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BIRDCHAT for Tuesday, April 1, 2008
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Subject: New Discovery
From: "Eddie Chapman" <echapman(AT)online.no>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 12:58am
Hallo all,
Check out this video from the BBC. The menu for the video is on the left.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/04/01/video-exclusive-first-eve
r-images-of-the-world-s-only-flying-penguins-89520-20369322/
Regards,
Eddie Chapman, Voss, Norway.
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Puffbirds finsihed
From: "John Murray Penhallurick" <jpenhall(AT)bigpond.net.au>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 2:15am
Dear Frieds,
I have completed another milestone on my website http://worldbirdinfo.net
<http://worldbirdinfo.net/> by having entered all the data for the
Puffbirds Bucconidae.
Enjoy, and as always, any corrections, comments etc welcomed. It’s free.
John Penhallurick
86 Bingley Crescent
FRASER, A.C.T. 2615
AUSTRALIA
S 35° 11' 40.2"
E 149° 03' 26.2"
Home Telephone: (61 2) 6258 5428
Mobile 0408 585428
Please visit my website http://worldbirdinfo.net <http://worldbirdinfo.net/>
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: rusty blackbirds
From: mikehigg(AT)optonline.net
Date: 1 Apr 2008 3:42am
Will someone please direct me to the website collecting data on rusty
blackbirds? Thank you.Mike HiggistonLong Islandmikehigg(AT)optonline.net
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: FW: rusty blackbirds
From: Diana Teta <dteta(AT)suffolk.lib.ny.us>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 4:30am
Ebird.org
-----Original Message-----
From: National Birding Hotline Cooperative (Chat Line)
[mailto:BIRDCHAT(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of mikehigg(AT)OPTONLINE.NET
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 6:42 AM
To: BIRDCHAT(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
Subject: rusty blackbirds
Will someone please direct me to the website collecting data on rusty bl=
ackbirds=3F=A0 Thank you=2EMike HiggistonLong Islandmikehigg=40optonline=
=2Enet
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: New Discovery
From: Mark Cranford <mark.cranford(AT)rogers.com>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 4:38am
Most be from the same group that filmed spaghetti plantations. Where is
Jeff Price and Vampire Hummingbirds. April 1.
Mark Cranford
Mississauga, Ont.
mark.cranford at rogers dot com
Eddie Chapman wrote:
> Hallo all,
>
> Check out this video from the BBC. The menu for the video is on the left.
>
>
>
> http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/04/01/video-exclusive-first-eve
> r-images-of-the-world-s-only-flying-penguins-89520-20369322/
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Eddie Chapman, Voss, Norway.
>
> BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
> Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
>
>
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Boreal Forest and Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas
From: Jean Iron <jeaniron(AT)sympatico.ca>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 8:25am
With the current interest in boreal forest birds, we recommend the
newly published Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas. A large portion of
Canada's boreal forest is in Ontario. The range maps in color show
where species such as Bonaparte's Gull, Swainson's Thrush, Wilson's
Warbler, and other boreal species breed. Best of all are the relative
abundance (breeding density) maps generated from point count data.
Ontario wisely chose to do point counts, which also made it possible
to produce population estimates for 124 species. Over 50,000 point
counts were done. The Nashville Warbler population at 15,000,000 is
the commonest breeding bird in Ontario. Estimates for declining
species such as Olive-sided Flycatcher is 100,000 and Rusty Blackbird
is 1,200,000. The population estimates are generally thought to be
conservative. Atlas data indicate that most boreal species breeding
in Ontario are doing well.
Please note that we are biased because we participated in the Atlas
and the Ontario Field Ornithologists is a sponsor and management
board partner. We feel that the Ontario Atlas is the best breeding
bird atlas yet published. The data and detailed species accounts were
extensively peer-reviewed. We recommend the Atlas to birders in the
eastern United States who want a better understanding of the boreal
breeding species that they see during migration.
