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A Naturalist at Large: The Best Essays of Bernd Heinrich
From one of the finest scientists and writers of our time comes an engaging record of a life spent in close observation of the natural world, one that has yielded marvelous, mind-altering insight and discoveries.
In essays that span several decades, Bernd Heinrich finds himself at his beloved camp in Maine, plays host to annoying visitors from Europe (the cluster fly) and more helpful guests from Asia (ladybugs), and unravels the far-reaching ecological consequences of elephants in Botswana bruising mopane trees.
Heinrich then turns to his great love - the extraordinary behaviors of ravens - before going on to chronicle a magical sighting of hundreds of loons congregated on a lake in Maine and observing that the human species has biological roots as endurance runners. Finally, he asks "where does a biologist find hope?"
In A Naturalist at Large, Bernd Heinrich delivers an answer.
In essays that span several decades, Bernd Heinrich finds himself at his beloved camp in Maine, plays host to annoying visitors from Europe (the cluster fly) and more helpful guests from Asia (ladybugs), and unravels the far-reaching ecological consequences of elephants in Botswana bruising mopane trees.
Heinrich then turns to his great love - the extraordinary behaviors of ravens - before going on to chronicle a magical sighting of hundreds of loons congregated on a lake in Maine and observing that the human species has biological roots as endurance runners. Finally, he asks "where does a biologist find hope?"
In A Naturalist at Large, Bernd Heinrich delivers an answer.
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First published May 8, 2018
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About the author
Bernd Heinrich
67 books684 followersBernd Heinrich was born in Germany (April 19, 1940) and moved to Wilton, Maine as a child. He studied at the University of Maine and UCLA and is Professor Emeritus of Biology at the University of Vermont.
He is the author of many books including Winter World, Ravens in Winter, Mind of the Raven, and Why We Run. Many of his books focus on the natural world just outside the cabin door.
Heinrich has won numerous awards for his writing and is a world class ultra-marathon runner.
He spends much of the year at a rustic cabin that he built himself in the woods near Weld, Maine.
He is the author of many books including Winter World, Ravens in Winter, Mind of the Raven, and Why We Run. Many of his books focus on the natural world just outside the cabin door.
Heinrich has won numerous awards for his writing and is a world class ultra-marathon runner.
He spends much of the year at a rustic cabin that he built himself in the woods near Weld, Maine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
May 25, 2020
Why do all flowers open in an anti-clockwise fashion, why do trees grow this way? But from the top down those such as vines grow clockwise, why? No one knows. But DNA grows counter clockwise and RNA clockwise. There has been no evolution of how DNA forms, it hasn't changed, and since everything derives from that, nature moves in that direction. But still, no one knows why. Another one of those mysteries of the universe to think on, but never be able to answer.
Mostly though, Heinrich thinks up questions about plant and insect lives by observation and then by observation and testing answers them. There is nothing at all boring in this beautifully-written book. You might not have thought you would want to know how two little beetles could move the corpse of a vole and hid it but the answer is fascinating.
I have been pondering the brain/s of social insects for a while. I think that maybe the individual insects are like neurons in a brain whose actions are co-ordinated and dependent on each other. But I also think that each insect, each neuron, is capable of making it's own decisions without reference to any other. A different kind of intelligence. So I was pleased to read that a naive bee out foraging by herself, will try many flowers until she finds the varieties that are the most productive, then she will remain faithful to those varieties and not try others as it would be a waste of time. So she has learned by experience, all on her own, but will go back to the hive and communicate to others where these flowers are. There is so much more to intelligence than the tricks scientists call experiments that are based on human experience and understanding.
If you like essays, if you like science, if you like nature you might enjoy this book. It is, as all Heinrich books, very well written.
________
Notes on reading the book I was given the audio book. I don't like audio books much but I love Bernd Heinrich. The essays were all previously published in scientific publications, mostly birds and insects. So far, most are fascinating, especially the one about the crows and ravens.
The crows n his aviary, were presented with some meat dangling on string that they would not be able to get unless they hauled it up. Over three weeks or so (yes, he changed the meat), their initial interest waned until they just ignored it.
The ravens, however studied it carefully, and very quickly indeed one raven began to haul on the string, stepping on it so it couldn't fall back, hauling more, stepping again and repeating it until he got the meat. Other ravens independently did the same.
This, said Heinrich proved insight, consciousness and forward thinking, which is intelligence. The ravens had seen the problem envisaged what they would like to see and then the steps to make that happen. The crows had seen the meat swinging on the rope and that was that.
I have had the opportunity over years to study wild chickens (they just live here). There are two modes, one the husband and wife. A rooster and a hen who go about together for years and raise families and then go back to being a couple. They never interact with us in any way at all.
Then there is the flock. At the moment the flock is five strong. They keep an eye on us at all times. They roost in a tree opposite us. In the morning as soon as we open the door, there they are. They know my son keeps bread in the car and so run on ahead of him to get their first. (It's very amusing). With me, I occasionally give them kitchen scraps but nothing from my car, so they hang around outside the kitchen. Recently one of them has got so bold as to sit on the window ledge by the cat door (above a kitchen counter) and stare at me.
What does that indicate? Maybe they don't have the problem solving type of intelligence of a raven, but they've certainly worked my son and myself out and know what result they are looking for with each of us. Yet chickens are supposed to be able to function with no head, no brain and therefore no intelligence.
