From: Robert Gosford <bgosford@gmail.com>
Date: 2010-12-25 01:46
Subject: Ethnoornithology update - Mark Cocker's "Birds and People" project
Dear Kenyan birders,

Just a quick note to encourage you to have a look at our ethnoornithological colleague Mark Cocker's Birds and People book project which is, after more than five years of hard work, within sight of completion.

For those not familiar with Mark's work - particular his work on ethnoornithology - I would recommend that you have a look at his regular contributions to the Country Diary at The Guardian and also his previous books, including his
wonderful look at the ethnoornithology of the United Kingdom in his magisterial book Birds Britannica, which has been described as:

"...one of the most important bird books of the last decade. It covers cultural links; social history; birds as food; ecology; the lore and language of birds; myths, art, literature and music; anecdotes, birdsong and rare facts; modern developments; migration, the seasons and our sense of place. An attempt to describe the interaction of birds and humans, it captures the essence of why birds matter."

Birds and People is a collaborative effort and after five years work Mark notes that:

"Birds and People is a book closing in on completion. It has been an enormously challenging project but we have had a fabulous response from people all over the world. To date 380 individuals of 60 nationalities
have submitted many thousands of contributions on the full spectrum of ways that birds and people interact. These participants include a huge cross section of humanity, from life-serving prisoners to
internationally acclaimed, award-winning poets and novelists, from Mongolian eagle-hunters to Iranian schoolteachers, and from Maya to Maoris and Masai."

You can read more about this ground-breaking work at the Birds and People website  here.

And if you are interested in learning more about - and contributing to - the fascinating world of ethnoornithology and ethnobiology I would recommend a visit to the website of the Ethnoornithology Research & Study Group.

Best of the season to you all,

Bob Gosford
Ethnoornithology Research & Study Group moderator
Alice Springs,
central Australia