Some Birds Sing In Winter

It seems most peculiar; yes, rather strange That a bird, on a bitter branch might remain And more joyfully in winter months, long, Sing an elaborate, even a beautiful song. But such a bird is this one who can write, Who can attest that even though dark as night, His maker has given him a songbook of praise, To endure as a joyful sound, all days that remain. What you are holding is a songbook. It is a different kind of songbook, for it was birthed in the darkest of night and the coldest of winter. And while it is readily in itself an instrument of praise, it also provides a foundation for other song-makers, or, shall we say, those who receive songs from God Most High. For who can sing unless God himself provides song? This is a book for sufferers. It is for those who are enduring affliction or those who just have air filling their lungs from time to time (recognizing that all will invariably suffer). This is a book for those with questions. It is for those who wonder what God (if there is one) is doing as they sit on a branch that scrapes them endlessly with rough and bitter bark. The branch is aflame, crumbling underneath, and ready to give way. How can we find song in such a tormenting and uncertain darkness? How can we be as the rare bird who actually finds reason for song in winter?

How birds have evolved and adapted to survive winter Birds in Winter is the first book devoted to the ecology and behavior of birds during this most challenging season. Birds remaining in regions with cold weather must cope with much shorter days to find food and shelter even as they need to avoid predators and stay warm through the long nights, while migrants to the tropics must fit into very different ecosystems and communities of resident birds. Roger Pasquier explores how winter affects birds’ lives all through the year, starting in late summer, when some begin caching food to retrieve months later and others form social groups lasting into the next spring. During winter some birds are already pairing up for the following breeding season, so health through the winter contributes to nesting success. Today, rapidly advancing technologies are enabling scientists to track individual birds through their daily and annual movements at home and across oceans and hemispheres, revealing new and unexpected information about their lives and interactions. But, as Birds in Winter shows, much is visible to any interested observer. Pasquier describes the season’s distinct conservation challenges for birds that winter where they have bred and for migrants to distant regions. Finally, global warming is altering the nature of winter itself. Whether birds that have evolved over millennia to survive this season can now adjust to a rapidly changing climate is a problem all people who enjoy watching them must consider. Filled with elegant line drawings by artist and illustrator Margaret La Farge, Birds in Winter describes how winter influences the lives of birds from the poles to the equator.

A year-long diary of observations of the seasonal changes in Eustis's northern Michigan home.

Presents a wealth of information on the characteristics, habits, and habitats of birds

A celebration of winter birds in Sweden by world-famous artist, author and ornithologist, Lars Jonsson. In this stunning book, Lars Jonsson celebrates and explores the beauty of the birds that surround him during the Swedish winter months. Inspired by the desolate, wintry landscapes, the dazzling light and the stark contract of colours he observes against the snow, Jonsson has created an unparalleled collection of art. Jonsson illustrates each bird in his classic style, and his text provides information on their behaviour and insights into how to identify them as he shares personal observations as both an artist and ornithologist. This unique combination offers an intimate and compelling opportunity to better understand the method behind one of the world's preeminent bird artists.

“Lovely, celebratory. For all the belittling of ‘bird brains,’ [Ackerman] shows them to be uniquely impressive machines . . .” —New York Times Book Review “A lyrical testimony to the wonders of avian intelligence.” —Scientific American An award-winning science writer tours the globe to reveal what makes birds capable of such extraordinary feats of mental prowess Birds are astonishingly intelligent creatures. According to revolutionary new research, some birds rival primates and even humans in their remarkable forms of intelligence. In The Genius of Birds, acclaimed author Jennifer Ackerman explores their newly discovered brilliance and how it came about. As she travels around the world to the most cutting-edge frontiers of research, Ackerman not only tells the story of the recently uncovered genius of birds but also delves deeply into the latest findings about the bird brain itself that are shifting our view of what it means to be intelligent. At once personal yet scientific, richly informative and beautifully written, The Genius of Birds celebrates the triumphs of these surprising and fiercely intelligent creatures. Ackerman is also the author of Birds by the Shore: Observing the Natural Life of the Atlantic Coast.

Financial Times Book of the Year An urgent new novel about death, war, and memory from the highly acclaimed Croatian writer In this breathtaking final work, Daša Drndic reaches new heights. Andreas Ban’s suicide attempt has failed. Though very ill, he still finds the will to tap on the glass of history to summon those imprisoned within. Mercilessly, he dissects society and his environment, shunning all favors as he goes after the evils and hidden secrets of our times. History remembers the names of the perpetrators, not the victims—Ban remembers and honors the lost. He travels from Rijeka to Zagreb, from Belgrade to Tirana, from Parisian avenues to Italian castles. Ghosts follow him wherever he goes: chess grandmasters who disappeared during WWII; the lost inhabitants of Latvia; war criminals who found work in the CIA and died peacefully in their beds. Ban’s family is with him too, those already dead and those with one foot in the grave. As if left with only a few pieces in a chess game, Andreas Ban—and Daša Drndic—play a stunning last match against Death.