What it indicates to me as that we haven't got the faintest idea of what intelligence in animals is and we should stop measuring it by how they can solve the problems that humans devise for them. Investigating what actual intelligence is might change our perception of many species.
Mostly though, Heinrich thinks up questions about plant and insect lives by observation and then by observation and testing answers them. There is nothing at all boring in this beautifully-written book. You might not have thought you would want to know how two little beetles could move the corpse of a vole and hid it but the answer is fascinating.
I have been pondering the brain/s of social insects for a while. I think that maybe the individual insects are like neurons in a brain whose actions are co-ordinated and dependent on each other. But I also think that each insect, each neuron, is capable of making it's own decisions without reference to any other. A different kind of intelligence. So I was pleased to read that a naive bee out foraging by herself, will try many flowers until she finds the varieties that are the most productive, then she will remain faithful to those varieties and not try others as it would be a waste of time. So she has learned by experience, all on her own, but will go back to the hive and communicate to others where these flowers are. There is so much more to intelligence than the tricks scientists call experiments that are based on human experience and understanding.
If you like essays, if you like science, if you like nature you might enjoy this book. It is, as all Heinrich books, very well written.
________
Notes on reading the book I was given the audio book. I don't like audio books much but I love Bernd Heinrich. The essays were all previously published in scientific publications, mostly birds and insects. So far, most are fascinating, especially the one about the crows and ravens.
The crows n his aviary, were presented with some meat dangling on string that they would not be able to get unless they hauled it up. Over three weeks or so (yes, he changed the meat), their initial interest waned until they just ignored it.
The ravens, however studied it carefully, and very quickly indeed one raven began to haul on the string, stepping on it so it couldn't fall back, hauling more, stepping again and repeating it until he got the meat. Other ravens independently did the same.
This, said Heinrich proved insight, consciousness and forward thinking, which is intelligence. The ravens had seen the problem envisaged what they would like to see and then the steps to make that happen. The crows had seen the meat swinging on the rope and that was that.
I have had the opportunity over years to study wild chickens (they just live here). There are two modes, one the husband and wife. A rooster and a hen who go about together for years and raise families and then go back to being a couple. They never interact with us in any way at all.
Then there is the flock. At the moment the flock is five strong. They keep an eye on us at all times. They roost in a tree opposite us. In the morning as soon as we open the door, there they are. They know my son keeps bread in the car and so run on ahead of him to get their first. (It's very amusing). With me, I occasionally give them kitchen scraps but nothing from my car, so they hang around outside the kitchen. Recently one of them has got so bold as to sit on the window ledge by the cat door (above a kitchen counter) and stare at me.
What does that indicate? Maybe they don't have the problem solving type of intelligence of a raven, but they've certainly worked my son and myself out and know what result they are looking for with each of us. Yet chickens are supposed to be able to function with no head, no brain and therefore no intelligence.
What it indicates to me as that we haven't got the faintest idea of what intelligence in animals is and we should stop measuring it by how they can solve the problems that humans devise for them. Investigating what actual intelligence is might change our perception of many species.
February 17, 2020
This book is a collection of essays previously published in scientific journals. Essays aren’t really my thing; I prefer books that explore one topic and do that one topic in depth. That being said, I still enjoyed the book, at least parts of it.
The book started with essays about bugs…….bugs and more bugs. I was desperately hoping there would be some on birds, and then there were, and then the book improved, for a while. At the end it became too philosophical for my taste.
There is one essay on the movement of a caterpillar—this one little guy did grab my interest. There are one or two essays on trees, but they contain nothing spectacular or new.
With the essays on birds, the book picked up for me. The author writes of studies on ravens, phoebe sapsuckers, goshawks and starlings, cuckoos, nightjars and kinglets and other birds too. Why some stick together in pairs and why and how it comes to be that eggs vary in color and appearance are examples of the articles’ content. Cuckoo parasitism is another. The author has written whole books on just ravens. Their abilities and intelligence are brought up here too. There is repetition of that which he has written in earlier books.
After discussing birds, he moves on to mammals--red squirrels, lions, elephants and humans too. He gets a bit philosophical when discussing specie synchronicity, human traits and diverse life strategies.
Bernd Heinrich is a scientist and he thinks and writes as one. Most of what he writes is accessible to a layman. He is a teacher too, so he knows how to explain things simply.
Rick Adamson narrates the audiobook well. He speaks clearly. He is easy to follow. Four stars for the narration.
*************************
*The Snoring Bird: My Family's Journey Through a Century of Biology 5 stars
*Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds 4 stars
*One Wild Bird at a Time: Portraits of Individual Lives 4 stars
*Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival 4 stars
*A Year in the Maine Woods 3 stars
*A Naturalist at Large: The Best Essays of Bernd Heinrich 3 stars
*White Feathers: The Nesting Lives of Tree Swallows TBR
*Summer World: A Season of Bounty TBR
*Life Everlasting: The Animal Way of Death TBR
The book started with essays about bugs…….bugs and more bugs. I was desperately hoping there would be some on birds, and then there were, and then the book improved, for a while. At the end it became too philosophical for my taste.
There is one essay on the movement of a caterpillar—this one little guy did grab my interest. There are one or two essays on trees, but they contain nothing spectacular or new.
