Book Review - The Voices of Nature: How and Why Animals Communicate - Princeton University Press

"I have come to believe.....that the conceptual depth of technical and general writing should not differ, lest we disrespect the interest and intelligence of millions of potential readers who lack advanced technical training in science, but who remain just as fascinated as any professional, and just as well aware of the importance of science to our human and earthly existence."

Stephen Jay Gould

   

     When you pick up a book devoted to bioacoustics you probably don't expect a literary type of narrative, with touches of whimsy and wry humour that at times will make you laugh out loud. But that's exactly what you get with this entertaining and informative account by Nicolas Mathevon. The language flows easily and important scientific concepts, often complex in nature, are seamlessly woven into an entertaining story.

     A good deal of attention has been paid in recent years to the different ways by which animals communicate, with a shift away from a visual, anthropocentric perspective. Vocalization, hearing and the way that sounds are created and processed by different organisms are fully examined in this exciting new work. From insects to birds, from Elephant Seals to fishes, from hyenas to monkeys - and on and on - the different abilities of Mathevon's subjects are explored. Individual calls and songs are examined, their meaning revealed, the ability to network explained. 

     Throughout it all, one is charmed by the author's unbridled enthusiasm for his research, and the respect and affection in which he holds his fellow scientists. 

     The accounts originate in every corner of the Earth and one is left wondering at times, "Does Mathevon ever see his family?" Even on family vacations he is easily sidetracked by a potential new discovery!

     The illustrations in the book are provided by Mathevon's father, Bernard Mathevon, a unique collaboration between father and son, with impressive results. The black-and-white drawings are very well done and in some cases quite evocative. I would be happy to have them framed on the walls of my office!

     The emerging field of Ecoacoustics holds the potential for measuring biodiversity in non-intrusive ways, and revealing the environmental health of many parts of the biosphere - coral reefs, for example. Strap yourself in for more, plants may be next!

     If you have even the slightest interest in the natural world, this is an important book for you. You will enjoy it, you will learn from it, and I venture to say that you will be infected by the ebullience of a scientist who recharges our enthusiasm for science, for evidence-based truth, so critical to humankind in an age of deception, fear-mongering and denial. 

     Bravo Nicolas Mathevon for a job well done!

The Voices of Nature: How and Why Animals Communicate - Princeton University Press

Nicolas Mathevon

Hardcover - US$32.00 - ISBN: 9780691236759

392 pages - 6.125 x 9.25 inches (15.31 x 23.125 cm)

32 black-and-white illustrations

Publication date: 27 June, 2023

Best in Show

      Let me give you a little information on Ocellated Turkey (Melagris ocellata), a bird I suspect is unfamiliar to many of you.

     It is a scarce endemic of the Yucatán Peninsula of Central America, eagerly sought after by visiting birders, but difficult to find. A bird of mystery, outrageous in every respect, shrouded in legend, threatened over much of its range and secretive for most of the year. 

".....glossed green and copper.....shining dark copper across greater wing coverts.....whitish secondary panels.....white remiges.....bright cobalt blue head.....supercilia of bright orange "warts".....head and upper neck, including small dewlap, naked and bright cobalt blue, with orange-red caruncles scattered on neck-sides....." 

Steve Madge and Phil McGowan, Pheasants Partridges & Grouse, Helm Identification Guides (2002)

     And there is more. Much more. Every extreme colour, every psychedelic, peyote-induced apparition of the subconscious mind is present in this bird.

     Who you might ask, possessed of all their powers of reason, with well-balanced faculties, a model of stability, would attempt to create this apparition from a block of wood?

     Jeff Krete, that's who!

     Some of you may remember my love affair with the refined art of wood carving and its practitioners preceding the days when COVID made all of us prisoners in our homes - as a refresher, here is the report I composed following a rendez-vous with Jeff Krete, World Champion.

