One Wild Bird at a Time: Portraits of Individual Lives

For many, science can appear a dry affair full of jargon and statistics; an activity not to be attempted at home. However, the most important part of 'science' is asking the right question. Most scientists become so, because they have a deep curiosity about the world around them and are continually asking questions. As Heinrich's latest book demonstrates, this is an activity that can very much be done at home.

Most science starts with an interesting, or odd, observation, and someone simply asking 'Why?' Through a series of encounters with birds around his cabin in the woods of rural Maine, Heinrich provides examples of how simply watching birds and being alert to their behaviour leads one down the path of asking questions, and using careful observation or simple experiments to better understand why they are doing what they are doing.

As well as being an incisive scientist, Heinrich is a great writer (his Ravens in Winter [1990] is still one of the best science books ever written) and through a series of charming encounters he starts us out on the path that leads towards 'science'. Along the way he reminds that birds are not just statistics, they are individuals with lives of their own, and, while we can't all live in a cabin deep in the woods, time spent watching birds with a curious mind is rarely wasted.

Book reviewed by Rob Robinson