With the essays on birds, the book picked up for me. The author writes of studies on ravens, phoebe sapsuckers, goshawks and starlings, cuckoos, nightjars and kinglets and other birds too. Why some stick together in pairs and why and how it comes to be that eggs vary in color and appearance are examples of the articles’ content. Cuckoo parasitism is another. The author has written whole books on just ravens. Their abilities and intelligence are brought up here too. There is repetition of that which he has written in earlier books.
After discussing birds, he moves on to mammals--red squirrels, lions, elephants and humans too. He gets a bit philosophical when discussing specie synchronicity, human traits and diverse life strategies.
Bernd Heinrich is a scientist and he thinks and writes as one. Most of what he writes is accessible to a layman. He is a teacher too, so he knows how to explain things simply.
Rick Adamson narrates the audiobook well. He speaks clearly. He is easy to follow. Four stars for the narration.
*************************
*The Snoring Bird: My Family's Journey Through a Century of Biology 5 stars
*Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds 4 stars
*One Wild Bird at a Time: Portraits of Individual Lives 4 stars
*Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival 4 stars
*A Year in the Maine Woods 3 stars
*A Naturalist at Large: The Best Essays of Bernd Heinrich 3 stars
*White Feathers: The Nesting Lives of Tree Swallows TBR
*Summer World: A Season of Bounty TBR
*Life Everlasting: The Animal Way of Death TBR
May 18, 2018
You might also enjoy:
✱ Summer World: A Season of Bounty
✱ Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival
✱ A Sand County Almanac with Other Essays
✱ Small Wonder: Essays
✱ High Tide in Tucson: Essays from Now or Never
✱ Braiding Sweetgrass
✱ The Sea Around Us
✱ Under the Sea Wind
From the Earth Up
★★★★☆ Life in the Soil
★★★★★ Rock-Solid Foundation
★★★★☆ The Spreading Chestnut Tree
★★★★☆ When the Bough Bends
★★★★☆ O Tannenbaum
Insects
★★★★★ Reading Tree Leaves
★★★★☆ Hot- and Cold-Blooded Moths
★★★★☆ Woolly and Wondrous
★★★★☆ Winter Guests
★★★★★ Arctic Bumblebees
★★★★☆ Beating the Heat, and Killing with Heat
★★★★☆ Bee-Lining vs. Bee Homing
★★★★☆ Beetles and Blooms
★★★★☆ Cooperative Undertaking: Teaming with Mites
★★★★☆ Whirligig Beetles: Quick Paddlers
Ravens and Other Birds
★★★★☆ Ravens on My Mind
★★★★★ A Birdbrain Nevermore
★★★★☆ Ravens and the Inaccessible
★★★★☆ Phoebe Diary
★★★★☆ Conversation with a Sapsucker
★★★★☆ Hawk Watching
★★★★★ Kinglets' Realm of Cold
★★★★☆ The Diabolical Nightjar
Mammals
★★★★☆ Hidden Sweets
★★★★☆ Hibernation, Insulation, and Caffeination
★★★★☆ Cohabiting with Elephants: A Browsing Relationship
★★★★☆ The Hunt: A Matter of Perspective
★★★☆☆ Endurance Predator
Strategies for Life
★★★★☆ Synchronicity: Amplifying the Signal
★★★★☆ What Bees and Flowers Know
★★★★☆ Curious Yellow: A Foray into Iris Behavior
★★★★☆ Twists and Turns
★★★★☆ Birds Coloring Their Eggs
★★★☆☆ Birds, Bees, and Beauty: Adaptive Aesthetics
★★★★★ Seeing the Light in the Forest
Small typo in Winter Guests, it should be mourning cloak butterflies.
✱ Summer World: A Season of Bounty
✱ Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival
✱ A Sand County Almanac with Other Essays
✱ Small Wonder: Essays
✱ High Tide in Tucson: Essays from Now or Never
✱ Braiding Sweetgrass
✱ The Sea Around Us
✱ Under the Sea Wind
From the Earth Up
★★★★☆ Life in the Soil
★★★★★ Rock-Solid Foundation
★★★★☆ The Spreading Chestnut Tree
★★★★☆ When the Bough Bends
★★★★☆ O Tannenbaum
Insects
★★★★★ Reading Tree Leaves
★★★★☆ Hot- and Cold-Blooded Moths
★★★★☆ Woolly and Wondrous
★★★★☆ Winter Guests
★★★★★ Arctic Bumblebees
★★★★☆ Beating the Heat, and Killing with Heat
★★★★☆ Bee-Lining vs. Bee Homing
★★★★☆ Beetles and Blooms
★★★★☆ Cooperative Undertaking: Teaming with Mites
★★★★☆ Whirligig Beetles: Quick Paddlers
Ravens and Other Birds
★★★★☆ Ravens on My Mind
★★★★★ A Birdbrain Nevermore
★★★★☆ Ravens and the Inaccessible
★★★★☆ Phoebe Diary
★★★★☆ Conversation with a Sapsucker
★★★★☆ Hawk Watching
★★★★★ Kinglets' Realm of Cold
★★★★☆ The Diabolical Nightjar
Mammals
★★★★☆ Hidden Sweets
★★★★☆ Hibernation, Insulation, and Caffeination
★★★★☆ Cohabiting with Elephants: A Browsing Relationship
★★★★☆ The Hunt: A Matter of Perspective
★★★☆☆ Endurance Predator
Strategies for Life
★★★★☆ Synchronicity: Amplifying the Signal
★★★★☆ What Bees and Flowers Know
★★★★☆ Curious Yellow: A Foray into Iris Behavior
★★★★☆ Twists and Turns
★★★★☆ Birds Coloring Their Eggs
★★★☆☆ Birds, Bees, and Beauty: Adaptive Aesthetics
★★★★★ Seeing the Light in the Forest
Small typo in Winter Guests, it should be mourning cloak butterflies.
