Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds - Mind of the Raven

This guys is some kind of weird freak. Seriously. His social experiments with the birds, his obsession with all the weird little things. Nonetheless, an interesting read. I would take what he says with a grain of salt. He is a little too close to the subject for objectivity.

In his whole discussion of the interaction between Ravens and Wolves, I think he may be seeing what he wants to see more than what is there. I live and work in Yellowstone National Park, and while there may be a connection between Ravens and Wolves, they definitely don't seem as chummy as he thinks.

I expected far more of this book after reading the reviews. While there is a lot of information about ravens (a truly fascinating bird) the methodology of his research left me uneasy. Taking birds from the wild and keeping them captive - when they have parents capable of raising them - made me uncomfortable. Leaving a wild caught bird in with his group of captives to see how she would fair - and then leaving for an extended period of time with no oversight - was a callous and stupid way to conduct research. I finally stopped reading since I was getting more annoyed than educated. I have a couple of other books about ravens that I will read and hope to not come away feeling that the researcher is more interested in outcomes than the health and safety of his research population.

Seller was excellent, condition of book was very good. The author may be very knowledgeable about Ravens bit I found it poorly written, boring and not very interesting. That hard to do when you know how interesting Ravens are. The book is written like a college term paper and for me totally misses how amazing these birds truly are. If you want a better understanding of Ravens look elsewhere. If you want to capture them and hang radios on them, this book is for you.

The book content deserves 5 stars but I, like some others, found the narrators voice to be off-putting. His old, gravely voice absolutely did not fit with my concept of the author. I would be really hesitant to get another audible book with this narrator. Even though his voice was disconcerting, I endure because the book was well written and totally captivating. For me, there was not a moment of boredom. The author is an amazing researcher and the incredible experiments he devised to ascertain the intelligence and observe the behavior of his many raven subjects kept me riveted. Through the course of the book, I acquired great respect and appreciation for this author's dedication and commitment to his many years of worthy research with these amazing birds.

Niko Tinbergen's "The Herring Gull's World" inspired in me a lifetime interest in animal behavior and the things it reveals about our own species of smart (perhaps too smart) hominids. "Mind of the Raven" has the same feeling of common inquiry, as if we were there with the researcher. Hopefully it will inspire some of today's young people, as "Gull's" did for me nearly sixty years ago.

If you are interested in birds or animal behavior in general, you will probably enjoy this book. Mr. Heinrich has the unusual skill of taking a technical subject and making it interesting in novel form. While reading this book, you will be gaining a lot of knowledge but feel like you're reading a novel. That's quite an accomplishment.

The book mostly consists of stories and anecdotes that Mr. Heinrich has accumulated from his years of raven research. It's not a scientific study and isn't meant to be; it takes his scientific studies and makes them available to the greater public. It's really a joy to read, and while those of us (like myself) who are schooled in science may be bothered by what appears to be an occasional lack of scientific method, it shouldn't bother you if you understand the point of the book is mostly to tell anecdotes, not relay hard scientific information.

The stories that are told really give a lot of insight into the mind of ravens. They're fascinating and never dull. I was a little disappointed from time to time when Mr. Heinrich seemed to just drop off a storyline that I wanted more information on-- but I imagine that was the work of his editor; you can only fit so much into a trade paperback.

Very enjoyable and I'd recommend it to any bird lover.

The Mind of the Raven

King Mountain, in Larkspur, is home to a beautiful forest. The steep climb, up the hot, rocky path is made easier by the views. One doesn't think so much about the aching thighs when you can see most of the Bay, and beyond. Near the top of the climb, the forest entrance emerges. After sweating and huffing, the quiet coolness whispers with mercy.
This is the forest where I fell in love with the Ravens. I'd not been close to these birds before moving to Larkspur in 1982. Walking among the tall Redwoods, the echo of conversation between Ravens is slow and constant. The birds conceal themselves, like bandits, but don't be fooled. They are watching you. They want you to fall down a cliff and die. They are hungry.
Ravens eat carrion. They depend on predators in the woods to do the killing. They work for their pay though. Nothing is free. Ravens' chatter isn't just about companionship. They are telling the predator about YOU. They are conspirators. Who can blame them?
Find out more on Ravens with Bernd Heinrich's book, The Mind of the Raven. After ten years of study, Heinrich published his findings. He writes with an easy-to-read style, in spite of the serious and scientific information. When I see Ravens now, I feel close to them. I have a larger picture of their way of life, and I can predict what they might do next.
A few years ago, I wasn't shocked at all when I watched a Raven sit on a high wire above the street at my corner. When a car approached, a walnut fell from the Raven's mouth, just in time for the wheel to crush it as it passed. Swiftly, the Raven pecked the meat before the next car arrived. What was brilliant was that the bird chose an intersection with a four-way stop. Much safer and gave time for the bird to eat.