To see range maps and sample species accounts
http://www.birdsontario.org/atlas/index.jsp
Jean Iron and Ron Pittaway
Ontario Field Ornithologists
Toronto ON
jeaniron At sympatico.ca
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
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Subject: Bird Seed Recall
From: Dennis Burnette <deburnette(AT)triad.rr.com>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 8:46am
FYI:
In the United States Scott's Miracle-Gro has recalled their Morning Song and
Country Pride bird feeding products. The products were treated with
pesticides and fungicides to reduce moth and fungus problems during storage,
the company says. These chemicals weren't approved by the US Environmental
Protection Agency for use in bird feed. The company's statement can be read
on their website: http://www.scotts.com . They downplay the risk, but the
fact that they have removed the products from their dealers' shelves
certainly raises red flags, not only about the products but also about the
company.
--
Dennis Burnette
Greensboro, NC
deburnette(AT)triad.rr.com
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
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Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Re:_rusty_blackbirds?=
From: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Tim_Boucher?= <tboucher(AT)GEOCITIES.COM>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 9:52am
Actually, I think this is what you are looking for:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Research/Rusty_Blackbird/
This is a working group based at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, and
it says:
We are still learning about the distribution and abundance of rusty blackbirds.
Your observations can help piece together the puzzle.
Please include: date, location, habitat, number, sex of birds, activity (for
example roosting or feeding).
We welcome all observations, but we are particularly interested in:
* breeding sites
* concentrations of birds during winter (Dec-Mar)
Email sightings to Sam Droege
(go to the website to get his e-mail address; I don't want to post it here)
Ellen Paul
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: North America Field Guides---How do they
rate?
From: Jim Turner <havivoca(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 10:13am
Since I started the thread, I'll put in my observations.
Nobody has mentioned Kaufman, which I rate very highly. Two of the main
advantages of Kaufman are 1) portability, in a pocket, and 2) the two-tone range
maps, indicate main range, and fringe area where the bird occurs but might not
be expected. And, personally, I like the photographic illustrations. Photos
can often capture the 'texture' amd 'gloss' of the plumage, which is difficult
to do by hand, Also, yellow is a weakness in most illustrated field guides, as
that hue seems difficult to render faithfully on a canvas.
Sibley's physical book, to me, is so mechanically problematic, that I consult
mine only in emergency. It is impossible to 'riffle' through the pages---one
has to lay the book down on a desk or a lap and turn the pages one by one to
leaf through a section.. The abject lack of text in Sibley is a real downer, in
that he makes almost no reference to behavior or voice, both of which can be
helpful (if not absolutely diagnostic) in identification. There are obvious
strong points to Sibley which put it in a class by itself as a desk reference,
but not as a "field" guide,
Overall, my recommendatin would be National Geographic, which is manageable
and comprehensive, and useful in the field to both the beginner and the seasoned
birder.
North America badly needs a field guide comparable to Mullarney's Birds of
Europe. About the same size and weight as National Geographic, Mullarney
contains at least twice as much text (all birder-useful), and more illustrations
which includes many useful aspect poses. and clear species separation on the
plates, To pack it all in, there is a presumtion that birders have pretty good
eyesight, which is probably not an unreasonable leap of faith. On the bad side,
the index is horrible, and the range maps a bit tight. But it is the best
field guide I've ever seen.
=================
Jim Turner
Victoria, Texas
havivoca(AT)yahoo.com
---------------------------------
You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total
Access, No Cost.
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
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Subject: RE: North America Field Guides---How do they
rate?
From: "Wayne Weber" <contopus(AT)telus.net>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 10:36am
Birdchatters,
I keep the National Geographic field guide and the Sibley Guide in my car at
all times when I'm birding. That said, I prefer the National Geographic
guide in a number of ways. I find that most of the illustrations in the
Sibley Guide are too small for me (even though there are more of them), and
the text is often much too brief and telegraphic.
The abundance of illustrations in the Sibley Guide can be both an asset and
a liability, depending on the situation. Although Sibley illustrates many
plumages not shown in most other guides, I find that it often seduces
inexperienced birders into trying to identify subspecies (or subspecies
groups) that cannot be identified with certainty, or into trying to
determine the age or sex of a bird when it cannot be determined with
certainty. Perhaps Sibley illustrated these various plumages mainly to show
the range of variation within a species, but many birders jump to
conclusions and assume that age, sex, or geographic populations can be
identified with certainty from these illustrations, even in situations where
they cannot.
Sibley is not the best guide for a beginner.
All the same, there is a lot of information in the Sibley Guide that is not
in the National Geo guide, and I usually keep both handy. There are other
books that are also useful as field guides, including some that were not
mainly intended as such. For example, "The Birds of Canada" (which covers
half of North America) is very helpful for identification, and includes
range maps that are better than those in the standard field guides, although
some of these are now out of date (the book is 20 years old.)
Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus(AT)telus.net
-----Original Message-----
From: National Birding Hotline Cooperative (Chat Line)
[mailto:BIRDCHAT(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Jim Turner
Sent: March-31-08 8:54 AM
To: BIRDCHAT(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
Subject: [BIRDCHAT] North America Field Guides---How do they rate?
Which is your favorite field guide, and why? I'd like to see some opinions
on the well-known field guides to North American birds. If you feel
ambitious, list the plusses and nimuses of each one, Most of you have also
used field guides from other continents, either in the armchair or in the
field How do NA field guides compare with those of other regions?
=================
Jim Turner
Victoria, Texas
havivoca(AT)yahoo.com
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Recent photo of last Great Auk in Canada
From: Rob Fergus <birdchaser(AT)hotmail.com>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 11:06am
While all eyes were on the southern swamps the last few years, somehow we missed
this!
http://birdchaser.blogspot.com/2008/04/last-great-auk.html
Rob Fergus
Perkasie, Bucks, Pennsylvania
http://birdchaser.blogspot.com
_________________________________________________________________
Going green? See the top 12 foods to eat organic.
http://green.msn.com/galleries/photos/photos.aspx?gid=164&ocid=T003MSN51N1653A
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Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?RFI:__Birding_in_Austria?=
From: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Tom_Arny?= <tarny(AT)THERIVER.COM>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 11:10am
I'm looking for info on places to bird in the Austrian mountains. I'm
particularly interested in sites for Wallcreeper and Alpine Accentor. I've
spent a lot of time on the web and found only a few trip reports. Likewise,
the "Where do you want to go birding..." and other such sites seem to have
little general info. Any suggestions about people there who might be
willing to guide/drive? Any suggestions about bird finding books?
Tom Arny
tarny -* at - *theriver.com
Box 545, Patagonia, AZ
USA
85624
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: RE: North America Field Guides---How do they
rate?
From: "David M. Gascoigne" <bateleur27(AT)hotmail.com>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 11:23am
Poor old RTP must be spinning in his grave. No one has given so much as a casual
nod to a Peterson Field Guide. There was a time not so many years ago when this
reaction would have been pretty nigh unthinkable!
David M. Gascoigne
Waterloo, ON
_________________________________________________________________
Turn every day into $1000. Learn more at SignInAndWIN.ca
http://g.msn.ca/ca55/213
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Subject: RTP
From: Oiseaux831(AT)aol.com
Date: 1 Apr 2008 11:34am
I take off my hat to the great pioneer of bird field guides: Roger Tory
Peterson. As a beginning birder in the 70's, RTP's Guide to NA Birds was my one
and only guide, augmented by RTP's guide to Western Birds. Every guide in use
today can be viewed as resting on foundations built by Mr. Peterson.
Bill Adams
Biodiversity Enthusiast
Nature Host, McGrath State Park, CA
There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There
is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the
assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.
--Rachel Carson
**************Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL
Home.