The first of these, the mourning clock butterflies, usually remain in crevices outside and only rarely make it into the cabin.
May 15, 2024
This is the second book by Heinrich that I’ve read and I find him to be an intelligent and engaging writer. I enjoyed the essays on bees but ultimately find some of the methods used for his research to be cruel. One example- he used two dead calves in order to study the feeding habits of ravens. Why? Surely there were other methods that were less cruel?
While I do enjoy learning about some aspects of the natural world, I don’t enjoy all, so I skimmed some of the essays while others I read closely.
While I do enjoy learning about some aspects of the natural world, I don’t enjoy all, so I skimmed some of the essays while others I read closely.
September 20, 2018
This is a beautiful collection of short essays collected from over the course of Bernd Heinrich's career. The book is divided into what each section focuses upon - from trees to insects, plants, mammals, birds (of course) and strategic adaptations across the board. Of particular focus over the course of the work are, as one would expect, honeybees and corvids, with ravens in particular getting the spotlight. Nevertheless, his love of all things natural shines through.
Bernd Heinrich is a philosophical author. His essays at times border upon becoming poetry as he celebrates the trees ability to convert light to energy, or the way honeybees huddle for warmth. While he is romantic about what he loves, he still infuses every supposition with an explanation, and the science to back it up. He may talk about the raven's ability to share, but he hedges it with the factt that even the sharing is selfish - and that is OK. Don't deny the raven his own ravenness, nor any other creature the essence of what they are.
This is a fine selection, and I look forward to reading more of his work. He's an author to treasure, truly, and a mind to wonder at.
P.S. This book taught me that there is a bird known as the "diabolical nightjar" or "satanic nightjar
which is utterly hilarious.
Bernd Heinrich is a philosophical author. His essays at times border upon becoming poetry as he celebrates the trees ability to convert light to energy, or the way honeybees huddle for warmth. While he is romantic about what he loves, he still infuses every supposition with an explanation, and the science to back it up. He may talk about the raven's ability to share, but he hedges it with the factt that even the sharing is selfish - and that is OK. Don't deny the raven his own ravenness, nor any other creature the essence of what they are.
This is a fine selection, and I look forward to reading more of his work. He's an author to treasure, truly, and a mind to wonder at.
P.S. This book taught me that there is a bird known as the "diabolical nightjar" or "satanic nightjar
which is utterly hilarious.
December 12, 2022
I found a lot of Heinrich's essays to be really engaging! His writing is clear and his tone is refreshingly curious, so it's easy to feel interested in almost any topic he brings up. My personal favorites are 'Birds Coloring Their Eggs', 'Ravens and the Inaccessible', 'Woolly and Wondrous', and 'Arctic Bumblebees'.
May 21, 2019
There aren't a lot of people I would recommend this book to, but it was just what I was craving: a walk in the Maine woods, learning about animal and plant behavior, and looking at nature as an intriguing and beautiful being rather than as a resource.
September 8, 2018
The first few articles didn't really pull me in, but I kept at it and I'm glad I did. Great little observations, mostly on trees, bees, and birds.
March 10, 2020
Not really what I was expecting. I love the topic but I was hoping for some more “magic.”
June 5, 2025
別人視為理所當然的，都被展開探索。而詩意，來自於對生態和科學最極致的追求，收集動植物的昆蟲的觀察中，體會了美。
讀到作者對緬因州的愛～
浪漫，是在翻土之間，微不足道的閒散，聽到和看到的聲音與景象。
例外，可能也來自於突破人類自己的歸類，像昆蟲被放在冷血動物，其實天娥也到44度，是因應環境可以做改變。他認爲科學家研究大自然不在有用，而是因為樂在其中。是因為大自然的美麗，令人不敢眨眼～
合作，在動物圈，例如渡鴉，是再惡劣的環境，都會產生的關鍵。他們這麼做，不是什麼利他，而是對自己有好處XD 被稱為渡鴉智慧，就別再罵人笨是像鳥～他們是會長期學習的物種。
這本書集結了Heinrich 觀點的精華，受益良多又美的歡喜^_^
讀到作者對緬因州的愛～
浪漫，是在翻土之間，微不足道的閒散，聽到和看到的聲音與景象。
例外，可能也來自於突破人類自己的歸類，像昆蟲被放在冷血動物，其實天娥也到44度，是因應環境可以做改變。他認爲科學家研究大自然不在有用，而是因為樂在其中。是因為大自然的美麗，令人不敢眨眼～
合作，在動物圈，例如渡鴉，是再惡劣的環境，都會產生的關鍵。他們這麼做，不是什麼利他，而是對自己有好處XD 被稱為渡鴉智慧，就別再罵人笨是像鳥～他們是會長期學習的物種。
這本書集結了Heinrich 觀點的精華，受益良多又美的歡喜^_^
February 10, 2024
As I was reading this delightful collection of essays I continually wanted to share and discuss each one with someone close to me. The essays are grouped topically and in such a way that leaves the reader with a "taste" of knowledge but still, wanting more. At least, that's the way I felt. Always leave the reader wanting more - that's when you know you've done it right.
