Birdwatching with Your Eyes Closed by Simon Barnes

Birdwatching with Your Eyes Closed by Simon Barnes

Learning birdsong is not just a way to become a better bird-spotter. It is tuning in: a way of hearing the soundtrack of the planet earth...Why do birds sing? What are they trying to say? Birdsong is not just about natural history. It is also about our history. We got melody from the birds as we got rhythm from the womb. Birds are our music: they teach us to express emotion and beauty in sound. The first instruments ever made were bird-flutes. This book takes the reader on a journey from winter into spring. Along the way, you will learn something of the science of birdsong - the difference between song and call, the physiology of songbirds, what birdsong tells us about evolution, and indeed the very beginnings of life itself. The aim is to give you a flying start in birdsong so that, after reading this book, you'll be listening to order, not chaos, to Bach, not white noise. You will be more aware of the wild world, and better able to understand it.

"Barnes is a unique voice, always willing to challenge conventional wisdom and look for deeper meanings.." Sunday Telegraph Most of us can see, but not everyone looks. Most of us can hear, but not everyone listens. This book will help you do both. And, above all, it will tell you how to enjoy. --Bill Oddie "A gem... All day, I've been fighting the urge to drop everything so I can devour this eloquent book in one siting... exquisite" --The Guardian "He'll tune your ears to winter's lonely voices - robins, wrens, long-tailed tits - before preparing you for the exultant sounds of spring" --The Times "Become a bird listener, says Barnes, and tune in to the special podcast of airborne song that comes free with this book, and you will better understand the lives of birds and identify the wild notes that first inspired human music. A delight." -- Iain Finlayson, Saga

Simon Barnes is the multi-award-winning chief sportswriter for the Times. He is also a novelist, nature writer and horseman, and the author of a dozen books, including the bestselling How to be a Bad Birdwatcher and The Meaning of Sport (Short Books). He lives in Suffolk with his family.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781907595479
ISBN 10	1907595473
Title	Birdwatching with Your Eyes Closed
Author	Simon Barnes
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Octopus Publishing Group
Year published	2011-11-03
Number of pages	288
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable