Eavesdropping on Animals

George Bumann (rhymes with ‘human’) is an animal language expert, artist, and naturalist living with his wife, son, and black Labrador at the northern entrance of Yellowstone National Park. With a background in wildlife ecology and field experience spanning four decades from across the globe, Bumann explores the lives of his wild neighbors and tells their stories through his teachings and bronze sculpture—often depicting individual animals he’s known for days, months, years, and even, generations.His art and educational programming have appeared in the Salt Lake City Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Sacramento Bee, and on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, and on the TEDx stage. His bronze sculptures reside in public and private collections across North America and around the world. Information about his programs on animal language is available online.Jon Young grew up in New Jersey and was mentored from the age of ten as a naturalist and tracker by a master tracker into his early adulthood. He is passionate about teaching the benefits of connecting deeply with the natural world. He lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California.

• IntroductionPart 1: A Sense for Your SurroundingsChapter 1: Voices all AroundChapter 2: Entering Creature SpeakChapter 3: The Detectable Universe?, for A Pin DropChapter 4: The Signal in the NoiseChapter 5: Connecting the DotsChapter 6: Animal SensesChapter 7: Our SensesChapter 8: Repeat After MePart 2: What Animals Are Telling YouChapter 9: The GossipsChapter 10: You’re Being WatchedChapter 11: Making WavesChapter 12: Scariest of the ScaryChapter 13: Specifically Speaking or The Language of Alarm?Chapter 14: The Wild in Your BackyardChapter 15: Variations on a ThemeChapter 16: Howling MysteriesPart 3: Going Deeper into PlaceChapter 17: 1+1=1000Chapter 18: The Honeycomb LandscapeChapter 19: WildSense 2.0 previously Changing Your TuneChapter 20: Becoming InvisibleChapter 21: The Power of OneChapter 22: Making it Your OwnConclusionChapter notesAcknowledgments

