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.
Description
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
Reviews
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 * Fatbirder * 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 * Physics World * Fascinating! ...the book offers a wealth of insights that can give birding interest even more depth and fascination. -- Hans Meltofte * Journal of the Danish Ornithological Society * Now here is an interesting book... And you thought you knew everything about birds! -- John Miles * Bird Watching * I enjoyed reading this book and I learnt a lot. -- Stephen Menzie * British Birds * ...this cogent, well-written and engaging book can be enjoyed by all, not just birders. -- James Kakalios * The Wilson Journal of Ornithology * This book is a must-read for those with an interest in this topic. -- Ian Paulsen * The Birdbooker Report * ...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 * BTO News *