Well, I enjoyed the heck out of this. And I've cued up another of Mr. Heinrich's books.
Well, I enjoyed the heck out of this. And I've cued up another of Mr. Heinrich's books.
December 15, 2023
I liked the topics and the author's observations, but I just didn't vibe with his writing style, which I found dry and boring.
June 18, 2022
This is a collection of scientific essays published elsewhere earlier. They vary on topic, but one common thing in all of them is the wonderment and respect towards nature combined with the need to understand through observation. He proves in his essays how observation is necessary: how it widens the understanding and highlights the interplay between environment and behavior. Don't get me wrong. He doesn't just stop at observation. He ties it to genes and evolution and the rest, but through his own words, this book is composed so that it encourages people to have direct contact with nature.
I agree with him. It is one thing to read facts about trees, bees, flowers, elephants, and ravens, and quite another to witness their flight in nature and to be immersed in the environment. For years now, I have been photographing my local nature reserve. As I go there weekly, I experience the seasonal changes and see how the birds and the foxes, and an occasional lynx, interact with their habitat. It has made me appreciate and respect nature more, and it has tied me to my local environment. I jokingly call it my forest, where my heart is buried.
Sometimes I wonder, have we lost the sense of awe when making science, but reading a book like this brings back my hope that we haven't forgotten the basic reason why and how we do science. To be here is not to exist twice removed.
Back to the book itself, I could list all the possible subjects, like the one about how flowers have trained bees to behave so that they go from one flower type to the same rather than vary their foraging path, or I could tell you how the bees chose the most yielding flower and inform their choice back at the hive or the story about ravens, or why the color of birds' egg differ. But I rather you read yourself and fall in love with nature, as always happens when I read Bernd Heinrich's books.
Thank you for reading and have a beautiful day <3
I agree with him. It is one thing to read facts about trees, bees, flowers, elephants, and ravens, and quite another to witness their flight in nature and to be immersed in the environment. For years now, I have been photographing my local nature reserve. As I go there weekly, I experience the seasonal changes and see how the birds and the foxes, and an occasional lynx, interact with their habitat. It has made me appreciate and respect nature more, and it has tied me to my local environment. I jokingly call it my forest, where my heart is buried.
Sometimes I wonder, have we lost the sense of awe when making science, but reading a book like this brings back my hope that we haven't forgotten the basic reason why and how we do science. To be here is not to exist twice removed.
Back to the book itself, I could list all the possible subjects, like the one about how flowers have trained bees to behave so that they go from one flower type to the same rather than vary their foraging path, or I could tell you how the bees chose the most yielding flower and inform their choice back at the hive or the story about ravens, or why the color of birds' egg differ. But I rather you read yourself and fall in love with nature, as always happens when I read Bernd Heinrich's books.
Thank you for reading and have a beautiful day <3
January 5, 2021
My first book for 2021
Essays on a variety of topics including chirality, body heat as a means of killing, and general observations of the natural world near the author's cabin in Maine. 4.5 stars
Essays on a variety of topics including chirality, body heat as a means of killing, and general observations of the natural world near the author's cabin in Maine. 4.5 stars
June 18, 2021
I kept this book on my nightstand and loved reading one of Bernd Heinrich’s essays before bed. He’s such a good writer I almost always stayed awake till the end of a chapter and then drifted off to sleep with images of nature in my mind -- the brilliant wayfinding abilities of bees or the tricks squirrels in Maine have for lapping sap from maple trees -- instead of the news or my ever-intrusive mental to-do list.
Mostly anyway. The essay about beetles and ants feasting on the flesh of dead animals was not exactly the inspiration for sweet dreams. Admittedly, I was riveted by the cleverness of the sexton beetle couples who cooperate to move a mouse corpse 100 times their size to a suitable spot for burying, where they then lay their eggs and raise their brood. Yes, the carcass serves as both home and food. Ewww, gross!
I’m happy to report that Heinrich more than made up for this with one of my favorite essays in the book about his quest to figure out how kinglets, little feather puffs of a bird, survive freezing winter nights. It turns out “they can spend a longer day foraging because at the very last minute, in a flash,” they find companions to snuggle with! Now an image like that that makes for very sweet dreams.
Mostly anyway. The essay about beetles and ants feasting on the flesh of dead animals was not exactly the inspiration for sweet dreams. Admittedly, I was riveted by the cleverness of the sexton beetle couples who cooperate to move a mouse corpse 100 times their size to a suitable spot for burying, where they then lay their eggs and raise their brood. Yes, the carcass serves as both home and food. Ewww, gross!
I’m happy to report that Heinrich more than made up for this with one of my favorite essays in the book about his quest to figure out how kinglets, little feather puffs of a bird, survive freezing winter nights. It turns out “they can spend a longer day foraging because at the very last minute, in a flash,” they find companions to snuggle with! Now an image like that that makes for very sweet dreams.
