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Mind of the Raven
Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds | Bernd Heinrich
Heinrich involves us in his quest to get inside the mind of the raven. But as animals can only be spied on by getting quite close, Heinrich adopts ravens, thereby becoming a "raven father," as well as observing them in their natural habitat. He studies their daily routines, and in the process, paints a vivid picture of the ravens' world. At the heart of this book are Heinrich's love and respect for these complex and engaging creatures, and through his keen observation and analysis, we become their intimates too. Heinrich's passion for ravens has led him around the world in his research. Mind of the Raven follows an exotic journeyfrom New England to Germany, and from Montana to Baffin Island in the high Arcticoffering dazzling accounts of how science works in the field, filtered through the eyes of a passionate observer of nature. Each new discovery and insight into raven behavior is thrilling to read, at once lyrical and scientific.
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Soubhiville
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I‘m looking forward to giving Mind of the Raven a second chance in paper, since I bailed on the audio. Thank you Holly! I‘m excited to read all of these. It‘s perfect timing for The Marriage Portrait, she‘s the #AAM for July. And I love mango, about to open this treat up. 💕

squirrelbrain Lovely! ❤️ 11mo
Hooked_on_books You‘re so welcome! I saw that you bailed on Raven and my copy was in pretty good shape, so I figured I would include it. I hope those mangoes are good—they‘re very popular here, but I‘m a little afraid to try them myself. 😂 11mo
Soubhiville @Hooked_on_books I LOVED The Marriage Portrait, wish I‘d read it while in Florence, but it was neat to realize I had just seen some of the sights there as I read it! 9mo
Hooked_on_books @Soubhiville That‘s such cool symmetry! I love it when that happens—it really adds to the reading experience. I‘m so glad you liked it! 9mo
71 likes4 comments
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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Some #Oyster Mushroom… sounds like something the ravens would enjoy eating 😂

#Pantome2023 with @Clwojick

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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Some #Oyster Mushroom… sounds like something the ravens would enjoy eating 😂

#Pantome2023 woth @Clwojick

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BookwormAHN
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Mehso-so

The book was a fascinating look at the life of ravens but the narration was drab 🐦‍⬛
#Naturalitsy #birds @AllDebooks

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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Pickpick

I found myself enjoying his experiments with these birds, as well as some of the close relationships he & others developed over time while working with them. We know each of our pets have such different personalities, it was fascinating to see that come out with wild animals as well when you worked with them over time. I also liked the history part of how they operate in the wild, & how that played into human history & into our myths & legends.

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Thank you #NaturaLitsy for putting this one on my reading radar. @AllDebooks 13mo
TheBookHippie I really liked this book. 13mo
39 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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CaitZ
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Pickpick

I love ravens and one of my most mesmerizing experiences was watching them soar over the Grand Canyon. I learned so much from this book, and am even more fascinated by ravens now. Some of his methods did bother me, but I think overall it's an important work. #NaturaLitsy #MarchMadness @AllDebooks @DieAReader @Andrew65 @GHABI4ROSES

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 13mo
28 likes1 comment
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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

Another great read for #NaturaLitsy. Though there are no ravens in my neck of the woods, I‘ve been highly interested in both these birds and their close cousin, crows which I‘ve been watching more and more recently. Heinrich is a dedicated researcher and naturalist who reports his findings on ravens he‘s raised since they were hatchlings, in his own home and eventually released them into the woods behind his home in Vermont.

AmyG I just recently learned we have ravens here. Or as I learned….they are huge crows. 13mo
89 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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jlhammar
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Pickpick

Ravens are amazing and this book was such a pleasure to read. I looked forward to my few chapters each week. Loved following Heinrich‘s experiments and observations. Includes wonderful photos and drawings throughout.

#NaturaLitsy

56 likes1 stack add
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AllDebooks
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#Naturalitsy

Our final discussion thread. I'll really miss these incredible birds. I've certainly been taking a lot more notice of the corvids around me. How about you?