     This past weekend I was fortunate, for the third time, to be asked to be a judge at the Canadian Nationals, where carvers from all over Canada come together to display their art and vie for honours. Works of sublime execution are arrayed in all their glorious diversity, with waterfowl, songbirds, owls, woodpeckers and the like dominating the field. And then there is the deviation from the norm!

     Le voilà - a full size rendition of an Ocellated Turkey.

     I swear to you on all that is precious to me, that when I first saw this bird, had it hopped down from the table and walked toward me I would not have registered surprise. 

     Such is the quality of Jeff's work. 

     I am grateful to Jeff for all of the pictures in this post, illustrating as they do its elegance of form and the scintillating realism of the colours. It is good to recall that just as alchemy sought to transform useless stone and metal into gold and other precious metals, this divine creation began life as a rectangular block of wood.

     Jeff has proved that alchemy is not always an illusion.

     How can we imagine what it takes to create this lifelike sculpture? Who among us would even be bold enough to contemplate it?

     If for one foolish moment I even dreamed I could do it I would need to lie down until the feeling passed and reality reasserted itself.

     The sheer perfection, to say nothing of the colour fidelity of these feather tracts, is a testament to artistry and diligence. How many hours were spent to achieve such results? What levels of frustration? Did it seem the colours would never be quite right? Were there times when it would have been tempting to give up?

     For Jeff I am sure this was never an option and that, of course, is why Jeff occupies a pedestal reserved only for champions.

     The bird is but one part of the whole, however. No organism lives in a vacuum; all are part of an integrated ecosystem.

     Do you not marvel with me at the exquisite detail of the flora and fauna that share their home with the turkey? The base of the piece becomes a diorama in miniature.

     I hasten to remind you that each component of this work, from the butterfly to the smallest smudge of moss, every leaf, every flower, every stem is created by Jeff.

     Truly the work of a connoisseur. Best in show was richly deserved.

     This award celebrates Al Forler, a veteran and treasured member of this fraternity, and it was very fitting that Al was present to share in Jeff's achievement.

      Well done Maestro Krete. We salute you!

Health Valley Trail, Waterloo to St. Jacobs

23 May, 2023

     Barely had we parked the car when we saw a Groundhog (Marmota monax) contentedly feeding on fresh shoots.

      It seemed to have a particular taste for dandelions.

     It kept a wary eye on us and periodically glanced skyward for danger from above. All must have been clear, for it did not make a dash for its burrow.

     A Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) had caught a long-winged insect and seemed undecided whether to eat it or carry it off to hungry mouths waiting in a nest.

     A female Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) has a radically different appearance from the male, and it is unsurprising that early bird watchers mistook them for different species.

     Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) is not yet ready to bloom, but when its little yellow flowers resembling tiny berets burst forth, they will captivate and charm all who see them.

     The path so far has followed alongside agricultural land, but now snakes its way into moist woodland.

     More female Red-winged Blackbirds were spotted, at home in the wetlands where their nests are located.

     A male jealously guards his territory and warns rivals that they enter at their peril.

      Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) has been a sparse breeder in Waterloo Region for several years, but with accelerating global warming, it appears to be extending its range and becoming a more frequent feature of the avian landscape. We were thrilled to see this male - a little farther away than we would have preferred, but very welcome nonetheless.

     I never cease to be impressed with the prowess of American Beavers (Castor canadensis) as they construct and maintain their dams.

     Perhaps this Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) has benefitted from their hard work.

     I have experienced a sense of calm from the gently-flowing Conestogo River a thousand times, and no doubt will feel it a thousand times again.

     Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is an unwelcome inheritance from early settlers. It thrives in disturbed areas, spreads rapidly into forests and woodlands, outcompeting native species to their virtual exclusion.

     Once established it is almost impossible to eradicate.

     A Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) looked a little the worse for wear.

      My good friend, Richard Pegler, frequently posts incredible shots of odenates, and his patience and photographic skill are always a source of great delight for Miriam and me, to say nothing of a little head-scratching as to how he achieves the results he does. We can't compete with his level of proficiency, but we were very pleased indeed to be able to capture a pair of Common Green Darners (Anax junius) in tandem, remaining coupled while the female laid her eggs in the water.