This is a wildlife ecologist's work studying ravens with just enough smatterings of nature emoting sprinkled in to take the edge off of the science starch. I would have preferred the emoting quota to be raven oriented rather than Walden Pond but overall it is an effective and pleasing mix. It is well written, easily readable and thoroughly enjoying.

The raven lessons unfold gradually as they presumably were uncovered through the author's global research, requiring patience and the passage of pages from the reader.

I share a woodlot with these flying marvels, part recluses, part clowns, sometimes nuisances, sometimes helpers. I became hooked when one started circling above me saying "ello" at every pass. I couldn't believe my ears. It was eerily magical. During hunting season, when orange clad humana as myself invade and clandestinely sneak about their wood hopeing for a glimpse of prey, they in the full glory of their most exaggerated raucousness and aerial ballet eagerly point out whitetails to hopefully get their gut pile reward. Cunning they are ... and humbling.

This book has helped me better understand these amazing bird's actions and corrected many of my misinterpretations of the antics I have watched of the past.

Bernd applies his multi-faceted brand of research to a species that is clearly close to his heart (the raven), with spectacular results. He weaves anecdotes and scientific studies together flawlessly to draw conclusions that are hard to argue with, if only because he refuses to draw unwarranted conclusions when the evidence isn't clear. He personally studies ravens in his northeastern home area, in Alaska, and in Germany to note the differences between different populations of the animal. He also draws extensively on his observations from his own aviary, where it seems he is at times obsessively painstaking in recording nuances of behavior that would fly over the heads of the average bird owner.

The Good and the Bad:
This book has been done right, with a real attempt to keep the reader's interest without compromising the scientific value of the work. The information given is enough to be compelling without being too boring about statistics. The end of the book gets a little more tilted towards hard science, with a fairly in-depth discussion about what warrants consciousness and intelligence, but there's no other conclusion that would be appropriate.

On the bad side, there are very occasional forays into self-indulgence, as when he takes the opportunity to argue the comments of a peer reviewer who contributed to the rejection of the publication of his study, or when a not-so-funny joke is recounted.

What I learned:
The raven is a remarkable animal, and consciousness evolves for as much of a specific reason as anything else. One bird might be given all of the instinct necessary to operate within a very narrow range of activity, but shorted on additional brain tissue, which is costly to maintain. But the raven has evolved to develop food gathering skills through problem-solving, which allows it to be much more flexible in its approach to food gathering, social interactions, and defense. This hardwired ability to solve problems manifests itself as curiosity, a desire to play, and the ability to visualize consequences without actually performing the action; this last is the most compelling criterion for awareness.

Other interesting raven facts: They can count to as high as seven. They hunt items ranging from ground squirrels to baby seals, but subsist mostly on the carrion provided by bigger predators. They lack the physical ability to pierce skin, and so have to eat through natural body openings or wounds. They have a collaborative relationship with other predators, generally wolves, which results in the ravens possibly directing the wolves to a kill so that they can take their share. This has a strange effect where they're actually uncomfortable eating from a carcass that lacks a predator as a feeding partner. This relationship has been transferred to other species where wolves are scarce, ranging from human hunters to polar bears to, possibly, a cougar, which seemed to be led to a human by a raven hoping to feast on the aftermath of a human kill. The problem-solving abilities were best demonstrated by the fact that a raven, when confronted with a piece of meat dangling from a string, will pull the string up by degrees so that it can reach the meat.

