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John Mazluff and Tony Angell, the authors of Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans, will be holding a live video chat run through uStream on July 10, 12 PM PST. Tweet your questions with #chatSS before AND during the event.

To access the uStream – http://www.ustream.tv/simonandschuster

City of Ravens: The Extraordinary History of London, the Tower and its Famous Ravens
by Boria Sax

From Overlook Press:

The tales tell that Charles the Second feared ‘Britain will fall’ if the ravens ever left the Tower of London. Yet the truth is that they arrived in Victorian times as props in gory tales for tourists. The legend began in 1944 when a raven spotted bombers over London. But the ravens’ past has far more high drama. From the plains of the North American Indians to the Arctic tundra, all the way to the Tower of London, they have been symbols of cruelty, of survival through adversity, and a loveable icon. Boria Sax shows how our attitudes to the raven and to the natural world in general have changed enormously over the centuries. By describing the distinct place of this special bird in Anglo-Saxon culture, he shows how blurred the lines between myth and history can be. This is a unique and brilliantly readable story of the entwined lives of people and animals.

I doubt there’s a better choice of birds than the raven to explore myth and our relationship with animals.

City of Ravens: The Extraordinary History of London, the Tower and its Famous Ravens
by Boria Sax
Hardcover; 206 pages
Overlook Press; July 5, 2012
ISBN 13: 978-1-59020-777-2
$22.00

Some great reviews last month.

Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans
by John Marzluff and Tony Angell

From Free Press:

CROWS ARE MISCHIEVOUS, playful, social, and passionate. They have brains that are huge for their body size and exhibit an avian kind of eloquence. They mate for life and associate with relatives and neighbors for years. And because they often live near people—in our gardens, parks, and cities—they are also keenly aware of our peculiarities, staying away from and even scolding anyone who threatens or harms them and quickly learning to recognize and approach those who care for and feed them, even giving them numerous, oddly touching gifts in return.

With his extraordinary research on the intelligence and startling abilities of corvids—crows, ravens, and jays—scientist John Marzluff teams up with artist-naturalist Tony Angell to tell amazing stories of these brilliant birds in Gifts of the Crow. With narrative, diagrams, and gorgeous line drawings, they offer an in-depth look at these complex creatures and our shared behaviors. The ongoing connection between humans and crows—a cultural coevolution—has shaped both species for millions of years. And the characteristics of crows that allow this symbiotic relationship are language, delinquency, frolic, passion, wrath, risk-taking, and awareness—seven traits that humans find strangely familiar. Crows gather around their dead, warn of impending doom, recognize people, commit murder of other crows, lure fish and birds to their death, swill coffee, drink beer, turn on lights to stay warm, design and use tools, use cars as nutcrackers, windsurf and sled to play, and work in tandem to spray soft cheese out of a can. Their marvelous brains allow them to think, plan, and reconsider their actions.

With its abundance of funny, awe-inspiring, and poignant stories, Gifts of the Crow portrays creatures who are nothing short of amazing. A testament to years of painstaking research and careful observation, this fully illustrated, riveting work is a thrilling look at one of nature’s most wondrous creatures.

Watching crows is always interesting. So is reading about them.

Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans
by John Marzluff and Tony Angell
Hardcover; 303 pages
Free Press; June 5, 2012
ISBN: 9781439198735
$25.00

I noticed relatively few reviews last month. I guess everyone was actually birding. Imagine that…

The Armchair Birder Goes Coastal: The Secret Lives of Birds of the Southeastern Shore
by John Yow

From The University of North Carolina Press:

With his distinctively witty, anecdotal, and disarming voice, John Yow now journeys to the shore and shares his encounters with some of the most familiar and beloved coastal birds. Out of his travels–from North Carolina’s Outer Banks, down the Atlantic coast, and westward along the Gulf of Mexico–come colorful accounts of twenty-eight species, from ubiquitous beach birds like sanderlings and laughing gulls to wonders of nature like roseate spoonbills and the American avocets. Along the way, Yow delves deeply into the birds’ habits and behaviors, experiencing and relating the fascination that leads many an amateur naturalist to become the most unusual of species–a birder.

Seasonally organized chapters explore the improbable, the wonderful, and the amusing aspects of these birds’ lives. Yow embellishes his observations with field notes, anecdotes, and stories from some of America’s finest naturalists–including John James Audubon, Arthur Cleveland Bent, Rachel Carson, and Peter Matthiessen. Combining the endless fascination of bird life with the pleasure of good reading, The Armchair Birder Goes Coastal is the perfect companion for any nature lover’s next trip to the beach.

The author of The Armchair Birder: Discovering the Secret Lives of Familiar Birds turns his attention to a new set of birds. I’ve enjoyed these accounts, a mixture of personal observations and information from preeminent birders and naturalists.

The Armchair Birder Goes Coastal: The Secret Lives of Birds of the Southeastern Shore
by John Yow
Hardcover; 256 pages
The University of North Carolina Press; May 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8078-3561-6
$26.00

I hope you enjoyed Warbler Week. If you did (or even if you didn’t), please consider doing something to help out these birds. Here are a few suggestions.

Perhaps the main thing you can do is to purchase shade-grown coffee. Yes, it really is that important. Anything with the Smithsonian “Bird Friendly” seal you can know with certainty will by 100% shade-grown, organic coffee.

The American Bird Conservancy does some fantastic work on the behalf of warblers (and all the other birds as well). Please consider donating to them. What’s more, until June 20, all donations (I don’t think memberships count) will be matched by private donors, up to $100,000. This is a great way to make your donation go even further.

Finally, here are some organizations that are working to protect the Appalachian region, home to the Cerulean Warbler. This bird is declining very rapidly, largely due to habitat loss on its breeding grounds. (Thanks to Cynthia Ellis for the links.)

• West Virginia Highlands Conservancy
• Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition
• Appalachian Mountain Advocates