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Buteo Book Club: August 2026 Discussion Questions

Your First Name + Last Initial

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Your Location (city, state, &/or country - whatever you're comfortable sharing!)

Here are the 5 discussion questions we've posed for responding to Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration. You can fill in answers to as many or as few of these questions as you like! Write as much or as little as you like. If you prefer to share handwritten notes or a record voice note instead of typing into this form, scroll down and use the "file upload" section.

What’s something you learned about bird migration that you didn't know before reading this book? Were you surprised by how scientists figured it out?

One of the first scientific breakthroughs that Rebecca Heisman recounts is the capturing and banding of birds. Have you observed a banded bird? Tell us about your experience reporting that sighting (or with banding more generally!)

The author presents an ethical question: How do we decide when the benefits of the knowledge we gain from tracking devices outweigh the potential harm to individual birds? Tell us what you think the answer is.

Many different migration stories are told in this book. Does one particular bird, species, or story stand out for you?

In addition to profiling the scientists who have contributed to our current understanding of bird migration, Heisman writes about community science. Tell us about your involvement with data projects, like Christmas Bird Count, Project Feeder Watch, or eBird.

Anything else you'd like to share?

If you prefer to share a photo of your handwritten notes or to record a voice note instead of typing responses into this form, upload the file here.

Optional bonus: if you want to share a photo (a selfie of you with the book, your book + coffee, a migrant bird you've seen, or anything else you'd like fellow book club members to see!) upload it here.