This book is a wealth of information about ravens. While most of other books are set in Maine, here Heinrich travels farther afield to discuss ravens in the Arctic, Yellowstone, a pet raven in Germany, and elsewhere -- in addition to his own wild and tame ravens in Maine.

I can imagine some scientists (and others) being annoyed by Heinrich's style. His research questions are guided by his own natural curiosity and not by what the scientific community defines as important. He isn't trained as an ornithologist. Heinrich clearly depends on his own observations and does not like to delegate -- so his methods are not those of a scientist running a lab or something like a lab. For most of us, though, these "faults" make him all the more interesting. He is certainly high on the list of authors I'd like to invite to dinner.

Heinrich also seems to be a born teacher. He does a great job explaining ravens as well as explaining the process of discovery that brings him to his conclusions.

If you think that a bird can't possibly be conscious (or self-conscious), that a bird can't be intelligent, and that a bird can't have a real personality, this book will drive you nuts. If you think any of those things are *possible*, Heinrich gives you some thought-provoking stories about ravens.

Enjoyed reading Heinrich's anecdotes of raven behavior and the stories he included from the experience and observations of other biologists and raven lovers. Where it got tedious was when he spoke in his obsessive scientist's voice such as when he lists the roadkills fed to his young ravens (type of animal, in what quantities, and how dismembered), the numerous trials where flowers are dropped in his experimental avery, listing their specific colors and names in the pursuit of determining raven sensory discrimination, and the protracted argument for raven intelligence that made me visualize unconsciousness in my own feeble human mind. Nevertheless, I learned a few surprising facts; among them, that ravens like potato chips and don't mind skunk effluvian. Taste like potato chips?

I purchased this book, thinking that it would enthrall me. The first chapter deeply disturbed me, as I followed Heinrich into the nests of the ravens and "saw" him kidnapping them from their mamas. This doesn't seem to be the best way to observe the natural behavior/development of the birds. Nor does it seem respectful of the beasts, themselves.

I only write this lest others be surprised and concerned, as well.

Heinrich is a fine scientist with a flexible mind who enjoys animals, nature and adventure. He also writes well. While Heinrich knows all the rules of producing successful journal articles, he is sensitive to the anecdote which can also be enlightening.

Ravens are an interesting subject because they are very bright, are a social animal, and enjoy play. They also have language mimicking capabilities just like parrots, but unfortunately, no one has tried to systematically teach ravens to understand and use human language as they have with parrots. This may be because they are not very easy to have as pets. In fact one of the most enjoyable chapters is Heinrich's account of a couple who actually keep a raven indoors as a pet, although the raven often accompanies them outside, untethered.

There are a few negatives, none of which should discourage anyone from reading this book. In the early chapters, it seemed to me that too much time was spent discussing investigations that turned out not to be very enlightening. For me ravens are not as likeable as some other animals: they are too devoted to expressing dominance, even when it doesn't seem to provide evolutionary advantages; for example, they will expend great effort to keep other birds from bathing, ultimately fruitlessly, and without any benefit to themselves. Finally, Heinrich is convinced that genetic evolution has resulted in the symbiosis between raven and wolf, when it seems to me that he cannot rule out cultural evolution; Heinrich himself notes Raven culture, and its importance is indicated by the fact that ravens don't mate for 3 or 4 years, even though they grow to adult size in a few weeks. During that 3-4 years, they are learning.

In "Mind of the Raven", biologist Bernd Heinrich delves into the behavior of ravens as individuals who might have a conscious choice, as opposed to taking a strictly behavioral ecologist perspective of those behaviors as being simply the results of evolutionary necessity. Heinrich strives to share the insight into the world of ravens which he gained over the course of nearly a decade of studying and interacting with ravens, both wild and captive, at his Vermont and Maine homes. "Mind of the Raven" isn't confined to the birds' intelligence or consciousness, although chapters on these fascinating and controversial subjects are included. The "mind" of the book's title encompasses all behavior and experience in these birds' lives. Heinrich details innumerable observations and experiments which he conducted on the subjects of raven feeding and educating their young, cooperation, hunting, adoption, dominance, sensory perception, individual recognition, communication, fears, interaction with other animals, caching, deception, play, intelligence, and emotions. Heinrich seems to possess an insatiable -and infectious- curiosity about these magnificent birds, which is demonstrated in his exhausting and endlessly inventive experiments. Heinrich's studies are as controlled and straightforward as possible. And although they sometimes raise more questions than they answer, they never fail to entertain or to impress the reader with the complexity and variety of raven personalities. It's nice to read a book by a scientist who has such an enthusiasm for his field of study, as well as genuine affection for his subjects. "Mind of the Raven" is a very readable broad account of the lives and minds of these large, clever corvids that have so populated human folklore and experience for thousands of years. I recommend it to any bird-lover, and those who have occasion to observe ravens will find Bernd Heinrich's insights especially interesting.