@wordslinger42 @Chrissyreadit @BookwormAHN @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @Deblovestoread @MilesnMelodies @Dilara @Mitch @jenniferw88 @Chelsea.Poole

TheBookHippie I intently watch them now. I‘m more in awe than seeing them as a nuisance.. I will definitely be reading his other books.. 13mo
See All 11 Comments
Chelsea.Poole I‘m just finishing up with the audio. His narration took a bit to get used to but now I‘m fine with the audiobook. His love and admiration of these creatures certainly comes across in the text. They‘re fascinating, no doubt! Now listening to Ch. 28 about Diane‘s story of a highly intelligent raven. 13mo
jlhammar First, I loved that he got the string experiment idea from Ranger Rick. I absolutely loved that magazine when I was a kid! And the experiment results were pretty incredible. The raven untwisting the wire to get the suet was also amazing. 13mo
jlhammar I also loved his special relationship with Goliath and Whitefeather (sharing his oatmeal, so sweet). “What more could one want than to be surrounded by interesting friends who made no demands, who provided constant entertainment, and who were teachers.“ This was a wonderful read! Definitely interesting in trying some of Heinrich's other books. 13mo
Chelsea.Poole Also, loving the afterword about the strong contradictions between individual ravens. I love that Heinrich wrote about specific individuals that he came to know and love (especially Goliath and Whitefeather as @jlhammar mentioned above). These birds are a lot like us in their individuality. 13mo
Hooked_on_books This book is wonderful! I really loved it. I was chuckling at the donut caching and the other birds swooping it to steal the cached pieces. They‘re so entertaining! We don‘t have any corvids here, but I sure would like to watch some now. 13mo
ElizaMarie I enjoyed this book. I am so happy that I joined this group and read it with yall. I feel like I have been a bit more observant when watching animals. These birds are so fascinating! 13mo
Aimeesue I really enjoyed this one. Like @Chelsea.Poole I listened to the audio, and the narrator didn‘t bother me after I got used to it. I have some crows that follow me around the block when I walk the dogs (because I toss them peanuts.) And one who serenades me every morning when I fill the bird feeder. I‘m obviously the target audience for this book. 😁 13mo
Riveted_Reader_Melissa I really enjoyed this one, thank you for putting it on my radar…I don‘t think it‘s one I would have found on my own, so that‘s definitely a great thing. 13mo
30 likes11 comments
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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

As demonstrated by raven researcher Heinrich, ravens are extraordinary critters. He has studied them close up and shows us his findings in an utterly delightful way. This book is wonderful! (I‘ve heard bad things about the audio, so stick with print.) #NaturaLitsy

Graywacke I sampled the audio and couldn't do it. Glad the book is good! 13mo
49 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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ElizaMarie
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Pickpick

I loved learning about Ravens. They are unique, smart, playful, and just a joy to learn about (I would recommend this as a physical book rather than #Audio). Thank you @AllDeBooks , for hosting #NaturalLitsy 's buddy read of this. I would have never picked it up if it weren't for this group!

Sparklemn This picture makes me smile. It's so human-like! Reminds me of a soldier's march. 13mo
ElizaMarie @Sparklemn Its this whole confidence, strutting his stuff! 13mo
20 likes2 comments
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AllDebooks
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Soubhiville I gave this audiobook a try this week, and like several of you, the narration made me quit. Maybe eventually I‘ll pick up the physical book. 🤷‍♀️ 13mo
See All 9 Comments
jlhammar They really are incredible birds! I can understand Heinrich‘s passion for studying them. Very cool that the Baffin Island ravens seemed to speak a different dialect. And the poor murdered raven! Fascinating to learn about what a tight group he had. Loved the observations of raven play. Really appreciating all of the photos and drawings. 13mo
jlhammar Oh, and thought the trapper‘s story of the raven who was feeding lying still on its back whenever other ravens flew overhead was kind of mind-blowing. So interesting that it may have been playing dead to make it look like poisoned meat. 13mo
TheBookHippie I love it. I‘ve always had the book. I‘m watching my crows more intently and I‘m definitely going to get more of his books- physical copies only 🤣🤣😵‍💫. I finished and had to bring my book back to library! So grateful for this group to find new books to Love♥️ 13mo
ElizaMarie So, I ended up finishing this book today. (I had a lot of #AudioChores to complete). Although I would have much rathered this as a physical book, I enjoyed the stories throughout! Ravens are fascinating! I am so glad to have learned so much about them! Ravens have always been a bit mysterious to me. I felt like we had “humanized them“ more because of cultural stories, but his research proves how intelligent these animals are! 13mo
Hooked_on_books I found the caching and play behaviors fascinating. I can‘t imagine recording the info on all the caching and stealing by other birds within the aviary and not laughing at least a little bit. And I love the various behaviors of play. I also appreciate that he acknowledges that as humans we cannot know for sure if these behaviors mean anything other than play. It sounds like the ravens are having fun and I hope they are! 13mo
BookwormAHN I finally finished the book (not my favorite narrator). The book was fascinating. I loved learning about ravens and how unique they are. 13mo
26 likes9 comments
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AllDebooks
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#Naturalitsy

