Birdology
Title | Birdology PDF eBook |
Author | Sy Montgomery |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Total Pages | 397 |
Release | 2011-08-04 |
Genre | Nature |
ISBN | 0731815408 |
Meet the ladies: a flock of smart, affectionate, highly individualistic chickens who visit their favorite neighbors, devise different ways to hide from foxes, and mob the author like she's a rock star. In these pages you'll also meet Maya and Zuni, two orphaned baby hummingbirds who hatched from eggs the size of navy beans, and who are little more than air bubbles fringed with feathers. Their lives hang precariously in the balance-but with human help, they may one day conquer the sky. Snowball is a cockatoo whose dance video went viral on YouTube and who's now teaching schoolchildren how to dance. You'll meet Harris's hawks named Fire and Smoke. And you'll come to know and love a host of other avian characters who will change your mind forever about who birds really are. Each of these birds shows a different and utterly surprising aspect of what makes a bird a bird-and these are the lessons of Birdology: that birds are far stranger, more wondrous, and at the same time more like us than we might have dared to imagine. In Birdology, beloved author of The Good Good Pig Sy Montgomery explores the essence of the otherworldly creatures we see every day. By way of her adventures with seven birds-wild, tame, exotic, and common-she weaves new scientific insights and narrative to reveal seven kernels of bird wisdom. The first lesson of Birdology is that, no matter how common they are, Birds Are Individuals, as each of Montgomery's distinctive Ladies clearly shows. In the leech-infested rain forest of Queensland, you'll come face to face with a cassowary-a 150-pound, man-tall, flightless bird with a helmet of bone on its head and a slashing razor-like toenail with which it (occasionally) eviscerates people-proof that Birds Are Dinosaurs. You'll learn from hawks that Birds Are Fierce; from pigeons, how Birds Find Their Way Home; from parrots, what it means that Birds Can Talk; and from 50,000 crows who moved into a small city's downtown, that Birds Are Everywhere. They are the winged aliens who surround us. Birdology explains just how very "other" birds are: Their hearts look like those of crocodiles. They are covered with modified scales, which are called feathers. Their bones are hollow. Their bodies are permeated with extensive air sacs. They have no hands. They give birth to eggs. Yet despite birds' and humans' disparate evolutionary paths, we share emotional and intellectual abilities that allow us to communicate and even form deep bonds. When we begin to comprehend who birds really are, we deepen our capacity to approach, understand, and love these otherworldly creatures. And this, ultimately, is the priceless lesson of Birdology: it communicates a heartfelt fascination and awe for birds and restores our connection to these complex, mysterious fellow creatures
Birdology
Title | Birdology PDF eBook |
Author | |
Publisher | Chicago Review Press |
Total Pages | 122 |
Release | 2015-01-01 |
Genre | Juvenile Nonfiction |
ISBN | 161374949X |
This generously illustrated, full-color book engages young nature enthusiasts in exploring the world of birds. Kids learn that birds can be seen almost anywhere: in city parks and streets, zoos, farms, and backyards. Using "Try This," "Look For," and "Listen For" prompts, Birdology promotes independent observation and analysis, writing and drawing skills, and nature literacy. Kids observe the diversity of shapes, colors, patterns, and behavior of birds; listen for their songs and the clap of wings; make a juice-box feeder; plant flowers that attract hummingbirds; start a birding journal and sketchbook; and much more. Other topics presented in clear, kid-friendly prose include migration, nesting, food, territories, and conservation and preservation. Extensive resources include a glossary, bird orders and scientific names, bird and wildlife organizations, and "Teacher Topics" to initiate classroom discussion and investigation. Monica Russo is the author and illustrator of several children's nature books including Chilly Creatures, Amazing Insects, Watching Nature, and Tree Almanac. She wrote the "Nature Notes" column for southern Maine's Sun Chronicle for many years. She is an experienced birdwatcher and a founding member of the Maine Entomological Society. Kevin Byron is a photographer who specializes in nature, wildlife, and ship images and whose work has appeared in many books, magazines, and newspapers including Watching Nature, BirdScope magazine, the New York Times, and the Kennebunk Post. They both live in Kennebunk, Maine.
Marshal Royal
Title | Marshal Royal PDF eBook |
Author | Marshal Royal |
Publisher | A&C Black |
Total Pages | 180 |
Release | 2001-09-01 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 1441180699 |
Marsgal Royal was a core member of the Count Basei Orchestra for twenty years during its resurgence in the 1950s and 1960s. Before that, he was a pioneer of jazz on the West Coast, playing with many bands in and around Los Angeles. A child prodigy of both the violin and saxophone, Royal was literally born on the road as his musician parents made their way West. Royal shares his experiences with Les Hite's band at Sebastian's New Cotton Club, where 's Orchestra after a wartime career in U.S. Navy bands. After leaving Hampton, Royal made countless recordings as a freelancer before joining Basie, where he was responsible for rehearsing the Orchestra. Later, he became internationally known as a soloist while continuing his prolific recording career. His brother, Ernie, who was a star trumpeter in the bands of Woody Herman and Stan Kenton, is also profiled. Claire P. Gordon is the editor of Rex Stewart's memoir, Boy Meets Horn, and of Stewart's other collections of writings. She lives on the West Coast and has a long-term interest in the oral history of jazz.