     It is clear in the literature that beaver ponds are a favoured habitat for this species, so everything was coming together in a manner of speaking.

     Interestingly this species has a migratory population and a resident population. In the  migratory form, larvae from the eggs develop quickly and emerge as adults ready to migrate south beginning in late August through the end of October. In resident populations, adults emerge, typically in late May or June, from larvae that overwintered underwater. 

     A White-striped Black (Trichodezia albovittata) is a common diurnal moth.

     Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) seems to be a great favourite of the public at large and people set out oranges and dishes of grape jelly to attract them to their yards.

      Now they are paired off and constructing their pendulous nests at the tips of branches of deciduous trees.
     The very last of the White Trilliums (Trillium grandiflorum) are lingering in shaded spots.

     Grey Catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis) chortled, gurgled and rasped from dense thickets, seeming at time ventriloqual.

     Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is not a plant we wish to see anywhere.

      Contact can cause serious pain and skin lesions similar to burns. 

     House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) were often heard chattering and occasionally we even were able to see one!

     American Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva) is both common and charming.

     A Killdeer was bathing to clean its feathers of dust and grime, and perhaps also, on a hot day, simply enjoying the cool water.

     Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) produces a beautiful little flower.

     I am quite sure that each time I see a Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) I am impressed anew with its bold appearance.

     Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) was commonly heard and seen.

     As might be expected in late spring we detected only males; females are doubtless occupied with family matters.

     They were perhaps outnumbered by Grey Catbirds though.

     The Health Valley Trail never strays too far from the Conestogo River, but the sections through riparian woodland are very pleasant indeed.

     We embarked on our walk prepared to battle with mosquitoes, but we saw (or felt) hardly a one. While that may be welcome situation on a walk it perhaps speaks to the overall alarming decline in insect populations, a worrisome trend that should concern us all.

     Most of the butterflies we saw opted not to alight, but this Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma) was an exception.

     On the way back to the car, we were once again strolling alongside ploughed fields that are full of juicy insects for birds, and a Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) was taking full advantage of the situation.

24 May, 2023

     Our friend, Mary, contacted us to see whether we wanted to repeat our walk, and we were happy to do so, energized by her delightful company. 

     A couple of European Ambersnails (Succinea putris) seemed especially happy to see each other!

     If you do no more than keep your eyes open it would be hard to miss Dryad's Saddle (Polyporus squamosus) somewhere along the way.

     After quite a bit of searching, I am quite sure that this is a form of mosquito (Culicidae); beyond that I don't know.

     Doubtless a Grey Catbird would be happy to make a snack of it - and itching humans would applaud.

     A Song Sparrow seemed more interested in nutritious dandelion seeds.

     Common Scorpionflies (Panorpidae) feed only on dead insects, sometimes extracting them from spiders' webs. 

     The very attractive species above is Panorpa claripennis (no common name) and it was a pleasure to observe it.

     As I have mentioned the Health Valley Trail abuts farmland for a good portion of its length, and sections of it traverse private property, with the consent of generous-minded farmers possessed of a civic conscience. It was unsurprising, therefore, to see cattle amongst the trees.

      A Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) was bathed in sunshine, giving it a little washed-out appearance in the picture, but it is a handsome bird in breeding attire, a male judging from the reduced spotting. 

     This is a polyandrous species and the female is more boldly patterned than the male.

     Several Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) were observed and finally one was positioned for a clear shot.

          Yesterday we were ecstatic to discover an adult male Orchard Oriole and our elation was kicked up a notch when we located this first summer male.

     Perhaps the next discovery will be a female - or a nest!

     Ground Ivy is always attractive but set against the decaying wood and the moss on this tree stump it seemed exceptionally so.

     

      The next picture is for Andrea - no other words necessary. 

      Two days - two great walks. We will have to do it  again soon.