My apologies. I completely forgot to post a reading schedule on Monday. I've not been myself lately, too much stress. Hopefully, I will get my brain back in gear now that spring is on it way. X

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AllDebooks
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#Naturalitsy #buddyread

Discussion thread - Week 5

Oh I'm so glad I tried harder to get a copy of the book. I very nearly bailed, the narration annoyed me too much. It's so much more enjoyable when you're not pitching a hissy fit from irritation. 😁🤪

All welcome to join in. Please do let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the taglist.

See All 13 Comments
jlhammar Still enjoying this book immensely. The piece vs pile experiments were so fascinating. Loved learning about the raven-wolf symbiosis. Especially how ravens “serve the wolves as extra eyes and ears.” Also thought it was interesting that Maine game wardens find ravens helpful in catching poachers since they are often circling where the kill is being gutted. 14mo
TheBookHippie I love this read. However I‘ve had a library book the entire time. I‘m watching my crows more intently now for sure. 14mo
Hooked_on_books There were so many interesting bits this week! I was fascinated to learn that there seems to be no significant stress hormone difference in high vs low status birds. Since the high status birds tend to be bigger, it made me wonder if size is consistently passed on in the offspring or not. 13mo
Hooked_on_books All the discussion of raven behavior at carcasses was amazing. I wonder what they‘re afraid of? The leaping back when approaching a new carcass made me think snakes, but who knows. And how smart to tag along with the wolves. Also, if I had entered that motel with the blood all over the parking lot and a bunch of people walking around with guns, I would have turned right back around and left! 13mo
CaitZ I love wolves and have read many books about them. The wolf-raven connection is one of the reasons I wanted to learn more about ravens. I found that section the most intriguing this week. 13mo
AllDebooks This book is amazing. I'm learning so much. I haven't quite caught up to this section yet, but not too far behind. I can't put it down!! 13mo
ElizaMarie So, as yall said, I was also really interested to hear about the connections with Ravens and Wolves. I love how our ancestors have stories of these relationships; now, we can explore them further. Also, I was surprised to hear about the lack of hormonal differences between alpha members. Again (it sounds like a broken record) but the audio is rough, but I am enjoying the information I am gleaning from this book :) (edited) 13mo
Blackink_WhitePaper I am still struggling with this one . I may not be able to participate in the discussion. Please exclude my name from the thread . 13mo
AllDebooks @Blackink_WhitePaper sorry to hear this. I'll take you off the taglist for this thread x 13mo
29 likes13 comments
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AllDebooks
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#Naturalitsy

It's here! I can finally catch up with you all 😊

#happypostday

Cazxxx I gave up on the audiobook as I just couldn‘t do anymore of it! 14mo
jlhammar Yay! 14mo
TheBookHippie I‘m loving it but I‘ve had the book the entire time 🤣 14mo
AllDebooks @Cazxxx I hear you, I've never had such an ontense dislike to an audiobook. The narration really detracts from the content. 14mo
32 likes5 comments
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AllDebooks
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#Naturalitsy

The weeks reading schedule for :-
Mind of the raven - Week 5
On a farther shore - Weeks 6 - 8

As always, please do let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the taglist. All welcome to join us.

Wishing you all a great week 😊

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AllDebooks
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#Naturalitsy

Week 4 - Discussion thread
I'm still waiting on my copy but will catch up as soon as it arrives. I did try the audiobook again, but I would bail if I have to continue with that.

Please do let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the taglist.

