Customer Reviews

Mind Of The Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book contains some very interesting and endearing stories about ravens but also ALOT of unnecessary meddling in the name of science. In many ways this book displays what is wrong with scientific study, that results must be publishable and 'mean something'. These are wild animals and the author has many times interrupted their natural equilibrium, often leading to their death. Even just attaching radio tags makes a bird or animal different to other birds and animals, and can be enough to tip the scales against them in the struggle to survive. Repeatedly throughout this book I became frustrated and wondered if this man was actually stupid. Who would leave a wild caught raven trapped in an enclosed area with a group of four close knit captive ones showing considerable aggression, leave for the weekend and then be surprised when it was viciously killed.

His admiration for ravens is clear but his endless 'playing god' is, while classic conventional science, immature and conceited. We need to strive towards understanding the world around us through non invasive observation instead of contrived and often cruel experiments.

A better title might be "Fooling Around with Ravens" or "All My Raven Experiments That Went Wrong," or, perhaps, "Why A Scientist Must Be Smarter Than His Subject."

This isn't science. It's not even natural history, since most of the behavior he views is the result of his own, contrived experiments. Where his first book, _Ravens in Winter_, was a specific study of a specific problem, this books describes a series of lame experiments, a sort of "seat of the pants" approach to biology. It doesn't work.

I live in interior Alaska and ravens are a part of the environment. They are clever, adaptable and resilient animals. Those that have habituated to cities prefer dumpsters behind fast food restaurants over any other kind, MacDonalds best of all. The incredible range of sounds they can make approaches the uncanny. And to see one on a streetlight at -50, a dim shape in the ice fog, is to understand a part of what makes both ravens and Alaska special.

But as much as I love ravens, this book does little to help me or anyone else understand them. This is dabbling. There is a real science of the Corvids, the family of birds of which the Common Raven is a member. To learn about ravens, try the real stuff.

In "Mind of the Raven", biologist Bernd Heinrich delves into the behavior of ravens as individuals who might have a conscious choice, as opposed to taking a strictly behavioral ecologist perspective of those behaviors as being simply the results of evolutionary necessity. Heinrich strives to share the insight into the world of ravens which he gained over the course of nearly a decade of studying and interacting with ravens, both wild and captive, at his Vermont and Maine homes. "Mind of the Raven" isn't confined to the birds' intelligence or consciousness, although chapters on these fascinating and controversial subjects are included. The "mind" of the book's title encompasses all behavior and experience in these birds' lives. Heinrich details innumerable observations and experiments which he conducted on the subjects of raven feeding and educating their young, cooperation, hunting, adoption, dominance, sensory perception, individual recognition, communication, fears, interaction with other animals, caching, deception, play, intelligence, and emotions. Heinrich seems to possess an insatiable -and infectious- curiosity about these magnificent birds, which is demonstrated in his exhausting and endlessly inventive experiments. Heinrich's studies are as controlled and straightforward as possible. And although they sometimes raise more questions than they answer, they never fail to entertain or to impress the reader with the complexity and variety of raven personalities. It's nice to read a book by a scientist who has such an enthusiasm for his field of study, as well as genuine affection for his subjects. "Mind of the Raven" is a very readable broad account of the lives and minds of these large, clever corvids that have so populated human folklore and experience for thousands of years. I recommend it to any bird-lover, and those who have occasion to observe ravens will find Bernd Heinrich's insights especially interesting.

Why do they hang from one foot, cavorting with a stick? Why are Maine ravens hesitant with a carcass while their western cousins gorge without fear beside wolves, coyotes or even eagles? Do they actually warn humans about predators, or are they opportunists awaiting the kill they hope to share? These mysterious birds, appearing in myths, legends, and, of course, Poe's lasting image, are Corvus corax - the Common Raven. Heinrich, who has studied these enigmatic avians for many years, shares his thoughts, achievements, frustrations and observations in this compelling narrative. In a series of invaluable accounts, crossing many countries and meeting many people, he shows us how much we have learned and need to study about these fascinating birds. No matter how strange reported raven behaviour may sound, he reminds us, "some raven, somewhere, actually did that".

