What the Robin Knows

“Deep bird language is an ancient discipline, perfected by Native peoples the world over. Finally, science is catching up. . .”

List Price: $22.00

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Ships May 10, 2012

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Release Date: May 8, 2012
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0547451253
ISBN-13: 978-0547451251

A lifelong birder, tracker, and naturalist, Jon Young is guided in his work and teaching by three basic premises:

The robin, junco, and other songbirds know everything important about their environment, be it backyard or forest; by tuning in to their vocalizations and behavior, we can acquire much of this wisdom for our own pleasure and benefit; and the birds’ companion calls and warning alarms are just as important as their songs.

Birds are the sentries – and our key – to understanding the world beyond our front door.

Unwitting humans create a zone of disturbance that scatters the wildlife. Respectful humans who heed the birds acquire an awareness that radically changes the dynamic.

We are welcome in their habitat. The birds don’t fly away. The larger animals don’t race off. No longer hapless intruders, we now find, see, and engage the deer, the fox, the red-shouldered hawk—even the elusive, whispering wren.

This groundbreaking book unites the indigenous knowledge, the latest research, and the author’s own experience of four decades in the field to lead us toward a deeper connection to the animals and, in the end, a deeper connection to ourselves.

Early Reviews:

“Jon Young is one of the heroes of the new nature movement, an expansion of traditional environmentalism.

With What the Robin Knows, he opens a door to a universe that overlaps modern life, a world lost to most, but found by some—because of teachers like Jon. This elegant book will deepen the kinship between humans and other species. It decodes our common language.”

—Richard Louv, author of The Nature Principle and Last Child in the Woods

“Here is the ancestral wisdom passed down from Apache elder Stalking Wolf to renowned tracker Tom Brown to Jon Young himself, who in turn passes on to the reader the art of truly listening to the avian soundscape. With all senses more finely tuned, you’ll find yourself more aware of your surroundings, slowing down, and reconnecting with a native intelligence and love of the natural world that lies deep within each of us.”

—Donald Kroodsma, author of The Singing Life of Birds and Birdsong by the Seasons