@wordslinger42 @Chrissyreadit @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm
@Blackink_WhitePaper @BookwormAHN
@Deblovestoread @MilesnMelodies @Dilara @Mitch @jenniferw88 @Chelsea.Poole ⬇️⬇️

See All 14 Comments
ElizaMarie So, I‘m doing the audio (so it‘s rough). But I really do enjoy his “experiments” that he has been having with them. It‘s interesting to hear about the mirrors and their reactions to other animals in their area. It seems like the birds are pretty secure in their stance. But again he keeps on proving how individualized their behavior can be. 14mo
ElizaMarie So I guess what I‘m saying is: yes, I like his style. I like the types of interactions he is staging for these birds. 14mo
jlhammar Still enjoying this. The accounts of averted (seemingly thanks to ravens) cougar and grizzly bear attacks were the stand-outs for me in these chapters. That what humans may see as miraculous and being saved by ravens may actually be ravens working to help the predators (to their mutual benefit). So fascinating. 14mo
Riveted_Reader_Melissa I‘m listening to it on audio, and still enjoying it. It really is fascinating, but I am glad I can read about it and don‘t have to arrange these myself 😂 14mo
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @jlhammar Yes, that‘s was great! 😂 Humans, always assuming the world revolves around them for their benefit 🤣 14mo
Hooked_on_books I‘m continuing to enjoy this very much. I found the part on vocalizations fascinating. I‘m glad he didn‘t try to interpret what they each mean, as we clearly can‘t know. I do wish he had explained at some point some of the posturing they do (as in actually describing what each posture looks like). Their reactions, or lack thereof, to other birds was quite interesting, too. 14mo
Chelsea.Poole Picturing him dressing up in different outfits to see how the birds would react was pretty fun. Even the grizzly suit 😂 He‘s definitely dedicated! Also, the albino bird who is shy in the shelter 😔 14mo
CaitZ I found the part about the birds' calls interesting. I have no idea how he could distinguish the differences. Lately, I've found myself listening to crows more closely and I can't hear any differences. 14mo
AllDebooks I'm loving all your comments, can't wait to get into the book, once it arrives. I'll come back and comment then. 14mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @Chelsea.Poole Yes! I loved the costumes bit! 🤣 I‘m thoroughly enjoying this still. This is the type of book I was expecting with our last two reads, so I‘m very happy with all the detail and how much I‘m learning about actual ravens themselves. I enjoy the author‘s humor as well, like the bit towards the end of chapter 16 about the joys of climbing trees in the dark at subzero temps. 🥶🤣 14mo
TheBookHippie @CaitZ I‘m watching the crows so much closer now!!! 14mo
28 likes14 comments
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AllDebooks
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#Naturalitsy

Week 2 - Discussion thread

Thoughts? I'm still holding out for the book as I cannot cope with the audio narration 😴

Please do let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the taglist.

All welcome to join us.

See All 27 Comments
Cazxxx I‘m behind purely because the narration is so bad 🤦🏼‍♀️ 14mo
ElizaMarie @Cazxxx ha I hear you! I had upped the time to 1.7 seems to help a little 14mo
Aimeesue The way he constructed the experiments was really interesting to me - so full of bird and egg napping! 😄 And they don't find food by smell? You'd think that that would work for skunk carcasses, at least. 14mo
Aimeesue @ElizaMarie Agreed - speeding it way up helped a lot. 14mo
jlhammar Yes, the egg experiments were really interesting and surprising. Also fascinating to learn about their hunting abilities. 14mo
Riveted_Reader_Melissa I felt bad for the birds… once he named them, I got attached, and every time a story ended with “and I never saw them again” I felt sad. After he raised them I thought of them more as pets than experiments. My mistake, I know, but I think he learned his lesson too since then next group were called the colors of their leg bands. ⤵️ (edited) 14mo
Riveted_Reader_Melissa ↪️ I should add though, that he made pretty good experiments, and I like how each chapter is on a topic and a set of specific experiments to that topic. 14mo
ElizaMarie I really am enjoying his experiments. He is so crafty, but of course the birds are one step ahead :) @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I agree with the sentiment when he “never saw them again”. I want to see them grow old :) it‘s like all this invested (this is why I would make a horrible observation nature person). 14mo
TheBookHippie I fell into the pets mindset as well.. I do like how he writes and the chapters. I switched my thinking to how I mentor it‘s going better. I am already wanting two of his other books 👀😅. I have a library book. I can hardly ever do audio so glad I didn‘t try with this one 🙃. Im enjoying this and I feel I look at them in my yard differently now. 14mo
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @ElizaMarie me too… they‘d be pets 😂 14mo
ElizaMarie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa we have a ground hog in the back yard and a skunk that comes by sometimes. My husband and I name them and talk about their “back stories”. We stay away, so this is all creepy lurking through the window. But still. I‘d I had some raven friends I would definitely want them to stay :) 14mo
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @ElizaMarie Yep, that‘d be me too 14mo
ElizaMarie @TheBookHippie I haven‘t really looked into his other books. Does he stick with Ravens or explores other animals? (Also the fact that he does some of these experiments in VT - which is where I live now - is also cool because I can envision his life more). 14mo
TheBookHippie @ElizaMarie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa we have a chipmunk -squirrel -cardinal bunny and a red fox I named and do backstories for. Our crows are fun in winter … ice on bird baths they make loud noises come to my window and squawk! 14mo
Chelsea.Poole Yes the narration! I have a library book of this now so that‘s helping, but I‘ve tried twice to get caught up today and literally fell asleep both times to his voice 😆 😴 but I do think it‘s all very interesting! 14mo
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @TheBookHippie he also has one about bees, which might be good after I read the section about bees (I‘m a bit ahead and I can‘t remember if it was in the section we read or the next). 14mo
TheBookHippie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa ohhh well now I need that too! That looks fascinating as well. 14mo
Hooked_on_books I‘m continuing to really enjoy this book. Learning about the pair bonding and the switch-ups when new ravens were introduced was fascinating. I also liked the brief discussion of the fact that maybe they aren‘t as monogamous as we thought. Plus the egg experiments were really interesting. It‘s amazing how different species of the same animal grouping evolved so differently. 14mo
Chelsea.Poole @Hooked_on_books I just read those sections about the mating behaviors and eggs. Sad to hear about Hootie, but at least her chicks ended up taken care of by some unsuspecting new parents lol! His observations of these parents (some seemed to notice, others not) makes me wonder, as I often do, how much humans can understand about animal behavior and experiences. 14mo
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Chelsea.Poole And how much is humans interpreting their behavior different based on the human and our feelings. 😂 (edited) 14mo
24 likes27 comments
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ElizaMarie
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Made for some really “dry” cleaning. I had to switch to a podcast halfway through the cleaning.