June 11, 2024
「多數的自然生態寫作之所以不讓人滿意，主要是個人主觀主識太重，對一些觀察的解釋缺乏證據支持，常流於百說百話。還有一些人提出的解釋，不是落入目的論，就是訴諸不可知的力量，都難以讓人滿意，這些缺點在海恩利許的寫作中就不存在。」—潘震澤
「表面有平行刮紋的圓石在無知者心靈所喚起的詩意，與知曉一百萬年前有冰河滑過那塊圓石的地質學家心靈所喚起的詩意，你以為是一樣多的嗎？
事實是，從來沒有從事過科動追求的人，對環繞在他們四周的詩意感知不到十分之一。年輕時沒有收集過植物與昆蟲的人，對於小路與灌木籬可能提供的吸引力，連一半都不會知道。」—史賓實，英國生物學家（Herbert Spencer, 1820-1903）
「當生長季節不長時，植物會被迫在狹窄的時間範圍內開花，也給它們造成選擇的壓力，在花朵的形狀上出現趨異演化。不過每一種特徵通常可能是許多選擇壓力下的產物，也各有不同的價值，因此任何一時一地演化成果的平衡，可能從一種成果變成另一種專屬於該時該地的成果。」
「⋯春季時分的猶大沙漠是一片紅色的花海，其中點綴著紅冠的歐洲銀蓮花，當它在幼年時，中心是黑色的；它們成熟後深紅色的顏色十分強烈。每朵花都有雄性與雌性的部分，雌蕊要比雄蕊早兩到三天出現；由於花粉（雄性部分）只會在受精完成後約十天才發出，因此得以避免自花授粉。當完成授粉後，花朵會出現一道白環來彰顯此狀態。每朵花平均會釋出兩百萬粒花粉，適合靠風傳送給附近的花朵，以及利用昆蟲散播到較遠的地方。」
「我們對智慧行為的潛在認知，不是在行為表現，而是在意識，而意識是幾乎無法直接測試的。雖然如此，愈來愈多的科學探討以動植物意識為對象。紐約市洛克斐勒大學及哈佛大學的動物學教授葛里芬使用意向來定義意識：『意向是腦中關於未來事件的影像。產生意向者想像自己是參與者，並選擇將哪個影像帶入現實⋯⋯腦中影像的存在，以及可被動物用來調整其行為，給意識提供了一個實際可行的定義。』」
書內分為五大部分—「第一部：地表以上 From the Earth up」、「第二部：昆蟲 Insects」、「第三部：渡鴉和其他鳥類 Ravens and Other Birds」、「第四部：哺乳類 Nammals」及「第五部：生命的策略 Strategies for Life」。從訴說地上的小小土壤，然後探究樹木的根部和整體，接著透過不同昆蟲所呈現的生命，連結至花粉傳播的系統，再者將作者的好奇放於渡鴉及鳥類研究，甚至解開紅松鼠「採集樹漿」或「舔食樹漿」的軼事，直到總結作者在書中所提到的，從中歸納與整理出其研究成果。
不單涉及不少的哲學思考觀點，也深入探索大自然之美。當作者論述有關渡鴉的研究時，帶出也蠻令人深思的言辭：「如果你冒險來到事物的邊緣，你會試著去探看神祕的遠景，因為吸引你的是超越地平線之外，你接觸不到的存在。」要是意識問題是沒有實際的答案，促使自己不斷探索未曾接觸的可能性，也許是個可持續累積好奇心的機會及過程，就像每當發現一些令你眼睛發亮的人事物時，便會增加自身上的好奇及探索的意慾。
再者，引用作者提出一句話，是來自法國科學哲學家龐加萊（Henri Poincaré）：「科學家研究大自然不是因為有用，而是因為樂在其中；樂在其中是因為大自然的美麗。」懂得欣賞事物本質的自然與美麗，知道此事實的人們或許很多，然而能真正將事實化為愛的行動，以落實保護大自然的為數不多。對作者來說，單以疼愛大自然的心情，便寫下這些關於自然的詩歌，還希望書內的文章能刺激及鼓勵人們的參與，甚至渴望體驗自然，不只是經由科學，也同時經由直接的接觸。
自然給予我們的風景，彷彿只有觀賞和療癒之用，如何談至對大自然保育的範疇呢？當環境受盡壓迫，不斷遭受污染、破壞，能如何增強大家主動守護大自然的意識呢？會否要從懂得珍惜的地步開始？然而要有意識地進行珍惜的意慾，要擁有失去美好的時候，「失去」越多，能「擁抱」的只會越來越少。剝奪很多動植物生存機會的人類，何時才會有種危機感呢？
「表面有平行刮紋的圓石在無知者心靈所喚起的詩意，與知曉一百萬年前有冰河滑過那塊圓石的地質學家心靈所喚起的詩意，你以為是一樣多的嗎？
事實是，從來沒有從事過科動追求的人，對環繞在他們四周的詩意感知不到十分之一。年輕時沒有收集過植物與昆蟲的人，對於小路與灌木籬可能提供的吸引力，連一半都不會知道。」—史賓實，英國生物學家（Herbert Spencer, 1820-1903）
「當生長季節不長時，植物會被迫在狹窄的時間範圍內開花，也給它們造成選擇的壓力，在花朵的形狀上出現趨異演化。不過每一種特徵通常可能是許多選擇壓力下的產物，也各有不同的價值，因此任何一時一地演化成果的平衡，可能從一種成果變成另一種專屬於該時該地的成果。」
「⋯春季時分的猶大沙漠是一片紅色的花海，其中點綴著紅冠的歐洲銀蓮花，當它在幼年時，中心是黑色的；它們成熟後深紅色的顏色十分強烈。每朵花都有雄性與雌性的部分，雌蕊要比雄蕊早兩到三天出現；由於花粉（雄性部分）只會在受精完成後約十天才發出，因此得以避免自花授粉。當完成授粉後，花朵會出現一道白環來彰顯此狀態。每朵花平均會釋出兩百萬粒花粉，適合靠風傳送給附近的花朵，以及利用昆蟲散播到較遠的地方。」
「我們對智慧行為的潛在認知，不是在行為表現，而是在意識，而意識是幾乎無法直接測試的。雖然如此，愈來愈多的科學探討以動植物意識為對象。紐約市洛克斐勒大學及哈佛大學的動物學教授葛里芬使用意向來定義意識：『意向是腦中關於未來事件的影像。產生意向者想像自己是參與者，並選擇將哪個影像帶入現實⋯⋯腦中影像的存在，以及可被動物用來調整其行為，給意識提供了一個實際可行的定義。』」
書內分為五大部分—「第一部：地表以上 From the Earth up」、「第二部：昆蟲 Insects」、「第三部：渡鴉和其他鳥類 Ravens and Other Birds」、「第四部：哺乳類 Nammals」及「第五部：生命的策略 Strategies for Life」。從訴說地上的小小土壤，然後探究樹木的根部和整體，接著透過不同昆蟲所呈現的生命，連結至花粉傳播的系統，再者將作者的好奇放於渡鴉及鳥類研究，甚至解開紅松鼠「採集樹漿」或「舔食樹漿」的軼事，直到總結作者在書中所提到的，從中歸納與整理出其研究成果。
不單涉及不少的哲學思考觀點，也深入探索大自然之美。當作者論述有關渡鴉的研究時，帶出也蠻令人深思的言辭：「如果你冒險來到事物的邊緣，你會試著去探看神祕的遠景，因為吸引你的是超越地平線之外，你接觸不到的存在。」要是意識問題是沒有實際的答案，促使自己不斷探索未曾接觸的可能性，也許是個可持續累積好奇心的機會及過程，就像每當發現一些令你眼睛發亮的人事物時，便會增加自身上的好奇及探索的意慾。
再者，引用作者提出一句話，是來自法國科學哲學家龐加萊（Henri Poincaré）：「科學家研究大自然不是因為有用，而是因為樂在其中；樂在其中是因為大自然的美麗。」懂得欣賞事物本質的自然與美麗，知道此事實的人們或許很多，然而能真正將事實化為愛的行動，以落實保護大自然的為數不多。對作者來說，單以疼愛大自然的心情，便寫下這些關於自然的詩歌，還希望書內的文章能刺激及鼓勵人們的參與，甚至渴望體驗自然，不只是經由科學，也同時經由直接的接觸。
