Note: Starting in January 2025, we began publishing long-form book reviews written by GFPL staffers. The books are all available to check out at the Library, or from one of our Partner Libraries. We post a new review each month! Come back next month to find the next review.

‘Eavesdropping on Animals’ gives an intricate look into animal communication styles

Review by Amanda Baugus, Library Specialist
Book by George Bumann

Eavesdropping on Animals is a fascinating look into the intricate relationships between different species of animals, humans, and the environments that we share. It is extremely well written, and in it, the author, George Bumann, delves into scientific concepts and studies about animal communication, while managing to make the narrative immensely readable and easy to understand.

Bumann illustrates how signals and behaviors that animals exhibit are incredibly complex and interconnected, whether they are sharing the alarm that a predator such as a hawk is nearby, or alerting their family about a source of food that has recently become available. While recent studies have greatly expanded our knowledge, there are a myriad of systems of communication between animals or species that humans have yet to understand.

The author does an excellent job of showing many of the simple ways that we can slow down and quiet our minds to begin expanding our perception of what is occurring around us, whether we are here in Great Falls, or in the wilderness. He includes this quote from artist Floyd DeWitt, “what we find with our enriched sensory appetite, is an inescapable sense of awe,” which I agree with wholeheartedly.

There also are passages about birds – from chickadees to the eerily intelligent crow, to wolves, elephants, prairie dogs, deer, coyotes, and many others. Reading this book has led me to the conclusion that we have barely scratched the surface regarding animals’ communication methods.

Throughout the book Bumann describes animal conversations, plus the scientists and laypeople who have made studying animal communication and behaviors their lives. One example that particularly stood out for me was the remarkable experiences of Conger “Connie” Hagar of Rockport, Texas. Connie had no formal training in bird watching, but devoted her adult life to studying a four-by-seven mile area on Aransas Bay.

Twice a day, for 35 years, she explored this area, and collected data. Her research enriched our knowledge of birds in this area of coastal Texas, and added more than 20 species to the Texas State Bird List.

The author also describes how observing and becoming a caretaker for even a tiny piece of the earth changes your perspective and deepens your sense of home and connection to all living things. I loved the way he put an emphasis on respecting the animals and their nature as you go about your exploration of communication and awareness. Bumann explains the importance of having direct experiences with nature, reading or watching something on your phone will not create lasting memories about animals and nature the way that having actual interactions with the world around you will. There’s also an appendix of ideas to deepen your understanding, abilities, and connection to the natural world around you, which I am very excited to try!

This is a love letter to the earth and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is not a long book, with only 244 pages, but the information it contains could set your life on a course that expands your relationships with all creatures; animal or human. George Bumann is an artist and an accomplished naturalist whose love of wildlife and ecology is evident from the first page! Eavesdropping on Animals is a book I will never forget.