#NaturalLitsy
@AllDebooks

AllDebooks Lol 🤣 1y
25 likes1 comment
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ElizaMarie
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I feel like the Author (although he does this out of shear knowledge seeking and love of the birds) is asking for trouble! Messing with the love lives of these birds! He is going to get cut!!! (J/K) Also they seem to outsmart him quite often!

#NaturalLitsy
@AlldeBooks

Bookwormjillk Lol that picture! 1y
TheBookHippie 👀😅 1y
dylanisreading The bird in the pic looks like a crow, not a raven. It can be difficult to tell them apart (ravens are larger, amongst other differences). 1y
See All 6 Comments
ElizaMarie @dylanisreading I was worried that might be the case. (Thought it was a good pic for the book‘s author either way). 1y
dylanisreading @ElizaMarie It's a great pic! 😂 1y
AllDebooks 🙈 1y
29 likes6 comments
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Aimeesue
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Local bird rescue saves Raven, Raven holds grudge.
#naturalitsy

A raven was shot, left for dead. Here‘s how a bird-loving lawyer saved it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/02/20/raven-diva-crow-catherine-se...

ElizaMarie So beautiful!!! 1y
Aimeesue @ElizaMarie I love them! 🖤 1y
36 likes2 comments
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Cazxxx
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Interesting 😃

Cazxxx @AllDebooks That‘s so interesting, I didn‘t even know there was a museum! 1y
ElizaMarie Ravens are just something else!!! 1y
WJCintron This is amazing! Thanks for sharing!! 1y
Cazxxx @ElizaMarie They are very cool! 1y
52 likes5 comments
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AllDebooks
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#Naturalitsy

Week 2 - Discussion thread

Thoughts? I'm holding out for the book as I cannot cope with the audio narration 😴 I shall catch up with comments later in the week.

Please do let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the taglist.

All welcome to join us.

@wordslinger42 @Chrissyreadit @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @Blackink_WhitePaper @BookwormAHN @Deblovestoread @MilesnMelodies @Dilara @Mitch @jenniferw88 @Chelsea.Poole

