How to interpret the Behaviors and Patterns of Nature

Join expert tracker and nature mentor Jon Young in this two-disc journey examining the language of birds. This set will give you the tools you need to see the landscape through the eyes of the birds, and bringing you to a more intimate relationship with the world unfolding outside your door.

Jon Young distills 35 years field knowledge of bird behaviors to bring you the basics of Bird Language. Learning to recognize the meanings of vocalization types and body signals of common birds, you will clearly see the essential role they play in the lives of the birds.

Get Disc 1 for learning to identify bird language patterns in the field. Get Disc 2 for learning how to map out the behavior you are seeing both on your own and in group settings (Discs sold separately).

Disc 1 – Bird Language Basics:

Through animations, nature footage and Jon Young’s compelling narration, you will learn the basic tools necessary to begin deciphering the language hidden in the vocalizations and behaviors of common song birds. In Bird Language Basics we will examine the 5 Voices of the Birds, the 12 Shapes of Alarm, and the five “Best” Bird Language Birds. You will never look at a song bird the same way again!

The animations in Disc One highlight big-picture patterns of bird language that allow you to step into the world of birds and animals unfolding beyond the boundaries of our awareness. Like the Kalahari Bushmen of Africa, people in both cities and rural areas can use knowledge of bird language as a dynamic indicator of predator-prey relationships.

This updated second edition includes new expanded footage of the Five Voices of bird language in action.

Disc 2 – Bird Language Groups:

With decades of teaching Bird Language, Jon Young has distilled the process down to a fun and efficient Bird Language Group learning model.

Follow five experts in Bird Language Groups, as they conduct their own bird sit, mapping session and debrief, and explain the conduct, conventions and systems necessary to run a Bird Language group in your neighborhood.

In this disc, you will become acquainted with mentoring methods for teaching bird language developed by Jon and other instructors at the Wilderness Awareness School and the 8 Shields Institute. This method of group bird sits and bird language mapping is demonstrated in a way that enhances the experience of both the beginning and experienced naturalist.

Bird Language Groups from Village Video on Vimeo

Purchase your order securely through the 8 Shields Webstore:

Thoughts from Jon Young on this series:

“This DVD set is really valuable for two reasons. First, the animated alarm shapes tell a story in a way you can’t get confused by — even more effective than live shots, where the complexity of other aspects of nature can easily distract.

Second, the animated overlays on the mapping process for a bird language sit are extremely helpful: The map shades the areas as they are being spoken about.

The debrief of a bird sit does an excellent job of showing you how to do this yourself with family, friends and neighbors — it’s by far the best training media for hosting and effectively debriefing bird sits, to gain the maximum results in learning bird language, applied mentoring principles and experience in nature connection immersion at its finest.

With the full treatment of five species of common and optimal bird-language birds, and the fold-out shapes of alarm insert, this is a wonderful primer!”