SC Book Club March 6, 2023, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

March 6, 2021, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows

Scott Weidensaul, A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds (2021)

Discussion Leader:  Sara Shettleworth

The author is an accomplished nature writer who has become deeply personally involved in the scientific study of migratory birds, helping to document migratory patterns all over the world. Indeed, one very enjoyable aspect of this book is the vivid descriptions of places like the trackless mudflats on the shores of the Yellow Sea where millions of shorebirds stop over each year. Advances in GPS technology allow migratory patterns to be studied in greater detail than ever before while other advances have shown how birds navigate by “seeing” Earth’s magnetic field and prepare for their journeys with remarkable changes in their physiology. And sadly, at the same time we witness a marked decline in bird numbers, for instance a reported loss of 3 billion birds in North America compared to 30 years ago. The causes in terms of climate change and other human-made alterations of the environment are a major theme of the book, although a few examples give reason for hope.

(available in print, audiobook, e-book, 347 pp, with 38 pp notes)

The link to register is https://forms.office.com/r/6EwUQnLP3G

The deadline to register is the Monday before the event at 8:00am. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only. 

If you have any questions, please contact the organizer – Linda Hutcheon at l.hutcheon@utoronto.ca.