See All 21 Comments
Cazxxx I can‘t get a copy of the book so I‘m having to stick to the audible version and the narration is just awful! Lots of interesting information but the narrator is so dry that he‘s making it very boring 1y
Cuilin Do you have a set list of books you‘re reading or pick as you go along? I‘m definitely interested. I looked at the Waterstone list you posted and there were some interesting books I added to my wishlist. (edited) 1y
Aimeesue I really liked chapter 5, both the stealing of ladies' underwear and the explanation of why ravens are so curious about everything, as it leads to discovery of new foods. Or just fancy bling 💎 1y
ElizaMarie @Cazxxx So, I am in the same boat as you are. I am enjoying the story but... its hard to listen to for longer periods of time because... ugh! anyway, he is a bit rough! --- I am behind! 1y
ElizaMarie So I am behind- But I am at the part where he is talking about the birdies stealing things (lady's undies) and it reminded me of this story :

https://youtu.be/jcs44IKTCEo
1y
AllDebooks @Cuilin Hi, we just started reading the tagged book last week over March. We're starting RC bio from tomorrow. We vote every 2 1y
AllDebooks @Cuilin *months on recommendations on a specific theme. I'll be posting for April's selection soon. We also have a bingo challenge running if you're interested. https://litsy.com/p/MGRZM2RkdjY3 1y
AllDebooks @ElizaMarie 🤣🤣🤣 that is hilarious. 1y
AllDebooks I honestly think this is the worst narration I've ever heard. As you say @cazxxx the information is fascinating but it's so hard to focus when it's being read out as drily as it is. 1y
daena @Cazxxx @AllDebooks @ElizaMarie same sentiment here. Great story, but gosh that man‘s voice is torture. 1y
jlhammar Wow, you all are making me thankful that I didn't go with audio this time. I also enjoyed the section about raven curiosity and collecting tendencies. I liked the Icelandic Golf Championship story. How they had to move to another course because ravens crashed the tournament, flying off with unattended golf balls. Overall, I'm still finding it very interesting and am enjoying following his field experiments and research. 1y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa I‘m enjoying this one…and I‘m listening to the audiobook 😂 he is dry at times, so I have to pay more attention to not drift off with my focus, but it‘s not that bad (at least I didn‘t think so). Hoopla, by the way, has the audiobook and ebook if you library supports that app. I thought the visit where he had to learn a new way of climbing trees was very interesting, by bow & arrow & rope ladders. The stealing pretty babbles was good too.⤵️ (edited) 1y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa ↪️ I can‘t help but appreciate the dedication as he works double teaching loads one semester to take off the next to traipse out through and lay in cold dripping snow to try and capture and tag birds….and laugh as they somehow continually evade and outsmart the traps. 1y
Hooked_on_books I‘m absolutely loving this book! And I find it so Interesting that he‘s a terrible audio narrator, because the voice of the book is super engaging and it‘s the same guy! Just goes to show. I liked seeing a little of the “behind the scenes” of the scientific process. It sounds like it could be incredibly tedious, but it‘s also nice to see that it‘s not always smooth sailing. Plus, having to outsmart the birds just to tag them is fun. 1y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa I‘m curious what we‘ll find out as we go into the next section and explore the social groupings he has gotten hints of as this section wraps up. (edited) 1y
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I‘m still loving this one. I too am reading a physical copy and am surprised that his voice in audio is not as engaging as his tone in writing. The undies bit made me laugh out loud, as did the research groups humorous anthropomorphizing of the drama with the three ravens. The tree climbing technique with the rope ladder sounds terrifying. Hats off to the people involved with all this research! 1y
TheBookHippie @ElizaMarie 🤣👏🏼👏🏼 1y
TheBookHippie I adore this book! 1y
34 likes1 stack add21 comments
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AllDebooks
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#Naturalitsy #Buddyread

Week 1 - Discussion thread

Are you enjoying our little foray with the corvids? These are my favourite birds, so I'm excited for this one. I find them fascinating.
Do let me know your thoughts.
As always, please do let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the tag list.

All welcome to join us.

