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Birding has become one of the world’s most popular pastimes for good reason. The vibrant colors, aerial finesse, and vocal talents of birds draw us to nature, stimulate our admiration and pique our curiosity. We cannot help but have questions as we encounter these elegant creatures. How do iridescent feathers seemingly glow? What must a hummingbird do to hover? How does a tiny animal produce all that music? By what means do some birds sense Earth’s magnetic field and use it for navigation? Why is it that peering through a few pieces of glass can make a distant bird seem so close? Such enquiry brings us to the realm of physics.
The Physics of Birds and Birding sets out to blaze the best possible trail through this landscape. It steers clear complex technical specialization, while avoiding overused paths that lead to unsatisfying, facile explanations. It is a guide not just to the fascinating science of birds and birding, but to the deeper connections that tie all of nature together. Birders and naturalists from all backgrounds will find much of interest here – both in terms of mysteries they’ve long wondered about, as well as some surprising linkages among what is seemingly unrelated. This unique and remarkable book is an invitation to appreciate what you might not have been seeing all along.
Masterful... Few people could write a book on this subject and very, very few could do it anything like as well as this author.
— Mark Avery, author and environmental campaigner
I’m not going to repeat what the publishers say, except that I agree with their claims, and congratulated them on publishing this addition of birding lore… They say that Inuit peoples have dozens of words for snow… subtleties missed by those of us whose lives are not so interwoven with a frozen habitat… and this author embodies insights no less subtle.
— Bo Beolens
Many birds choose when to migrate by detecting subtle changes in barometric pressure... Many species can even see into the ultraviolet... Those of us with inquisitive minds cannot help but wonder how they do these things. Now, The Physics of Birds and Birding by retired physicist Michael Hurben covers all of these wonders and more.
— David Norman
Fascinating! ...the book offers a wealth of insights that can give birding interest even more depth and fascination.
— Hans Meltofte
Now here is an interesting book... And you thought you knew everything about birds!
— John Miles
I enjoyed reading this book and I learnt a lot.
— Stephen Menzie
— James Kakalios
This book is a must-read for those with an interest in this topic.
— Ian Paulsen
...an engaging read – it’s full of insights that will deepen a birder’s understanding and sense of wonder about the world around them.
— Caroline Brighton
Hurben successfully synthesizes and simplifies a wide range of physical concepts at a level appropriate for the average birder... an excellent introduction to the physical foundations of the birding world.
— Louis Backstrom
A groundbreaking book... Of course, it remains physics, but eminently applied to our passion: there will be much to learn for many curious minds.
— B. Posse
...a worthwhile read, particularly for those who love to take the time to observe birds closely. For me, it has added an entire new dimension to my birding adventures.
— Rachel Clark
Michael Hurben is uniquely qualified to guide the curious through the exotic habitat where physics and birding intersect. He earned his PhD in physics from Colorado State University in 1996 and has accumulated a life list exceeding 5,000 bird species – despite being legally blind. His career has included award-winning teaching at the college level and decades of cutting-edge, nanoscale engineering in the high-tech magnetic recording industry. He and his wife Claire live in Minnesota.
Preface : Looking Up
1. At the Feeder: Birds, Mathematics and Symmetry
2. In the Garden: Hummingbirds, Flowers and Forces
3. On the Open Seas: Length Scales, Migration and Molecules
4. In a City Park: Movement, Murmuration and Magnetism
5. By a Forest Pond: Impacts, Waves and Sounds
6. Under Night’s Cover: Hearing, Recording and Analyzing Birdsong
7. At the Lake: Sunlight, Reflection and Refraction
8. During a Big Day: Light, Matter and Feather Colors
9. In the Blind: Images, Eyes and Cameras
10. From a Great Distance: Lenses, Binoculars and Scopes
11. Under Extremes: Heat, Cold and Thermoregulation
12. Above the Earth: Wings, Lift and Flight
Coda: Looking Back
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index