Highly Recommended

Each time I read Bernd Heinrich, the experience improves–and I enjoyed the first book I read. I don’t know if that is that I have gotten used to his style or just luck that each one I read actually is better, Perhaps a bit of both. But either way, this is the best one so far. This is one of the longest, if not the longest, book I have reviewed, and it is the most exhaustive on a single subject, which is typically lacking in these books. Perhaps the only aspect missing in this book is detailed physiology, but the focus is on raven minds, more how they approach carcasses, less on how they digest them. And the way the author explains their minds–to the best of his ability–is through exhaustive and meticulous observation, which he shares at length (and to my reading pleasure).

I have commented in the past that Bernd Heinrich learns from experimentation. Most of this book is a (moderately) organized collection of observations he made studying ravens in the wild, wild ravens he caught and put into a large aviary, and ravens he hand-raised in his home and aviary. I cannot fathom the amount of time he spent watching those ravens from his window, from blinds, or from a distant vantage point, but I can appreciate it. I doubt that I would ever have the patience to do what he did.

I also appreciate how the author doesn’t curate his observations into clear and concise messages, skipping data that doesn’t fit, or emphasizing data to support his point. He details the many contradictions he observed in ravens. How they may fear some objects or situations, yet show zero fear if the circumstances or objects are only slightly different–or not even discernibly different to him. He also doesn’t jump to credit a raven’s ability to perform tasks to intelligence unless it’s been studied enough to actually rule out other explanations. His love for the birds is profound, but he works to study them dispassionately, even if he hand-reared the raven in question.

I think my favorite observation in the book was a potential co-evolution the author describes between raven and wolves where they both receive mutual benefits. Raven actually prefer to feed on carcasses with wolves present, finding it safer than without, but also lend wolves a much sharper alert system to any hidden dangers that may come along. Raven calls even seem to able to bring wolves to a corpse, which they cannot open up, but a wolf jaw can.

A quote I loved from the book, although not from the author, but from Craig Comstock, a Maine raven-watcher. “I understand the need for the scientific method, but… there are times when nature speaks just once, and it is a loss not to listen.” I think this quote is perfect for observing nature. We may not always prove any deeper meaning behind what we see, but it is always a worthwhile discovery.