See All 29 Comments
AllDebooks *NB - I appreciate this is an older publication, so may be difficult to access. I can't get hold of a copy, so I'm listening to the audiobook on Scribd. 1y
Hooked_on_books I‘m loving the book so far! I like the writing style and the content is just fascinating. I was a little worried at first that he was going to draw inaccurate conclusions based on the way he was constructing his experiments, but I don‘t think that‘s happening. And I cannot believe how much baby ravens eat! Holy cannoli! They‘re really fascinating birds. 1y
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Definitely enjoying this one a lot. The pipe cleaner gag had me worried at first, but he seemed to have been very careful and fed them every time he removed them. I thoroughly enjoyed the bit about the two birds living within families, especially the “marital problems” one man had with his raven. 🤣 The experiments are well explained and absolutely fascinating. I‘m looking forward to learning more about these amazing birds. 1y
Chelsea.Poole I‘m listening to the audiobook (available on #hoopla) and it‘s not the best narration from the author, imo. I may switch to the physical book when it comes in from the library. Though his narration is lacking, the author‘s dedication to these birds is admirable! 1y
Soubhiville I‘ll be joining with the audiobook closer to the end of the readalong and will go back to all the comment threads then 🙂. 1y
AllDebooks @Chelsea.Poole I agree, I'm struggling with his narration. Very flat and mundane, yet, he's so passionate about the birds. Tbh, it reminds me of those old Disney true lufe adventures. Very dated. I really need to get hold of a physical copy 1y
AllDebooks @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm the marital problems 🤣 The birds are providing endless stimulation and enjoyment of their antics 1y
ElizaMarie The pandemic would have been the perfect time to raise baby Ravens :) I am enjoying this book and love just the little attitudes of the ravens he has met 1y
wanderinglynn I‘m not crazy about his writing style. It‘s dry and a bit too academic for my taste. But beyond that I struggle with him capturing ravens from their nest in the wild to raise, as well as starving a wild raven for two days for his experiment. 1y
wanderinglynn @AllDebooks ironically, my library had this book but doesn‘t have Poseidon‘s Steed. 🤷🏼‍♀️😆 1y
sebrittainclark @wanderinglynn I also found the description of him removing the ravens from their nest, as well as the trick with the pipe cleaners, fairly upsetting, even if it is for scientific understanding and didn't do lasting harm to the ravens. 1y
jlhammar @Hooked_on_books I am also loving it so far! I knew some about the brilliance of corvids from The Ravenmaster and The Genius of Birds, but I am happy to learn more. His observations are so fascinating. The print book has photos and sketches throughout so I'm glad I was able to get a copy. 1y
AllDebooks I've just found a cheaper copy on Abebooks, think I'll enjoy iy a lot more in print. 1y
BookwormAHN I agree the audio version is dry but other than that I'm enjoying it. I'm not sure why anyone would want a raven inside their house though 😸 1y
Aimeesue Merlin. I loved Merlin. ❤️ Corvids are the best. I have some crows that follow me around when I walk the dogs (because I toss them peanuts.) They are so funny. And SMART. I was amused then the author rehomed the robin's egg he'd found in one of the babies' gullets. I probably wouldn't have thought of putting it in my mouth for the climb down (edited) 1y
CaitZ I agree with @wanderinglynn and @sebrittainclark and do not like some of his methods, especially when he removed the chicks from the nest. There must have been a better way. 1y
AllDebooks I agree re his methods. They do seem very old school and reminiscent of his youth when egg collection and nest raids were acceptable. I didn't like these sections at all. 1y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Chelsea.Poole Hoopla has the audiobook and the ebook, if that helps… I borrowed both 🤷‍♀️ 1y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa I just finished this section today, so I‘m a bit behind…I agree with everything you‘ve all said. As far as stealing the baby ravens, I couldn‘t help but think of Jurassic Park 2 and think the parents might be after him later 😂 sorry, but he might have deserved it. I did not like the pipe cleaner bit at all… made me very uncomfortable. (edited) 1y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Aimeesue My thought about the robin egg… he put it in his mouth, after it had been in the baby ravens throat, and to get there whole, was probably in the parent ravens throat too. 🤔😬🫣 1y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @CaitZ @AllDebooks yes, I agree with the very old school… today it‘s live cams in the nest area that you can watch 24/7 from any computer…like the bald eagle cams where you can watch them from egg to fledgling to fly away. So much is changing. 1y
Aimeesue @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Doesnt sound very hygienic, does it? 😂 1y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Aimeesue Well, if nothing else it means the egg stayed warm enough when it‘s parent wasn‘t brooding it 🤣 1y
40 likes29 comments
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Chelsea.Poole
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Started the #NaturaLitsy buddy read yesterday at work while weeding old/poor condition books.
There‘s definitely a bird theme going here! 🐦
“Life Everlasting” is another by the author and “Crows and Ravens” is a further study on these fascinating creatures.

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AllDebooks
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#Naturalitsy

Reading schedule reminder

We start Mind of the raven today, chapters 1 - 4. I will post a discussion thread on Sunday.

For those reading Poseiden's steed too, we're on chapters 3 - 4 this week. I will post a discussion thread on Saturday.

All welcome to join us.

As always, do let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the tag list.

