The necessity of living in harmony with nature is a ubiquitous challenge of the early 21st century, but short of abandoning civilization and moving to the wilderness, many struggle with how to do this. In Eavesdropping on Animals, George Bumann illustrates how anyone--including urban dwellers--can tap into and become a conscious and responsible participant in interspecies conversations.
The first part of the book, "A Sense for Your Surroundings," eases readers into a mindset of "eavesdropping" on animals by explaining several contexts, including human and animal senses. In the second part, "What Animals Are Telling You," Bumann gets specific about how to discern the meanings of wildlife sounds, such as the "trumpeting of a goose at the community duck pond," "the yips of a ground squirrel," "a coyote barking on a hilltop," and the "yowling, cat-like cry" of a bobcat. The third part, "Going Deeper into Space," builds on the opening of the senses accomplished in the previous parts and provides guidance on personal practices to optimize the gains of eavesdropping on animals, including knowing what they're saying about humans and responsibly entering the conversations.
Bumann's unmitigated delight in being part of wildlife conversations is palpable and contagious. He draws on anecdotes from friends, experts, and students, in addition to his own experiences of childhood hunting lessons, turkey-calling competitions, research trips, and teaching, to vividly portray the benefits of his methods, which build on "Indigenous ways of knowing." An appendix that summarizes each chapter's suggested exercises allows readers to continue learning, pointing the way forward to serenity amid the beautiful cacophony. --Dainy Bernstein, freelance reviewer