"Bumann's unmitigated delight in being part of wildlife conversations is palpable and contagious...With an abundance of anecdotes and suggested exercises, Eavesdropping on Animals demonstrates the benefits and possibilities that await readers attuned to the wildlife conversations around them."—Shelf Awareness"Eavesdropping on Animals is an essential read deserving of a global audience"—Psychology Today"A Yellowstone wildlife ecologist and artist exhorts readers to open up our senses to the outdoors...Bumann’s notion that wildlife in conversation is as incessant and universal as human communication is pleasing."—Kirkus Reviews“[Bumann’s] enthusiasm for discovering more about the natural world is infectious. [...] This book is a tantalizing guide to revamping our approach to wild things, in the hope of a deeper communion.”—The Wall Street Journal“Be prepared for your sense to be supercharged after reading this insightful look about what nature has to say.”—Montana Quarterly"[Bumann] teaches the reader how to become attuned to wildlife no matter where they are, whether in the city or country, in the woods or outside their home....For those who loved Ed Yong’s An Immense World (2022) or books by Peter Wohlleben, this will be another treasured read."—Booklist"Bumann guides the reader through bursts of connection and discovery in ways that open our eyes and ears, until we suddenly exhale, 'Wow.' There are many of these moments. You will be transformed."—Fred Newman, performer, composer, and live sound artist"In this captivating read, Bumann shares his profound insights on forming a deeper bond with nature by attuning ourselves to its subtle languages. He guides us into a seldom-seen world, where understanding the whispers of the earth opens the door to a life filled with more connection and meaning.”—Casey Anderson, wildlife filmmaker and naturalist“This book is a rare gift for anyone looking to expand their connections to the natural world.”—Steve Kestrel, award-winning wildlife sculptor“Bumann’s reflections invite us to slow down, sit still, and revel in the languages of non-human Earthlings all around us.”—Todd Wilkinson, award-winning journalist and author“This book left me yearning to be in a forest, leaning into the conversations around me.”—Joanna E. Lambert, animal behavioral ecologist and Professor, University of Colorado - Boulder“I’ve spent my entire life listening to the natural world, and after reading George Bumann’s book, I realize I wasn’t really listening at all.”—Jack Horner, Presidential Fellow, Chapman University“Bumann's book is not only an enlightening exploration of animal behavior but also a celebration of the magic inherent in our shared existence with countless curious beings. A captivating read, it will leave readers inspired to embrace the wonder of the world around them.”—Katie Sieving, professor of wildlife ecology and conservation, University of Florida“In Eavesdropping on Animals, naturalist and artist George Bumann has provided a vital off-road map for all of us to find our way—and even perhaps our place—in the natural world.”—Joe Hutto, award-winning author of Illumination in the Flatwoods“In Eavesdropping on Animals, George Bumann gives you the tools and skills you need to build a closer relationship with the natural world. And more importantly, this elegant volume will make you excited to go outside and open your new toolbox. It will improve your life.”—Scott McMillion, author, Mark of the Grizzly, and editor, Montana Quarterly“In these pages, noted naturalist and artist George Bumann shows us how to get outside of our own thoughts, how to let the curtains that separate us from the natural world drop away. This lovely friendly book is your personal invitation to what Bumann calls "an inescapable sense of awe.””—Carl Safina, author of Alfie and Me and What Owls Know, What Humans Believe“A highly readable book that clearly demonstrates there is a whole world of animal language all around us, waiting for us to figure out how to listen and how to understand.”—Con Slobodchikoff, PhD, author of Chasing Doctor Dolittle: Learning the Language of Animals“Bumann shows us how to unlock the code of animal communication and become privy to the fascinating ways animals talk to their friends, their foes …and to us.”—Douglas W. Tallamy, author of Nature's Best Hope"In this warm and welcoming book, George Bumann engages all our senses to help bring us back home again, reconnecting us to our fellow creatures on this sweet, green Earth. You won't want to miss the conversations going on around you!"—Sy Montgomery, author of Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell“This gracefully written, captivating book guides us in keeping our senses wide open when we venture into nature. Despite my 50 years' experience as a naturalist, I gained much new awareness, and I am already putting Bumann's teachings to good use.”—Jonathan Balcombe, author of Super Fly and What a Fish Knows“Bumann combines his biologist's training with an artist's sensitivity to describe strategies we can apply to engage, understand, and more fully appreciate the many different ways wild species communicate. His evidence, insights, and guidance encourage us to apply all our senses—and suddenly we move beyond mere identification and into the complexity of life.”—Tony Angell, author of The House of Owls"An enjoyable and timely reminder that there is another world we once heard and might yet hear again—if we take the time to listen."—Tristan Gooley, author of How to Read a Tree"Jaunty, savvy, learned and compulsively readable. Bumann teaches us how to pay attention - not just to the wild world, but also to ourselves. He's tremendous company as he takes us walking through the woods and hills, and you'll not want the walk to end."—Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast and Cry of the Wild"There is no doubt in my mind that reading George Bumann’s book Eavesdropping on Animals will enlarge your ability to appreciate nature and add to your enjoyment of life in general. He gives us tips such as locating “treasured sit-spots,” making up names for these special places, and experiencing the thrill of simply listening. When I was a teenager, I would climb to a lower branch of a big White Pine, sit quietly, and let nature come to me. Although it was not spectacular, these were some of the most pleasurable and memorable moments of my young life. This book is a trail guide to lead you there."—Robert Bateman“An engaging guide to a world of wonders hiding in plain sight.”—Peter Wohlleben, New York Times bestselling author of The Inner Life of Animals and The Hidden Life of Trees"Rewilding our hearts and souls in the ways laid out in this book will go a long way toward improving people's lives as well as the health and well-being of our magnificent but wounded planet."—Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., author of Rewilding Our Hearts and The Emotional Lives of Animals"Naturalist and artist George Bumann listens before he looks. In so doing, he sees more than most. Eavesdropping on Animals teaches us how to listen—to the barks of coyotes, the gossip of birds, and other natural utterings—so that we can understand what the natural world is telling us."—John M. Marzluff, Professor of Wildlife Science, University of Washington, and author of Gifts of the Crow, Welcome to Subirdia, and In Search of Meadowlarks“Bumann describes ways to control our body and enhance our senses so we can enter natural areas without scaring away all the creatures, and then enjoy eavesdropping on them. Bonus: scattered throughout the book are dozens of informative, fascinating, and often funny stories of his personal encounters with animals.”—Kay Wosewick, Boswell Books“Perfect for our bookstore with animals living all around us. Fun and easy read.”—Mollie Mitchell, HearthFire Books“Eavesdropping on Animals is the perfect book for anyone who loves wildlife. Filled with facts and anecdotes on what we can learn when we sit quietly and listen, this would make a wonderful gift for the animal lover in your life.”—Mary OMalley, Skylark Bookshop“[George Bumann] has spent four decades watching critters in the wild, and he's out to share what he has learned with anyone who wants to understand the language of our fellow earthly inhabitants.”—Linda Bond, Auntie's Bookstore