37 likes8 comments
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wanderinglynn
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I love when a library hold comes in just in time to start a book club. February will be the first month I‘ll actually be on schedule! 🎉

#naturalitsy

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LitsyEvents
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Repost for @AllDebooks

#Naturalitsy

We have a winner!!! We will be reading Mind of the raven - Investigations and Adventures with the wolf-birds by Bernd Heinrich.

Thank you all for your enthusiasm and fantastic book recommendations. This was a really tough choice!
I will start this #buddyread from the 6th Feb - 31st March. I'll post a schedule soon.

AllDebooks Thank you so much for the share x 1y
40 likes1 comment
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ElizaMarie
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In preparation for the #BuddyRead for #NaturalLitsy, I downloaded this one on Audible. Its “free“ with an audible account if yall have one :) Anyway, I think Ravens, in general, are fascinating creatures so, so I am excited to get started on this one soon :)

@AlldeBooks

26 likes1 stack add
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AllDebooks
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#Naturalitsy @LitsyEvents

We have a winner!!! We will be reading Mind of the raven - Investigations and Adventures with the wolf-birds by Bernd Heinrich.

Thank you all for your enthusiasm and fantastic book recommendations. This was a really tough choice!
I will start this #buddyread from the 6th Feb - 31st March. I'll post a schedule soon.

Anyone on Scribd, the audiobook is available.
https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/333236581
Cont. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

AllDebooks To confirm I will be hosting #NaturaLitsy #buddyreads for the above tagged book from 6th Feb. Also from 30th Jan:- *week 1 - 3 1y
See All 29 Comments
TheBookHippie It‘s at my library !! Just put it on hold! 🤞🏻 1y
Caterina Ooo, for anyone with Hoopla, both audio and ebook are available! I'll try to join in! 😊 1y
TheBookHippie I got the Poseidons Steed too! 1y
jlhammar Thanks, Debbie! Looking forward to it. 1y
AllDebooks I'm trying to keep seperate tag lists for these books, so please do comment if you wish to be added/removed. 😅 1y
AllDebooks @jlhammar me too 😊 1y
AllDebooks @Caterina thanks for the tip. We can't get in the UK, which is annoying 🙄 1y
Hooked_on_books Hooray! Looking forward to it! I‘ve already read the biography, but I‘ll be reading the other two with the group. You don‘t have to worry about tagging me on the biography posts, if that makes things a little easier for you! 1y
Soubhiville I‘ll read them all. Thanks! 1y
AnnR I'll be sitting this one out but you all enjoy the book. 1y
sebrittainclark Mind of the Raven is the only one I can get from my library, so I'll sit the other two out this time. 1y
Graywacke I‘m interested but probably need to chose one - Raven or Steed. Is On a Farther Shore another group read? 1y
Graywacke Mind of the Raven is free for audible subscribers right now. It‘s long, 16:46. But perhaps i can join that way. 1y
AllDebooks @Graywacke yes, On a farther shore will be in March. I added it as a few people expressed interest in Rachel Carson. Poseiden's Steed is quite short at 220 pages. 1y
Cazxxx Ooh I just found it free with my audible membership 😊 1y
Graywacke @AllDebooks ok. I‘ll just need to be selective. Rachel Carson appeals to me far more than the others. I‘ll sample all three when we start and give myself permission to choose not to read them if they aren‘t working for me. 1y
AllDebooks @Graywacke that sounds like a perfect plan. Please don't feel pressured though. Life is so much easier when you finally decide it's ok to bail on something you're not enjoying x 1y
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BehindthePages
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Mehso-so

Take an in-depth look into the study ravens. This book felt dry to me. There was no emotional attachment to the birds studied. I was hoping for something along the lines of Wesley the Owl, but this was more science-based. I recommend this for biologists, or people in another science related field. It has plenty of information on theories and experiments.
Full review https://www.behindthepages.org/post/mind-of-the-raven-by-bernd-heinrich

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Hobbinol
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Many, many thanks to @Hornsby78 and her generosity! As a literary costume award, she sent me this lovely raven picture which I'm sure I'll enjoy many Halloweens from now. I actually admire ravens and their corvid cousins-- they are very intelligent and their IQ more than compensates for their awkward gate and unnerving chatter. They are truly admirable, as was this lovely gift. Thanks Cindy!

LeahBergen That's beautiful (and so is this whole photo!) 7y
MrBook Awesome!!! 7y
Seshat Gorgeous! 7y
52 likes3 comments