自然給予我們的風景，彷彿只有觀賞和療癒之用，如何談至對大自然保育的範疇呢？當環境受盡壓迫，不斷遭受污染、破壞，能如何增強大家主動守護大自然的意識呢？會否要從懂得珍惜的地步開始？然而要有意識地進行珍惜的意慾，要擁有失去美好的時候，「失去」越多，能「擁抱」的只會越來越少。剝奪很多動植物生存機會的人類，何時才會有種危機感呢？
October 31, 2018
Delightful book. Heinrich divides the book into short essays on trees, birds, insects, mammals, and more. By far the best selections (at least half the book) are those describing the wildlife around his rural Maine cabin. The author understands that the most important role of a naturalist is to observe, and then to ask questions about one has observed, and then to observe some more. So he notices certain trees growing in certain spots, then tries to figure out why. He notices ravens doing odd things at certain times of day, then tries to figure out why. He follows bees around, and red squirrels, and chestnuts.
Some of the other essays, when he is away from home or describing things second-hand, can get a little dry, especially when he's droning on about evolution. But the firsthand stuff is a treasure. Both to enjoy his observations and to motivate the reader to get outside and take a look around.
Some of the other essays, when he is away from home or describing things second-hand, can get a little dry, especially when he's droning on about evolution. But the firsthand stuff is a treasure. Both to enjoy his observations and to motivate the reader to get outside and take a look around.
November 6, 2021
Once every year or two, I need to revisit Bernd Heinrich. No one can explain and fascinate about the natural world quite like Heinrich. Whether its detailing the aphids on his trees in main or the chickadees eating habits, Heinrich engrosses me in the nuance and minutiae of the world around me. If the history of the American chestnut or the rectal temperatures of bees don't sound interesting to you, then you haven't read Heinrich. This particular book, my fifth of Heinrich's was not my favorite by him and is perhaps not the best introduction to his writings, but the expanse of essays collected over decades did offer great insights into his naturalist scientific process and home laboratory. For an introduction to the interconnectedness of the natural world as told by Heinrich, I suggest Winter World or perhaps Summer World. For those well-versed in his meditative flow and sound scientific approach, this collection of essays is another naturalist gem!
May 6, 2021
Remarkable collection of insights and stories with the gentle power of intense observations often presented in naturalists. A few bits of observation feel dated given more recent researchers on the topic. Others are so prescient that I wonder why is this not more widely known?
A wonderful display of the creativity of field biology, Heinrich bears witness and ponders the whys of all sorts of wonders, one being that the iris blossom unfolds counterclockwise...yes! Then he progresses into the twining action of climbing vines to learn more about the direction and the process. Truly interesting but it did include a cringe moment of his delight in the yellow iris..which in my area of North America we consider invasive.