Heinrich has managed a comprehensive and entertaining book on the behavior, biology and indeed, mind of the raven.
His book expresses his struggles as a scientist to have what evidence he has abt the behaviour of these "wolf birds", accepted by the scientific community which continues to be conservative.
Expect to learn all and more you ever dared to ask about ravens. Heinrich's studies of ravens are long term and an accumulation of information fed from individuals who are simply curious about the birds to those who've spent their academic lives researching them the world over.
Additionally, Mind of the Raven allows a personal take and comment on the birds, some with names, others named in realtion to their tags. Otherwise, you will find that Henrich has very beautifully incorporated a reflection of the human behaviour and the misgivings of our existing scientific community whilst studying his feathered subjects.
I've never had contact with a raven. Heinrich's book is certainly motivating me to meet one soon. You'd want to read this whether or not you're into birds.

Although I have not yet read Ravens in Winter, after having read Mind of the Raven, I would not have any scruples about declaring these birds to be smarter than certain individuals who claim to be my relatives.

Each chapter is essentially a mini-story describing Heinrich's observations of raven behavior in exquisite, although at times excruciating, detail. Many of these observations are of Heinrich's wild-caught, hand-raised ravens housed in his aviary in Maine, while others are field studies conducted with (I dare not say "on") wild ravens. Heinrich also incorporates stories of pet ravens along with the research of others who have conducted field studies with these elusive birds. I was impressed by the fact that observations of ravens throughout the world were integrated throughout the book.

Heinrich manages to neatly intertwine innumerable factoids related to raven ecology and natural history within each behavioral observation. One learns what constitutes the typical diet of wild ravens (if there is such a thing), that only females make a call that sounds like knocking on wood, that it is not uncommon for ravens to reach 20 years of age or more, that ravens either are not offended by or simply cannot smell skunks - honestly, I felt like a raven expert after having read this book.

Overall, Heinrich does an excellent job of interpreting raven social behavior and cognition from his studies. Studies of the social behavior of wild and tame ravens are explored, and the behaviors of other animals are often presented to provide support for his speculations. Heinrich also examines the hypotheses proposed by the forerunners in animal behavior, such as Konrad Lorenz, along side his observations.

Heinrich incorporates studies he designed to test raven intelligence as well. One cannot help but marvel at how smart these birds are. Heinrich provides speculations on the results of these tests and I found myself nodding in agreement; however, I cannot decide if it is because his arguments are so cogent or if I'm simply so amazed by the results that I'm succumbing to anthropomorphism. Nevertheless, Heinrich notes that he was warned in graduate school to not study anything more intelligent than himself - he claims to have met his match.

In "Mind of the Raven", biologist Bernd Heinrich delves into the behavior of ravens as individuals who might have a conscious choice, as opposed to taking a strictly behavioral ecologist perspective of those behaviors as being simply the results of evolutionary necessity. Heinrich strives to share the insight into the world of ravens which he gained over the course of nearly a decade of studying and interacting with ravens, both wild and captive, at his Vermont and Maine homes. "Mind of the Raven" isn't confined to the birds' intelligence or consciousness, although chapters on these fascinating and controversial subjects are included. The "mind" of the book's title encompasses all behavior and experience in these birds' lives. Heinrich details innumerable observations and experiments which he conducted on the subjects of raven feeding and educating their young, cooperation, hunting, adoption, dominance, sensory perception, individual recognition, communication, fears, interaction with other animals, caching, deception, play, intelligence, and emotions. Heinrich seems to possess an insatiable -and infectious- curiosity about these magnificent birds, which is demonstrated in his exhausting and endlessly inventive experiments. Heinrich's studies are as controlled and straightforward as possible. And although they sometimes raise more questions than they answer, they never fail to entertain or to impress the reader with the complexity and variety of raven personalities. It's nice to read a book by a scientist who has such an enthusiasm for his field of study, as well as genuine affection for his subjects. "Mind of the Raven" is a very readable broad account of the lives and minds of these large, clever corvids that have so populated human folklore and experience for thousands of years. I recommend it to any bird-lover, and those who have occasion to observe ravens will find Bernd Heinrich's insights especially interesting.

