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ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Most of us have bird stories. Maybe the butcherbird or kookaburra who comes looking for food daily, the magpie who brings its babies to show off, the rainbow lorikeets that crowd the balcony railings, the white cockatoo who pulls strips off the windowframes… This book examines the avian-human interactions and the social complexity of Australian birds, and what benefits they may be gaining by their proximity to people. Whilst chapter headings sometimes indicate emotions ("The Friendly Bird" or "The Cheating Bird" or "The Grieving Bird") the book does not anthropomorphise birds. Rather it allows that they have many qualities that we can label with what we think of as human terms, but which are qualities that many animals share with us. An interesting blend of science and anecdote, interleaving research and factual text with close observations by citizen scientists, who contribute to the sum of knowledge with their everyday interactions with birds. Lindy Jones
Dr Grainne Cleary is an Irish wildlife ecologist who now lives in Melbourne and works at Deakin University. Her primary area of interest is working with the public through citizen science to gain the best outcomes for urban wildlife, particularly in how people interact with birds in their backyards. She believes our behaviour can have a huge influence on urban wildlife and how native animals can use our gardens as a sanctuary in otherwise inhospitable environments.
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Most of us have bird stories. Maybe the butcherbird or kookaburra who comes looking for food daily, the magpie who brings its babies to show off, the rainbow lorikeets that crowd the balcony railings, the white cockatoo who pulls strips off the windowframes… This book examines the avian-human interactions and the social complexity of Australian birds, and what benefits they may be gaining by their proximity to people. Whilst chapter headings sometimes indicate emotions ("The Friendly Bird" or "The Cheating Bird" or "The Grieving Bird") the book does not anthropomorphise birds. Rather it allows that they have many qualities that we can label with what we think of as human terms, but which are qualities that many animals share with us. An interesting blend of science and anecdote, interleaving research and factual text with close observations by citizen scientists, who contribute to the sum of knowledge with their everyday interactions with birds. Lindy Jones
