"Coupling these [QR] codes with the website to supply reader support makes this book truly one of a kind. Innovative educators will enjoy the challenge of deciding exactly how to use Listening to a Continent Sing in their teaching."
2016-04-11
A celebrated ornithologist chronicles his 10-week, cross-country cycling/birding trip with his 24-year-old son.Most nights, Kroodsma (Emeritus, Ornithology/Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst; Birdsong by the Seasons: A Year of Listening to Birds, 2009, etc.) and David camped out, rising before dawn to record the bird chorus that greeted them each morning. The author, then 56, describes them as pioneers, and their focus was bird songs and calls, which provide "a window into their minds." Although his 35-year scientific career had focused on songbirds, this trip was a first. "No one before [had] experienced the continent," as they would. Traveling from Yorktown, Virginia, to Newport, Oregon, father and son enjoyed the peaceful countryside, took pleasure in meeting friendly local people and fellow cyclers along the way, and inspected the historic Civil War battle sites they passed through on their 10-state journey. Despite the strains and sprains of the unaccustomed physical exertion—particularly for the author—they averaged 100 miles or more each day, and they toughened up physically as they went along. Kroodsma evokes the profound pleasure of rising before dawn to listen to the morning songs of the birds and ending the day with their evening choruses. As the pair travel through different parts of the country, the author explains the subtle differences between songbirds of the same species. His special scientific interest is how these relate to the ways in which different species master their special repertoire—e.g. songs passed on genetically, learned from their fathers, or picked up from neighboring birds. Kroodsma's verbal descriptions of the bird songs and their calls accompany the text, but they are also available as online recordings. An informative exploration of the subtleties of bird songs, which experienced birders will appreciate, and a helpful guide for newbies but likely of less interest to general readers.
"One of the quirkiest and most oddly charming travel books you're likely to come across…. The whole package is engagingly chipper, a memoir of delight."
"An accomplished travelogue written with great style which makes for an enjoyable and highly entertaining read. It is a book to be enjoyed by birders or non-birders alike."
"Birdsong maven Donald Kroodsma's travel journal is a welcome addition to the cycling-road-trip genre that began over a century ago. . . . It's the author's knowledge of birdsong . . . that makes this book so delightful."
"Kroodsma has an insatiable curiosity about bird vocalizations and also a deep passion for his subject. . . . This book provides a delightful, vicarious ride across our country. We stop frequently to appreciate the music of the birds."
"Listening to a Continent Sing is a travelogue of Kroodsma's 5,000 mile trip, a celebration of nature, and a multimedia experience—the book is littered with quick-response codes that link to samples of birdsong found throughout the trip, such as the pileated woodpecker and the sandhill crane."
"Listening to a Continent Sing will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in the outdoors, by cyclists, and above all by birders. I have only just begun reading the book, but I already suspect that it will turn out to be one of the outstanding popular birds books of the year."
"Kroodsma . . . is to birdsong what a sommelier is to fine wine. With ears as finely tuned as a musician able to recognize a symphony by the first few notes, he identifies a variety of bird species and their many song variations. . . . Listening to a Continent Sing is a feast for the senses and will no doubt inspire many to listen more deeply and more intently on the next walk or bike ride."
"Listening to a Continent Sing is a travelogue of Kroodsma's 5,000 mile trip, a celebration of nature, and a multimedia experience—the book is littered with quick-response codes that link to samples of birdsong found throughout the trip, such as the pileated woodpecker and the sandhill crane."
"One of the quirkiest and most oddly charming travel books you're likely to come across…. The whole package is engagingly chipper, a memoir of delight."
"Birdsong maven Donald Kroodsma's travel journal is a welcome addition to the cycling-road-trip genre that began over a century ago. . . . It's the author's knowledge of birdsong . . . that makes this book so delightful."
