Birds do it.
But if you’ve taken a basic biology course, you likely already knew that.
Dr. Wenfei Tong, however, knows much more about how they do it than just the basics, and in her new book “Bird Love; the Family Life of Birds,” she explores and explains the extraordinary range of courtship, mating, and brood rearing practices found among the planet’s diverse birdlife.
You generally don’t see very many novels written up in The Well-read Naturalist. Part of this is due to the fact that after a uni degree in English literature, I went a bit off fiction, and when I returned some years later, most of the novels I read tend to be a century or two old and are not particularly applicable to the purpose of this publication. Part is also due to the fact that of those that I see that do take some manner of natural history as their theme, well… my primary editorial rule applies: if I don’t think it’s worthy of recommendation, I simply won’t write about it at all.
Chatting about birdwatching with my friend Miriam who lives in the Vichy area of France, I was reminded that not so long ago a new guidebook arrived from Pelagic Publishing that promises to direct its readers to the best spots in that nation for pursuing this favored ornithological past-time.
While it’s not yet winter here in the northern hemisphere, Mother Nature is certainly beginning to offer a range of reminders that it is indeed coming. What leaves remain on the trees are turning from vivid reds and oranges to more subdued yellows and browns just prior to joining their fellows on the forest floor. Insects are becomming scarce. And the local bird populations are rearranging their respective species memberships.