Flight Ways

“Flight Ways” focuses on five groups of birds (albatrosses, vultures, penguins, cranes, and crows) and their risks of extinction. I think this might be good for a class, though I would not purchase this book for myself. He is a bit repetitive, even with the people he cites, though it is all to help make a point. The author explains why he sees extinction not as an event but a long process, and case studies in the form of stories are one way to help illustrate this concept. It is well researched and at times informative, but not always the most pleasurable reading. It’s more like a lecture or seminar. After the first chapter I ignored the footnotes.

The albatrosses, in the most distant center of the Pacific Ocean, are not unaffected by human activities. One of their greatest threats is plastic debris, trash that blocks up their digestive systems and causes all sorts of health problems. This reminded me of an article my sister sent me recently about a beach where Legos wash up on a regular basis: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28367198

Van Dooren’s own research interests include vultures of the Gyps genus in India, which have historically helped clean up carcasses and reduce the amount of harmful bacteria in an ecosystem. The problem of the vultures is their own removal from the ecosystem, as diclofenac is poisoning these otherwise indestructible creatures. An adverse cascade effect has been seen in the increasing number of rabid dogs and other animals; like many diseases, this hits poor, rural communities the hardest. I hadn't thought captivity would usually translate well to reintroduction, but vultures seem like they might be smart and adaptable enough, so there is some hope there.

The Little Penguins – that is their common name – are the next story. The world’s smallest penguin species (Eudyptula minor) has an extreme home fidelity – they always return to the exact same place, or as close to it as they can get. Being homeotherms, they need to come ashore to nest, so the wall in front of them is a real sea wall. These penguins don’t have happy feet.

The cranes are next, but at the mention of Konrad Lorenz, I stopped reading. Is it bad of me to reject science that was conducted by a Nazi or Nazi sympathizer or whatever he was? And not just him. But the thing with these books is they all use a lot of the same stories - I'm a little tired of reading the same thing over and over again. Sorry crows (last chapter), I have read and will read about you elsewhere. The last bit of irony is that I read much of this while having delayed airplane flights. That’s the way it is sometimes.