Heinrich has managed a comprehensive and entertaining book on the behavior, biology and indeed, mind of the raven.
His book expresses his struggles as a scientist to have what evidence he has abt the behaviour of these "wolf birds", accepted by the scientific community which continues to be conservative.
Expect to learn all and more you ever dared to ask about ravens. Heinrich's studies of ravens are long term and an accumulation of information fed from individuals who are simply curious about the birds to those who've spent their academic lives researching them the world over.
Additionally, Mind of the Raven allows a personal take and comment on the birds, some with names, others named in realtion to their tags. Otherwise, you will find that Henrich has very beautifully incorporated a reflection of the human behaviour and the misgivings of our existing scientific community whilst studying his feathered subjects.
I've never had contact with a raven. Heinrich's book is certainly motivating me to meet one soon. You'd want to read this whether or not you're into birds.

Although I have not yet read Ravens in Winter, after having read Mind of the Raven, I would not have any scruples about declaring these birds to be smarter than certain individuals who claim to be my relatives.

Each chapter is essentially a mini-story describing Heinrich's observations of raven behavior in exquisite, although at times excruciating, detail. Many of these observations are of Heinrich's wild-caught, hand-raised ravens housed in his aviary in Maine, while others are field studies conducted with (I dare not say "on") wild ravens. Heinrich also incorporates stories of pet ravens along with the research of others who have conducted field studies with these elusive birds. I was impressed by the fact that observations of ravens throughout the world were integrated throughout the book.

Heinrich manages to neatly intertwine innumerable factoids related to raven ecology and natural history within each behavioral observation. One learns what constitutes the typical diet of wild ravens (if there is such a thing), that only females make a call that sounds like knocking on wood, that it is not uncommon for ravens to reach 20 years of age or more, that ravens either are not offended by or simply cannot smell skunks - honestly, I felt like a raven expert after having read this book.

Overall, Heinrich does an excellent job of interpreting raven social behavior and cognition from his studies. Studies of the social behavior of wild and tame ravens are explored, and the behaviors of other animals are often presented to provide support for his speculations. Heinrich also examines the hypotheses proposed by the forerunners in animal behavior, such as Konrad Lorenz, along side his observations.

Heinrich incorporates studies he designed to test raven intelligence as well. One cannot help but marvel at how smart these birds are. Heinrich provides speculations on the results of these tests and I found myself nodding in agreement; however, I cannot decide if it is because his arguments are so cogent or if I'm simply so amazed by the results that I'm succumbing to anthropomorphism. Nevertheless, Heinrich notes that he was warned in graduate school to not study anything more intelligent than himself - he claims to have met his match.

This is my first Bernd Heinrich read. It will not be the last. The author is simply one of the best at translating his very considerable scientific expertise into readable, entertaining narrative that is easily understandable, entertaining, and enjoyable.
This particular book examines the intelligence of ravens, birds that some disdain to their eternal error. Primitive peoples, who were far closer to nature than ourselves, readily understood and appreciated the cunning, slyness, and outright cognitive ability and reasoning possessed by the remarkable raven. Numerous legends, including Biblical references, prove the point. Heinrich refreshingly shows how scientists are rediscovering these traits, at long last.
I am no expert on birds or avian science, but I am a country boy who spent a good many hours watching birds in action. Ravens were always interesting to me, and are far more so after reading this wonderful book. I would have appreciated more photos and diagrams, but this is a minor quibble. I recommend the book highly, and urge you to read it. You will be continualy amazed, and the book will hold your attention to the end.

