Page 97 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #10

WILD AT HOME
BOOK
Underbug
LISA MARGONELLI, ONEWORLD, £14.99
Termites are small, but
have grand effects.
Their biomass in a
tropical forest can
match that of Serengeti
wildebeest, they construct cities of
cement and they digest all
cellulose, from trees to
cowpats. But this book
explores more than just their
ecology. The boundaries of
Margonelli’s interest expand
outwards to meet the
programmers and roboticists
looking to replicate termite
building skills that might
terraform Mars, and
inwards to the geneticists
unravelling the insects’
gut biochemistry with a
view to creating fuel
methane. An eminently
readable melange of the
termite microcosm.
Richard Jones
Entomologist
CRAFT FOR KIDS
The Big Sticker
Book of the Blue
YUVAL ZOMMER, THAMES & HUDSON, £8.95
How do you make
a book on marine
wildlife even more
fun? Add stickers! In
marinated anchovies: Kyoko Uchida/Alamy; temite mound: Denis-Huot/naturepl.com
this lively follow-up
to Zommer’s previous Big Books
of Beasts and Bugs, kids are
encouraged to think about how
sea creatures communicate, swim
and eat by sketching, colouring
and sticking. They’ll learn how
anglerfish use dangling lights to
lure prey; how the flattened tails
of sea snakes power them through
the water; and how seahorses grip
seaweed with their tails. Minor
inaccuracies aside (‘humpbacks’
are clearly sperm whales), this is a
colourful treat for youngsters. PB
October 2018
MEET THE AUTHOR
Michael Quetting
The ornithologist recalls the challenges and
joys of raising a clutch of greylag geese.
So,whyraiseaclutchofgeese?
I was working on a long-term project at
the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology
to research whether geese could be trained
to carry tiny data-loggers. The aim was that
they would collect real-time meteorological
data and information on the flight
mechanics of birds. To ensure we could
fit and remove the devices easily, the birds
had to be raised – and taught to fly – by a
human. Because I can fly a microlight, I
was chosen as ‘Papa Goose’.
Howdidyougetthebirdstoimprint?
I read to the incubating eggs for a couple
of hours a day so they knew my voice,
and made sure I was the first thing the
hatchlings saw. I held them and put them
under my jumper to give them my warmth
and smell. If the birds were to eventually
follow me in my microlight, it was crucial
that they accepted me as their leader.
Howintenseweretheearlydays?
Very. It reminded me of when my own
children were born. The birds needed
constant care and reassurance, so I lived in
a trailer beside their aviary for the duration Yes, that was always the plan. I had
of the project. Goslings make a distinct
sound when they’re tired, which sounds
like someone gently blowing a whistle.
When hungry, they peck at your toes.
Howdidyougetthegoslings used to
yourmicrolight?
I’d played the sound of the propeller into
the incubator, so they weren’t fazed by the
noise. We took daily walks with it – I’d taxi
the craft into a field and the birds would
follow. Later, we moved to an airfield and
they would follow me along the runway.
Howdidyourirstlightfeel?
Amazing. The birds flew beside me so
effortlessly. Sometimes it was as if they felt
sorry for me, in my carbon machine.
DidanyofthegeesegoAWOL?
Indeed. And it was exhausting, because I
had to spend ages searching for them. I’d
usually find them sitting in a cornfield.
Werethegeesediferent?
Yes. I had no idea that their personalities
would be so distinctive. Paul was obedient
and caring; Calimero was very protective.
Freddy was the only one who unmasked me
as a fraud. He didn’t want to fly with me.
Didthegeesegobacktothewild?
imagined a moving scene in which
I solemnly released them. But, as I
discovered, nature doesn’t much care for
solemn moments. And neither do geese.
Michael flying in
formation with
‘his’ geese.
Papa Goose:
One Year,
Seven Goslings, Michael Quetting: colourFIELD tell-a-vision
and the Flight
of my Life
£16.99,
Greystone
Books
BBC Wildlife 97