Introducing the new book

Eavesdropping on Animals:

What We Can Learn From Wild Conversations 

By George Bumann

Forward by Jon Young

Humans once relied on the calls of wild animals to understand the natural world and their place within it. Now, this remarkable guide reveals what our ancestors knew long ago-that tuning in to the owl in the tree, the deer in the gully, can tell us important information and help us feel connected to our wild community.

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"This book is fabulous and takes you close inside the wild world, where you feel the creatures whispering your old name."

Craig Foster, My Octopus Teacher

Learn how to decode the secret conversations of wild animals all around you...

In Eavesdropping on Animals, George Bumann shares the fascinating stories and insights he has gained from studying wildlife around the world for more than forty years, the last twenty of which have been spent leading popular programs on animal language and intelligence in Yellowstone National Park. Bumann shares tips, tricks, and advice for readers living in urban, suburban and rural areas and clearly shows us that you don’t need an exotic vacation or a biology degree to have transformative wildlife encounters.

Listening to and observing creatures in your own backyard, on nearby trails, and in local parks, seashores, fields, and forests can lead to extraordinary experiences and a profound sense of belonging.

Are you ready to eavesdrop on your wild neighbors? Are you ready to learn how to tell a warning call from a mating call, a purr of satisfaction from idle chatter? Then this book is for you!

From a Yellowstone naturalist and renowned expert in animal language comes “an engaging guide to a world of wonders hiding in plain sight.”

Peter Wohlleben, New York Times bestselling author of The Hidden Life of Trees

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"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

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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.

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Here’s what everyone is saying about Eavesdropping on Animals.

“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

"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

“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

“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

"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

"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 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


“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

"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

"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

"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

“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

“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

“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

"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, Artist, Naturalist

“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

“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

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