Heinrich combines studies in the field with "experiments" performed in large aviaries. Although an avid runner, he loathes climbing trees. Of course, that's where ravens roost and nest. He climbs. He photographs. He steals eggs [to record parental response before restoring the eggs to the nest]. All of which provide him with more information on how ravens live. And think. Universally acknowledged as the most intelligent birds, ravens have demonstrated to Heinrich how little we understand that cognitive ability. This book's title is indicative of their behavioural variety. Chapter titles, ""Social Webs", "Vocal Communications", "Prestige", "Morality, Tolerance and cooperation" and "Play" [yes, ravens play, apparently for their own entertainment] speak volumes about how much has been learned about these amazing creatures. The text within them reveals we've only begun the quest for understanding. Whatever else may be derived from this informative book, Heinrich's plea for more studies is earnest and compelling. He is open with his admiration for the talents of his student assistants, but, clearly, there aren't enough of them.

Heinrich's study area reaches from Maine to anywhere. If you've ever watched a raven tearing at a trash bin, you'll understand Heinrich's hesitation at visiting "Jakob's" home in Germany. He was amazed to enter a neat, well-kept apartment instead of a scene of chaos. Jakob was as fastidious as his doctor owner. He even restricted his paper diet to junk mail. Among the wealth of accounts in this book, the most intriguing remains the relationship of ravens and wolves. It seems logical that ravens have learned to follow wolves. Evolution has taught them the advantages of following an effective predator. Heinrich, however, proposes this interaction works two ways with ravens guiding wolves to prey. He suggests that early humans, still killing quietly, may have cooperated with ravens in a similar way.

Offsetting Heinrich's wealth of information is the style he uses to present it. While no-one should object to his highly personalised account of his research and interests, some of the details might have been shaded or omitted. It's fascinating to accompany his waiting for local ravens to descend on his prepared bait [a quarter of a dead calf or road kill groundhogs]. That the sequence began at 05:29 on the morning of 08 May is less compelling. Especially when that type of detail is repeated frequently. This lapse of interest-garnering is wholly overshadowed by the variety of experiences in many places Heinrich recounts. Additionally, his photographs and drawings illuminate further what he relates in the text. With an excellent bibliography to further anyone's reading, this is a treasure of a book.
[stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

I'm a 14-year-old 8th grader, and you know how hard it is to please teenagers when it comes to this sort of book!! I LOVE this book... it's helped convince me I'm going to study ornithology (birds) in college!! The book gives the reader a good look into the minds of ravens, and has some ammusing accounts of some of the things ravens have done. It gives a good idea of how ravens live, how they get along with other animals, how they are in captivity, and explains IN DETAIL the steps to the experiments involved in acquiring the information. I think this is REALLY important because it gives you a reason to believe what is being said. It's not like other books that just give you the information and that's it. I recommend this book to bird fanatics in particular, but I also think that almost anyone would enjoy it!!

This is an excellent book. It not only gives solid evidence for the exceptional intelligence of Ravens, but also challenges the still prevalent view amongst many scientists that animals have no feelings.

This is an amazing book. It's not an exaggeration to say that this is the most fascinating book I've ever read. I've always marveled at the idiosyncratic behavior of ravens, the sense of play that seems to pervade so much of what they do, and at their inventiveness. Reading this book takes me back the times I've sat in the mountains watching ravens. What an easy way to travel so far. And finally, after reading this book, I feel that I have at least a little insight into these incredible birds. I can't recommend this book too highly.

Heinrich has managed a comprehensive and entertaining book on the behavior, biology and indeed, mind of the raven.

His book expresses his struggles as a scientist to have what evidence he has abt the behaviour of these "wolf birds", accepted by the scientific community which continues to be conservative.

Expect to learn all and more you ever dared to ask about ravens. Heinrich's studies of ravens are long term and an accumulation of information fed from individuals who are simply curious about the birds to those who've spent their academic lives researching them the world over.

Additionally, Mind of the Raven allows a personal take and comment on the birds, some with names, others named in realtion to their tags. Otherwise, you will find that Henrich has very beautifully incorporated a reflection of the human behaviour and the misgivings of our existing scientific community whilst studying his feathered subjects.

I've never had contact with a raven. Heinrich's book is certainly motivating me to meet one soon. You'd want to read this whether or not you're into birds.

Ravens know how to live, I watch them having a group boid outing over the hill windbreak saluting the evening sun and flying for the fun of it.
Bernd has been interviewed at lauralee.com
Enjoy!

This is one of the best raven resources I've found. The anecdotes are great and the research is complete. I very much enjoyed reading this.

Word Ninja