In this book, Mr. Heinrich does it again, with his apt, close-up observations of raven behavior that leave the mind in wonder at these most graceful, important birds. Why important? Read the book!
As a wildlife rehabilitator and one who has been in the process of attempting to release an imprinted raven to the wilds, I have witnessed in this bird, many of the behaviors described by Mr. Heinrich, as he applies them to the eastern / northern subspecies of Corvus corax, called C.c. principalis. Since I am on the west coast and dealing with the smaller subspecies, C.c. sinuatus, I can only surmise that the behaviors he ascribes to his eastern broods are going to be similar to my western friends. Though indeed they are, I must also keep in mind that just as certain jay species have certain geographical dialects, so ravens must also, and this variable can also apply to behavior.
Thank you, Bernd Heinrich, for publishing this wonderful work!
I am in the midst of reading it and find it extremely valuable to my own studies and am consisistently engrossed and enthralled, entertained and educated, by your observations put into writing.
As with Ravens In Winter, I am finding Mind of the Raven intensely gratifying in answering some of my questions and equally surprising in discovering that there is still so much more we need to learn about ravens as a species and corvids as a whole. Indeed, we can also learn something of ourselves, somehow. . .

After reading this book I am more convinced than ever that the Idaho Legislators that put up the $100,000 to kill
4,000 ravens is a smoke screen for the welfare ranchers. The ranchers are afraid that Sage grouse will be
listed as an endangered species and would therefore cause a problem The killing of ravens is to keep them from
disturbing the nesting sage grouse. The program is to put out thousands of poison chicken eggs to kill ravens.
Anything to keep the public from thinking about the welfare money and habitat damage caused by livestock
grazing.

"Mind of the Raven" is science accessible to the non-scientist.

This very interesting narrative describes a biologist's quest to figure out how ravens work - is their behavior innate, governed solely by genes, or do they have some sort of thinking process? Each field experiment answers some questions and raises others, leading to further experiments, some worked in the wild, and some with birds he raised in captivity.

Bernd Heinrich finds that these birds apparently have an intelligent approach to life: they can learn from experience and have the ability to deal with potential predators, to hide food from competitors, and to figure out puzzles.

The reader gets a fascinating look not only at the behavior and mind of ravens but also insight into how a biologist's mind works.

I originally got this book out of the library, but liked it so much I bought two to give as gifts.
Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds

See others by the same author, for instance Bumblebee Economics

A delightful book, "Mind of the Raven" takes the reader into the life of a truly amazing bird. Professor Heinrich writes more than just statistical trends: he brings us on a journey that makes us feel as though we know these birds personally. The book includes the results of Heinrich's studies, his personal interpretations and many, many wonderful stories about Heinrich's relationships with these birds. This is a very personal book, and goes beyond watching from a distance. Some scientists from certain schools of thought may find the book to be poor science. I couldn't disagree more. In a time when behaviorists are admitting that animals are conscious creatures, and the studies of animal behavior and cognitive psychology are slowly becoming one, Heinrich presents some fresh looks and new, creative methods to study animal minds. One can never truly know an animal until one is able to know what it knows, and why it feels that it does what it does. Bernd Heinrich certainly doesn't have all the answers - nor does he claim to - but he brings us as close to this kind of understanding as anybody possibly could. Dr. Heinrich, despite what critics say, keep up the wonderful work that you do. Maybe not in our lifetimes, but someday, this sort of research will be crucial to animal behavior/psychology studies, and you will have been one a small few who helped to usher it in. I highly recommend this book!

As (obviously) a raven enthusiast, I stumbled on this book a few months ago. The bookseller mentioned that this book was very popular (for reasons she seemed to not understand). Well I do now! I thoroughly enjoyed Henrichs blend of of his own scientific research and collection of myths, legends, ancedotes and observations about a bird that captured my imagination while working in SE Alaska for a summer.
Ravens are fascinating, enigmatic and amazing. This book is a wonderful in depth exploration of ravens book for any nature lover.

