Flight Paths
How the mystery of bird migration was solved
by Rebecca Heisman
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date 20 Apr 2023 | Archive Date 2 May 2023
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Description
The captivating, little-known true story of a group of scientists and the methods and technology they developed to uncover the secrets of avian migration
How and why birds navigate the skies, travelling from continent to continent — flying thousands of miles across the earth each autumn and spring — has continually fascinated the human imagination, but only recently have we been able to fully understand these amazing journeys.
How did this revolution come about? Flight Paths is the never-before-told story of how an eccentric group of ornithologists, engineers and other pioneering scientists have harnessed nearly every technological development of the last hundred years to understand bird migration in detail - from where and when they take off, their flight paths and behaviours, their destinations and the challenges they face getting there.
In this fascinating and compelling story Rebecca Heisman uncovers the secret history of an ornithological arms race that not only helped solve the mystery of bird migration using radar, radioactive isotopes, satellites and the humble aluminium band but has also given us much needed insight into how best to protect and conserve the bird life we cherish.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781800752924 |
| PRICE | £16.99 (GBP) |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Jill B, Reviewer
In Flight Paths, author Rebecca Heisman reveals the work undertaken by a group of scientists, primarily in the USA, to further our understanding of avian migration. Topics covered include bird ringing (or banding as it is apparently called over in the US), radar tracking, satellite telemetry, GPS, DNA isotope analysis and mapping and citizen science.
The emphasis here is very much upon the scientists themselves and the scientific methods they developed. There is relatively little in the way of detail about the birds themselves. If I were to nit-pick, I would have perhaps preferred more of an even balance between the two.
Nevertheless, this is a well-researched and authoritative read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Swift Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Tilly H, Reviewer
BOOK REVIEW: Flight Paths by @r_heisman
5 Stars
I have read a few birding books recently that fell a little flat, so I had mixed feelings going into this book. However I didn't need to worry as this was definitely the best book on bird migration that I have read.
Rebecca Heisman obviously has a lot of love, interest and background in ornithology and mapping birds in a variety of ways. What makes this book even better is her fantastic writing and obvious love for what she is discussing but also her personal experiences and field trips that are interwoven with the history and science of mapping birds and their migration.
The book is split up really well and looks into how bird migration has changed over time. I found this particularly interesting as I had no idea how early ornithologists would have collected data on bird migration so it was a really great read for me. Seeing how this has changed with increasing technology was so interesting and I learnt a lot about the science behind collecting data.
What added to this was that Heisman added how different species of birds have to be treated differently in the ways to collect their data. Looking into individual case studies for these added this extra insight plus a side of birding which I loved.
Overall, this is book is very well written and highly interesting. I read a lot of new stories and insights into this subject which I wasn't expecting! I highly recommend this book to all bird lovers.
Please note that I was #gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
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