A wonderful display of the creativity of field biology, Heinrich bears witness and ponders the whys of all sorts of wonders, one being that the iris blossom unfolds counterclockwise...yes! Then he progresses into the twining action of climbing vines to learn more about the direction and the process. Truly interesting but it did include a cringe moment of his delight in the yellow iris..which in my area of North America we consider invasive.
November 13, 2022
Writing about science for a general audience can be hard. Author Bernd Heinrich is an excellent scientist and also a very good writer. This is a very enjoyable and easy to read book. "A Naturalist at Large" is, as the title says, a collection of essays, mostly about animal and plant behavior. Heinrich is a keen observer of the natural world, asking and analyzing questions in a most interesting way.
One nice thing about this book of essays is the reader can pick any essay and read it, can put the book down and return to it at any time, and will not loose any value of the book; like reading a book of short stories. This is the first of Heinrich's numerous books I have read, but it will not be the last. Highly recommended for anyone at all curious about the natural environment.
One nice thing about this book of essays is the reader can pick any essay and read it, can put the book down and return to it at any time, and will not loose any value of the book; like reading a book of short stories. This is the first of Heinrich's numerous books I have read, but it will not be the last. Highly recommended for anyone at all curious about the natural environment.
November 22, 2022
Short, easy listening, enjoyable Nature Essays. Perfect for dog walks. Some that appealed greatly to me may have you wanting to skip over them. Likewise, some that you might love, I felt a little dozy.
Probably my favorite is a latter inclusion that asks the intriguing question of - while we have a pretty good answer to why the sky is blue, I think we are still searching for answers on why birds lay eggs with a variety of color and pattern. Fascinating question and search for answers. Many of the other essays are similar - but more often about trees, bees, or flowers, and occasionally squirrels.
Well read in audio-book format!
Probably my favorite is a latter inclusion that asks the intriguing question of - while we have a pretty good answer to why the sky is blue, I think we are still searching for answers on why birds lay eggs with a variety of color and pattern. Fascinating question and search for answers. Many of the other essays are similar - but more often about trees, bees, or flowers, and occasionally squirrels.
Well read in audio-book format!
April 25, 2019
This was a nice compilation of some of Bernd’s essays that were published previously in Journals. Some of the material was previously covered in his other books, but most of the material was new and fresh. I just love how he asks such great questions and then sets up experiments to find the answers. Classic Bernd Heinrich! I hope he never stops asking great questions and therefore never stops writing!
September 15, 2022
*Listened to Audiobook*
A fun tour through various natural history topics. Bernd Heinrich is curious about the nature he observes and doesn't take things for granted and by doing so, he discovers by bits and pieces, fascinating natural history stories. I especially liked the chapters focused on birds or insects, perhaps due to my own interests and knowledge but I think perhaps it is because those were Bernd Heinrich's research focuses as well and his insight there was thus enhanced.
A fun tour through various natural history topics. Bernd Heinrich is curious about the nature he observes and doesn't take things for granted and by doing so, he discovers by bits and pieces, fascinating natural history stories. I especially liked the chapters focused on birds or insects, perhaps due to my own interests and knowledge but I think perhaps it is because those were Bernd Heinrich's research focuses as well and his insight there was thus enhanced.
March 6, 2022
I love how Heinrich zooms in on the small details, that’s where my eyes always gravitate. I love how he partakes in small, focused observational experiments that any citizen scientist could do, but draws fascinating and worldly conclusions with the confidence of an expert.
This type of book is certainly my safe space, a pleasure to read.
This type of book is certainly my safe space, a pleasure to read.
June 21, 2022
I read this off and on for a while (it is a series of essays so easy to jump in and out of). It's not a bad book by any means; I think it's just not my type of book (not sure if because of the essay aspect or the subject matter). I was glad to try it out though, and if it seems interesting at all to someone, I would recommend they give it a shot.
June 2, 2023
I was going to give this only three stars based on the general reading experience (sometimes fascinating, other times extremely boring), but then I had to consider that these essays made me more observant and thoughtful on recent hikes through the forest. Anything that gets you to think differently about the world around you gets extra credit.
August 26, 2019
3.5 stars.
As a nature lover who studied Biology in undergrad I appreciated the reintroduction to scientific observation, combined with the descriptive stories of plants, animals, and insects going about their lives.
As a nature lover who studied Biology in undergrad I appreciated the reintroduction to scientific observation, combined with the descriptive stories of plants, animals, and insects going about their lives.
May 12, 2020
Took a LONG gap on reading this book, but as its a collection of essays it was very easy to pick up where I left off. It was humorous at times and had very good insight on the natural world. A good read for anyone who enjoys the outdoors
July 22, 2020
A great collection of essays, most previously published in Natural History magazine.
Heinrich is an old school naturalist, working in an era when cataloguing birds was still done by shooting them, but also a most passionate conservationist.
Heinrich is an old school naturalist, working in an era when cataloguing birds was still done by shooting them, but also a most passionate conservationist.
April 28, 2022
I had read several of these essays before and enjoyed revisiting them. The essays that were new to me were also a delight, whether covering ideas I hadn't thought about before, or showing the initial seed of inspiration that later became one of my favorite books.
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