This is an amazing book. It's not an exaggeration to say that this is the most fascinating book I've ever read. I've always marveled at the idiosyncratic behavior of ravens, the sense of play that seems to pervade so much of what they do, and at their inventiveness. Reading this book takes me back the times I've sat in the mountains watching ravens. What an easy way to travel so far. And finally, after reading this book, I feel that I have at least a little insight into these incredible birds. I can't recommend this book too highly.

Starting from a basic love of nature, with curiosity about why Ravens are considered so special by the original people of the Northwest where I live, I was drawn to read Mind of the Raven. Never did I suspect the enthralling, delightful adventure into the world of the zoologist, the process of inquiry that generates discoveries made with great dedication, and caring and a sense of humor that would make the reading of this book a page-turning thrill. Bernd Heinrich has a gift for igniting wonderment at all of the creatures and plants in our ecosystem, and while he is focusing on the raven in this book, his enthusiasm for all nature is eloquently expressed in a perfect blend of scientific inquiry, and life experiences a layman could understand and enjoy. His years of raven study and living in the wilderness, his scientific expertise honed by dedicated experience, combine to offer us the best of all reads, fun, information, inspiration and delight as well as a treasurestore of knowledge about the amazing raven. Read it!! I am now on my third book of his and will be sure to read them all. Enjoy!
Be inspired!

A fascinating summary of lifetime raven observations by an insightful behavioral ecologist, Mind of the Raven provides clues of how blurred the concept of consciousness really is, and how "birdbrains" can indeed be very smart.

While visiting Canada every year for deer hunting I love to listen to the many varied sounds the Ravens make.
This book tells it all and I can relate to the time and research the author has put into it.
This is a great read...

A better title might be "Fooling Around with Ravens" or "All My Raven Experiments That Went Wrong," or, perhaps, "Why A Scientist Must Be Smarter Than His Subject."
This isn't science. It's not even natural history, since most of the behavior he views is the result of his own, contrived experiments. Where his first book, _Ravens in Winter_, was a specific study of a specific problem, this books describes a series of lame experiments, a sort of "seat of the pants" approach to biology. It doesn't work.
I live in interior Alaska and ravens are a part of the environment. They are clever, adaptable and resilient animals. Those that have habituated to cities prefer dumpsters behind fast food restaurants over any other kind, MacDonalds best of all. The incredible range of sounds they can make approaches the uncanny. And to see one on a streetlight at -50, a dim shape in the ice fog, is to understand a part of what makes both ravens and Alaska special.
But as much as I love ravens, this book does little to help me or anyone else understand them. This is dabbling. There is a real science of the Corvids, the family of birds of which the Common Raven is a member. To learn about ravens, try the real stuff.

The author writes less about ravens and more - much more - about himself; how amazing he is because of what he observes, how smart he is because of how he observes. His overemphasis on himself in the narrative was so obnoxious as to make the book unreadable for me. It's more of a "see how great I am" story than a "see how great the raven is." It's truly unfortunate that the author ruined what could have been a fascinating book with his uncontrolled ego.

The author had good intentions and his heart set on writing a both an educational and entertaining read about ravens, unfortunately this one did not hit it's mark. Had this 380 page overblown term paper been properly edited down to 170 pages, assumed the reader could retain information and not repeat instructive points, and included a strong story line I'm sure I would have enjoyed it.

I really tried to like this book, but after slogging through 3/4 of it I finally gave up. It was just very boring. I expected more organized research, with interesting hypotheses or at least organized conclusions. Instead this is a collection of stories that jumps around in place and time. It really don't provide any coherent picture of ravens other then that they are really cool birds. The author seems like a really nice guy ... :(

I eventually just put this back in the "library" of my Kindle, and would recommend that anyone interested (and patient) get a hard copy, since it's easier to skip around with those. I bought the book because I was (and am) interested in ravens and their lives, but the author seems more interested in writing about how he learned about ravens and the various techniques and ruses he used to do so. As with the recent (as I write) book about the ravens at the Tower of London, the author is constantly putting himself between the birds and the reader, and I finally just got too frustrated by being expected to admire him rather than them. So I shelved the book and will try it again, off and on, trying to find the sections that concentrate on the birds and not the author.