Say Goodbye to the Cuckoo: Migratory Birds and the Impending Ecological Catastrophe
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.39 (526 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1566638569 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-03-05 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Now comes the first evidence that such declines are indeed happening to migrant birds. The turtle dove's arrival is announced in the Bible's Song of Solomon; the nightingale sings from Latin poetry to John Keats to a 1940s hit in London's Berkeley Square; the European cuckoo, with its double note that is a perfect musical interval-a minor third-is the source of proverbs in every country of the continent. With 13 woodcuts.. But in recent years concern has grown that migrant birds may be declining, perhaps because of deforestation at their winter quarters in the Caribbean and in Central and South America. In Say Goodbye to the Cuckoo, Michael McCarthy highlights for the first time the disappearance of these birds which, he points out, are a part of Europe's distinctive cultural furniture, "as much as cathedrals, Latin, olive oil, or wine." He shows how their loss would do devastating damage to the cultural inheritance of us all. The vanishing of these Old World birds would be not just an environmental loss but a cultural disaster of enormous magnitude, as many of these species have resonated through literature, legends, and folklore for thousands of years. The return of migrant birds from their wintering grounds in the tropics is one of the delights of
This dance between art and pop culture, from those who have spent a lifetime tracking the routes these small birds take between Europe and Africa to those who wait in their backyards for the birds’ annual returns, is simply divine to read. Shakespeare is here, of course, as well as Chet Baker and The Lord of the Rings. Then, finally, he relates the devastating facts about global warming, which causes avian “mistiming,” and other causes of the current migratory species crash. A stunning and profound book that will make readers realize how very much these amazing winged creatures
Three times he has been named environment reporter of the year and in 2007 was awarded the medal of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. . Michael McCarthy is one of Britain's leading writers on the environment. Formerly environment correspondent for the Times of London, for the last ten years he has been environment editor of the Independent
A riveting analysis of birds, their migratory habits, and the ecological problems that modern America faces Midwest Book Review There's more to birds and the weather than them flying south for the winter. "Say Goodbye to the Cuckoo: Migratory Birds and the Impending Ecological Catastrophe" analyzes the decline in migration in birds, stating that with the recent ecological changes, fewer birds are traveling north and southwards than ever before. Declar. "Superbly written wake-up call for anyone interested in birds" according to Ian Stewart. My review title is perhaps a cliché, since this book isn't a wake-up call in itself but rather a well-discussed summary of several previous wake-up calls. However, many of these calls never penetrated much further that the scientific literature or newsletters of ornithological societies, and the author does an excellen. "One of the best bird books yet!!" according to Philip A Forbes. The news ain't good !! But this is a great bird book! I especially like the way he compares the progression of natural history to rock & roll events.