The Homing Instinct: Meaning and Mystery in Animal Migration Hardcover – April 8, 2014

This book was a delight and informative. It raised awareness and wonder in this reader. How learned and patient was the naturalist author. Such a worthwhile read!

I have read most of Bernd Heinrich's books and have enjoyed all of them immensely. This book is no exception. Heinrich has a unique ability to ask questions about how nature works and find answers from homely experiments that seem obvious in retrospect. This book is good, but not among Heinrich's best. In his enthusiasm he flits from species to species like an overactive hummingbird leaving this reader to plead for more focus, especially on birds, which is my particular interest. Still the stories, informed by Heinrich's vast knowledge of the natural world, are fascinating and described with his usual attention to scientific detail. Near the end of the book in an effort to explain his own sense of "home" the author wanders off in a long discourse about deer hunting in Maine with his nephew that smacks more of nostalgia than science. Perhaps this nostalgia is just another example of the homing instinct that is the subject of this book, but for me it seemed extraneous. In fact, I skipped several of these pages. Nonetheless, even if this book does not rank among his best works, it is still very good and, in fact, better than most.

I enjoy all of Mr. Heinrich's books and they are always a fascinating and educational trip through the wonders of the natural world. "The Homing Instinct" is no exception. In it, the author discusses not only the quest for "home" through migration, but also what "home" exactly means to different species and even to us has humans. There are numerous descriptions of animals and their homes, from Sociable Weaver birds and their apartment complexes in the African desert, the amazing migratory activities of Monarch butterflies and Bar-Tailed Godwits, the practices of finding and keeping a home as described in bees and a number of different bird species, and Mr. Heinrich even explains in a fascinating chapter his theories as to how the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon and other species are very integrated into their "homing" activities. The latter portion of the book takes a more personal tone as the author writes of his concept of home and sense of place (the chapter titled "On Home Ground" almost made me want to become a deer hunter, it is so lovingly written) and also about out sense of place and connections to "home" in this increasingly technological age. Overall, a wonderfully written and fascinating book, as I find all writings of this amazing naturalist are. Highly recommended.

Heinrich does a terrific job of putting together fascinating tidbits of information about insects and animals on the general theme of home and homing, with implications for humans. The humans part of his story and his hunting history with a younger relative do not however fit tightly to this theme, the portion concerning humans could have been more analytical or research based in my opinion, or the connections between animal and insect definitions and human definitions more tightly drawn. To what extent, for example, do humans define home as where other humans are, as some insects do? or are humans fundamentally different, because as he suggests, they make their environment rather than adapt to it? if the latter, then the justification for including humans in the book is weaker. The earlier chapters are definitely worth reading..

Bernd Heinrich has an amazing ability to bring you with him on wonderful explorations with the skilled observations of a scientist, an intoxicating curiosity that broadens the experience enough so that we each can find our own connection to it, a belonging even. It's an intricate, mystic skill he has to follow the hard science straight into a deeper understanding of nature itself and our own. How does the world work and how do I find my own way accordingly? What are the wild adaptations according to species and climate and evolution and why, and what are the possibilities of my own relationship to all of that? Those are the invitations of his work for me at least. He asks the best questions. It is so fun and beautifully written. And instructive in the most relevant way. He remains one of my very favorite writers ever.

Not for everyone. That said, if you're fascinated by Nature, animal and human behaviors, and you enjoy memoirs, this is a satisfying, quality read--one you'll want to reread. Feels like a textbook in the beginning chapters, then opens into an interesting and often humorous memoir. I bought this book because of its recent review in the Wall Street Journal, AND because I had built a home in another state for part-time living and was curious about my own homing instincts (if I had any).This is an educational read overall, but his personal touches scattered throughout help a reader form a bond with the author. His bee hive outside his campus office and the experiments he conducted with the spider in his Maine cabin (among his other anecdotes), lead me to believe the author must fit my impression of a typical university professor: a genius, eccentric, with unquenchable curiosity and a dry sense of humor. I wish I'd had him as my instructor when I was at UCB.

Once again, Bernd Heinrich has written an excellent book which combines hard science and a narrative style that at times is nearly lyrical. What is migration? How has it come into being? How do birds and animals orient themselves in the course of migration? How do they find their way 'back home'? All these questions are discussed and, where science does not yet have a definite answer, he offers possibilities, but does not hesitate to state that the question is still being researched.It is very obvious that Heinrich has a deep love for his science, but a love that does not make his statements sentimental or end up anthropomorphizing the subjects of his research; the lyrical property mentioned before derives from his descriptions of the environment in which he moves as he shares his experience with the readers. The text is accompanied by his own illustrations which are straight out of the tradition of the old illustrators such as Audubon or Gould, nearly photographic in their exactitude, reflecting the beauty of even the smallest of creatures.This book is certain to become a favourite of any reader who truly loves nature the way it is.

I particularly liked the author's ability to explain his subject in terms comprehensible to the layperson. As I have a life-long interest in ornithology I was drawn to the chapters on migratory birds. However, I found Heinrich's coverage of the migrations of other creatures of great interest too.

An interesting compilation of science and keen observation pertaining to the seasonal movement and feeding/breeding habits of different species.

excellent

Muito bom