Wings of the Gods
Title | Wings of the Gods PDF eBook |
Author | Peter (Petra) Gardella |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Total Pages | 297 |
Release | 2024 |
Genre | Education |
ISBN | 0197691870 |
Wings of the Gods surveys the many roles that birds have played in the development of religions, from legends, rituals, costumes, wars, and spiritual disciplines to the current ecological crisis. Peter (Petra) Gardella and Laurence Krute, both scholars and birdwatchers, transcend a narrow focus on humanity to explore the agency of birds in world history.
Zoology for Kids
Title | Zoology for Kids PDF eBook |
Author | Josh Hestermann |
Publisher | Chicago Review Press |
Total Pages | 146 |
Release | 2015-03-01 |
Genre | Juvenile Nonfiction |
ISBN | 1613749619 |
“Packed with facts and photos, Zoology for Kids is a vibrant introduction to zoology that also provides inspiration for career options and activities to help children further explore and apply what they have learned.” —Liesl Pimentel, manager of education and formal programs, Phoenix Zoo Zoology for Kids invites young animal lovers to discover the animal kingdom through clear, entertaining information and anecdotes and hands-on activities. Part 1 introduces the science of zoology, discussing animals’ forms, functions, and behaviors as well as the history behind zoos and aquariums. Kids bake edible animal cells, play a dolphin-echolocation game, and design an exhibit. Part 2 offers an insider’s look at how zoologists apply their knowledge every day. Kids peek into the world of zookeepers and aquarists, veterinarians, wildlife researchers, and conservationists. They “train” their friends, mold a tiger’s jawbone, and perform field research in their own backyard. Animal enthusiasts come away with new knowledge, a healthy respect for the animal kingdom, and the idea that they can pursue animal-related careers and make a difference to preserve and protect the natural world. Josh Hestermann is a marine-mammal keeper and trainer at the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois. Bethanie Hestermann is a freelance writer and contributing writer and editor at large at Connected World magazine. They live in Brookfield, Illinois. Martin and Chris Kratt, the Kratt Brothers, are the creators and cohosts of the PBS Kids series Wild Kratts, Kratts Creatures, and Zoboomafoo.
The Hawk's Way
Title | The Hawk's Way PDF eBook |
Author | Sy Montgomery |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Total Pages | 96 |
Release | 2022-05-03 |
Genre | Nature |
ISBN | 1668001969 |
A splendid and luminous celebration of one of nature’s most perfect and mysterious creatures—the hawk—from the New York Times bestselling author of the “astoundingly beautiful” (NPR) The Soul of an Octopus. When Sy Montgomery went to spend a day at falconer Nancy Cowan’s farm, home to a dozen magnificent birds of prey, it was the start of a deep love affair. Nancy allowed her to work with Jazz, a feisty, four-year-old, female Harris’s hawk with a wingspan of more than four feet. Not a pet, Jazz was a fierce predator with talons that could pierce skin and bone and yet, she was willing to work with a human to hunt. From the first moment Jazz swept down from a tree and landed on Sy’s leather gloved fist, Sy fell under the hawk’s magnetic spell. Over the next few years, Sy spent more time with these magnificent creatures, getting to know their extraordinary abilities and instincts. They are deeply emotional animals, quick to show anger and frustration, and can hold a grudge for years. But they are also loyal and intensely aware of their surroundings. In this mesmerizing account, featuring sixteen pages of gorgeous color photographs, Sy passionately and vividly reveals the wonderous world of hawks and what they can teach us about nature, life, and love.
If It Swings, It's Music
Title | If It Swings, It's Music PDF eBook |
Author | Gabe Baltazar |
Publisher | University of Hawaii Press |
Total Pages | 250 |
Release | 2012-05-17 |
Genre | Biography & Autobiography |
ISBN | 0824865707 |
Hawai‘i’s legendary jazz musician Gabe Baltazar Jr. has thrilled audiences since the late 1940s with his powerful and passionate playing. In this, the first book on his life and career, Gabe takes readers through the highs, lows, and in-betweens on the long road to becoming one of the very few Asian Americans who has achieved worldwide acclaim as a jazz artist. At a young age Gabe was encouraged by his father, an accomplished musician, to take up the clarinet and saxophone. As a teenager during World War II, Gabe performed with the Royal Hawaiian Band but spent his weekends playing in swing bands. After establishing himself in the West Coast jazz scene, in 1960 he rose to prominence as lead alto saxophonist of the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Following a four-year stint with Kenton, Gabe worked as a valued studio musician, recording with Dizzy Gillespie, Oliver Nelson, and James Moody, among others. In 1969 he returned to Honolulu and went on to become Hawai‘i’s premier jazz artist, a role he admirably fulfilled for over forty years. Even into his eighties, Gabe remained active in jazz education and performed regularly. Gabe’s memorable encounters with some of the greatest names in jazz and popular entertainment will delight music fans, while readers of Hawai‘i and Asian-American life-writing will find in this work a fond record of days past told with humor and heart.