Flight Paths
How the mystery of bird migration was solved
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Swift Press
Published:7th Mar '24
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£16.99(9781800752924)
How and why birds navigate the skies, travelling from continent to continent — flying thousands of miles across the earth each autumn and spring — has continually fascinated the human imagination, but only recently have we been able to fully understand these amazing journeys.
How did this revolution come about? Flight Paths is the never-before-told story of how an eccentric group of ornithologists, engineers and other pioneering scientists have harnessed nearly every technological development of the last hundred years to understand bird migration in detail - from where and when they take off, their flight paths and behaviours, their destinations and the challenges they face getting there.
In this fascinating and compelling story Rebecca Heisman uncovers the secret history of an ornithological arms race that not only helped solve the mystery of bird migration using radar, radioactive isotopes, satellites and the humble aluminium band but has also given us much needed insight into how best to protect and conserve the bird life we cherish.
‘Understanding how, why and where birds migrate is about more than solving a mystery. It is critical for future conservation efforts … a vital wake-up call’ - New Scientist
'Brings much needed insight into how best to protect and conserve the birds that visit our islands — and destinations far beyond' - National Geographic
‘As Rebecca Heisman reveals, much progress has been made, though many puzzles remain. Flight Paths provides an exciting, colourful and thought-provoking introduction to the subject' - TLS
‘Flight Paths has plenty to interest a British reader … with the [author’s] deft prose and careful elucidation, [Flight Paths] make these miracles of Nature easier for us to appreciate and understand’ - Stephen Moss, Country Life
‘Flight Paths is a delight, and the ground-breaking bird migration scientists whom Rebecca Heisman profiles in this fascinating book are a wonderfully unconventional lot. Heisman is the ideal guide to their world — curious, chatty, and adept at making sometimes complex research easily understandable’ - Scott Weidensaul, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Living on the Wind and A World on the Wing
‘Rebecca Heisman presents an engaging and unashamedly focused book on the intricate science behind migratory bird tracking... Heisman has an engagingwriting style and an obvious passion for the topic' - Geographical Magazine
‘It’s amazing how much effort it has taken to understand that birds migrate and where to … a fascinating account of discovery’ - Frans de Waal
ISBN: 9781800752948
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
303 pages