Mind of the Raven

Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds

De: Bernd Heinrich

Narrado por: Norman Dietz

Bernd Heinrich involves us in his quest to get inside the mind of the raven. But as animals can be spied on only 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 journey - from New England to Germany, and from Montana to Baffin Island in the High Arctic - offering 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, at once lyrical and scientific.

©1999 Bernd Heinrich (P)2016 Tantor

How do biologists understand other animals?

What made the experience of listening to Mind of the Raven the most enjoyable?

To learn the extent of Ravens ability to reason and solve problems was amazing. The wild experiments that the author performed with Ravens as subjects was amazing. I do have to ask, would we tolerate such experiments performed on people. I do not know. On the other hand, how can you get informed consent from a Raven?

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mind of the Raven?

Testing whether Ravens can figure out how to get food that is hanging from a string really showed (to me) that Ravens have intelligence, a capacity for acting that is not instinctual. This means that we are undervaluing our fellow inhabitants of our planet.

Narrator killed what potential it had

Old voice dull and conspiciously short of breath killed what otherwise might have been an enjoyable listen. Recommend reading the book instead. There are insights and enjoyable moments in ravens throughout and definitely something there for those of us interested and curious about the topic.

It's actually about ravens!

So many books like this wind up being a travel blog about the author's journey more than the supposed subject matter. Not this book. It's about ravens, ravens, and only ravens from beginning to end.

Interesting but outdated

Listeners should be aware that although the audio book is copyright 2016 the book that is being read is copyright 1998 with most of the observations and research occurring several years before that. The Narrative is largely about the writer's experience raising and observing ravens.

Eyes open to the amazing world of Ravens

Thoroughly enjoyed this audible book.
The content & the articulate way it is written, together with the narrators voice transports you to the scene of the tale & when it has concluded it is like saying good bye to family.

I now ponder there is a secondary gain from this book, a reminder that living in harmony with our fellow man & with nature is a gift to us all in the huge holographic scheme of things that we do not even realize. Its not all about me.

Thank you for your years of time & research to share this book with the world.