Out there in the brute world, Brown (Biology/Univ. of Tulsa), a
former curator of ornithology at Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural
History, encounters rape and pillage, parasitism and unbridled
egotism - just another day in the life of the cliff swallow. Yes,
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota can be a mean and insecure little bird,
but it's also gregarious, its flocks more like hordes, giving rise
to cooperation and altruism. What makes swallows' enormous colonies
tick, wondered Brown? Why all the rudeness amid the circumstantial
advantage of their fellowship? ("The obvious conclusion is that
these birds are little shits to each other.") Then again, what's
the story with those solitaires? Here Brown recounts a field season
in his and his wife's study of the cliff swallow, an informal
calendar of days that communicates the electricity in situ research
can generate, as well as the down times, when weather brings a halt
to the proceedings. There is a wealth of lightly imparted
information in these pages: the role of ectoparasites in breeding
success; the effects of predation by owls, kestrels, and grackles;
the transfer of eggs from parent to surrogate. Then there are the
mundane worries of having an observation site in a highway culvert
and keeping assistants entertained when hurricane winds prevent
them from recording bird captures. And always there are the doubts,
such as the question of whether snapshot tallyings obscure wider
patternings. The marvel here is that while sometimes the copious
detailing can be overdone ("We load up our equipment . . . we
unload . . ."), most of it conveys a real sense of fieldwork:
discoveries, wasted efforts, frustrations, and the sublime moments
of being at the fight place at the right time. If Brown teaches his
university classes with the same relaxed aplomb with which he
delivers this study, then he, unlike the swarming cliff swallow, is
a rare bird. (Kirkus Reviews)
Each May for fifteen consecutive years, Charles R. Brown has
trekked to the Cedar Point Biological Station in western Nebraska
to learn more about the behavior of colonial cliff swallows. He,
his wife, and several student assistants spend the summers
observing, catching, and banding swallows to determine life span,
migration patterns, and nesting habits.
Why study one species of swallow for fifteen years? With
"Swallow Summer" Brown answers all the tourists, highway patrolmen,
and local residents who have asked why he was leaning over bridges
with nets, wading in mud up to his knees, or staring fixedly into
culverts, where swallows often build their mud nests. He finds
these birds fascinating.
This book is about a passion for birds, but it is also about the
personal challenges of scientific research. Brown provides a daily
chronicle of field work at Cedar Point--including the joy of
holding a swallow that has returned to the same site for eleven
years and the inevitable frictions between researchers and local
residents.
Blending humorous anecdotes and insightful scientific
observations, Brown writes an engaging tale. Moreover, he makes
sophisticated biology accessible to anyone who cares about
nature.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
