endnotes, Bibliography and Index are valuable additions to this mind-changing book.

HORSEMANSHIP THROUGH LIFE: A Trainer's Guide to Better Living and Better Riding by Mark Pashid, New York, Sky Horse Publishing,
In exquisite detail, the author takes us into his first experiences riding "dirt cheap" horses and noting that his employer, the "old man," rode "with" not "on" a horse. Listening to what a horse says is the key. It is more important than just "technique," because it opens up more options.
The author shares his learning experiences, his injuries and self-doubts, then his work as a trainer and clinician. In some length he describes his experience learning the Japanese martial art of aikido and its "key element" of going with situations and how it applies to one's relationship with horses.
The details of how horse owners are sensitized to with their horses are instructive. We are led through the author's personal experience and growth as he learns to "look…and listen… and feel."

H IS FOR HAWK and OCTOPUS
I have put off reviewing this very popular book "H is For Hawk," because I have mixed feelings about falconry, i.e. our relationship to animals. Author Helen Macdonald does a grand job of painting a detailed picture of her mental set as she trains a goshawk soon after the loss of her father. The writing is poignant and vivid as it carries us along her journey of recovery during her grieving, while relating to the goshawk and its need to find and kill its prey.
My problem with falconry is that it requires making the wild bird totally dependent on the trainer for food. The relationship is pushed to a questionable extreme, its success counted when the hunger-driven hawk will fly free and still return to the trainer. Suddenly the relationship is dropped during molt, when the hawk is left in captivity with strangers.
In striking contrast is the relationship between Golden Eagles and the Kazakh people of the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia. Yes, female eaglets are taken from their nests, but they live with hunter families, who train them at age 13. They answer only to the hunter's voice and provide food for the humans in winter. Ten years later they are released to live out their lives in the wild. (Jonathan Carey "Flock Together" In Audubon Summer 2016)
Aside from the notion that it may be cruel to starve an animal into dependence, it seemed to me that author Macdonald exaggerates and over-dramatizes the hawk's wildness. What does wild really mean? Our cat Oscar was wild in some sense. He refused to come into the house (except to die), and he would disappear for days at a time. We never worried about him, for he always came back, a bit disheveled or wounded, but happy to see us and play with our dog Boots, who wouldn't think of going off anywhere for days.
I guess the answer is respect, respect for an animal's nature, whether it be "wild" or accustomed to human care and company. We also need to respect ourselves as human beings and use our unique talents in ways that make sense. We have a tendency to overshoot—both our despair at human failings and our talent for whipping the universe into our own glassy shape.
Our new awareness of how much we share with other beings can help us find the balance that will secure a rational, kind future for all beings on Earth. A nice example is our new relationship with the octopus. I heartily recommend Sy Montgomery's book "Soul of an Octopus." Her respect for these wonderful "aliens" is seen in her calling each chapter by the name of an individual octopus she has come to know.
Only since the year 2000 have aquariums interacted with their octopus guests. Recent evidence for their awareness has been accumulating. They have been seen in the wild using tools, building homes, and defending themselves against sea urchin spines. Some have given divers a tour of their sea habitat. In captivity they are masters of escape, and repeatedly very rude to humans who have secured their tanks.
If raised in captivity, octopuses (the word is Greek, hence not octopi, which is Latin) are eager to interact with human arms underwater and whatever their own arms can find. They have a bit of brain in each arm's suckers, all of which explore in their own way with tender curiosity. If captured as adults, however, octopuses can be very shy. It can take weeks of friendly coaxing and treating to win their confidence. They choose to be quite wild, and thought they live tragically short lives, they have very distinct personalities.