(http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15&ncid=aolhom00030000000001)
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
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Subject: RE: Boreal Forest and Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas
From: "Matthew Medler" <mattmedler(AT)borealbirds.org>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 11:47am
I wholeheartedly agree with Jean and Ron's recommendation of the new
Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas--it's a great book! I received my copy last
week, and I liked it so much that I immediately wrote about it for the
Boreal Songbird Initiative blog: http://www.borealbirds.org/blog/
It is the best breeding bird atlas that I have seen, and I highly
recommend it to anybody with an interest in Boreal birds.
Good birding,
Matt
Matthew Medler
Science Coordinator
Boreal Songbird Initiative
www.borealbirds.org
-----Original Message-----
From: National Birding Hotline Cooperative (Chat Line)
[mailto:BIRDCHAT(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Jean Iron
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 11:26 AM
To: BIRDCHAT(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
Subject: [BIRDCHAT] Boreal Forest and Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas
With the current interest in boreal forest birds, we recommend the newly
published Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas. A large portion of Canada's
boreal forest is in Ontario. The range maps in color show where species
such as Bonaparte's Gull, Swainson's Thrush, Wilson's Warbler, and other
boreal species breed. Best of all are the relative abundance (breeding
density) maps generated from point count data.
Ontario wisely chose to do point counts, which also made it possible to
produce population estimates for 124 species. Over 50,000 point counts
were done. The Nashville Warbler population at 15,000,000 is the
commonest breeding bird in Ontario. Estimates for declining species such
as Olive-sided Flycatcher is 100,000 and Rusty Blackbird is 1,200,000.
The population estimates are generally thought to be conservative. Atlas
data indicate that most boreal species breeding in Ontario are doing
well.
Please note that we are biased because we participated in the Atlas and
the Ontario Field Ornithologists is a sponsor and management board
partner. We feel that the Ontario Atlas is the best breeding bird atlas
yet published. The data and detailed species accounts were extensively
peer-reviewed. We recommend the Atlas to birders in the eastern United
States who want a better understanding of the boreal breeding species
that they see during migration.
To see range maps and sample species accounts
http://www.birdsontario.org/atlas/index.jsp
Jean Iron and Ron Pittaway
Ontario Field Ornithologists
Toronto ON
jeaniron At sympatico.ca
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: RE: Rusty Blackbird clarification
From: "Matthew Medler" <mattmedler(AT)borealbirds.org>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 12:09pm
Hi All,
There was a question earlier today about where to report Rusty Blackbird
sightings, and there were two different answers given. I thought I'd
try to provide a bit of clarification. The information that Tim Boucher
provided is a longstanding request for bird sightings that is found on
the Rusty Blackbird Working Group web site (hosted by the Smithsonian
Migratory Bird Center).
However, today marks the first day of a special week-long project
designed by the Rusty Blackbird Working Group and eBird to collect
migratory Rusty Blackbird sightings for the period April 1-7. This
project is asking observers to submit their Rusty sightings to eBird,
which is a great place to submit all of your bird sightings. For more
information on this special Rusty Blackbird eBird project, visit
www.ebird.org
Good birding,
Matt
Matthew Medler
Science Coordinator
Boreal Songbird Initiative
www.borealbirds.org
-----Original Message-----
From: National Birding Hotline Cooperative (Chat Line)
[mailto:BIRDCHAT(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Tim Boucher
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 12:52 PM
To: BIRDCHAT(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
Subject: Re: [BIRDCHAT] rusty blackbirds
Actually, I think this is what you are looking for:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Research
/Rusty_Blackbird/
This is a working group based at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center,
and it says:
We are still learning about the distribution and abundance of rusty
blackbirds.
Your observations can help piece together the puzzle.
Please include: date, location, habitat, number, sex of birds, activity
(for example roosting or feeding).
We welcome all observations, but we are particularly interested in:
* breeding sites
* concentrations of birds during winter (Dec-Mar)
Email sightings to Sam Droege
(go to the website to get his e-mail address; I don't want to post it
here)
Ellen Paul
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Great Red-cockaded Snipe Hoax Revealed
From: Chuck & Lillian <misclists(AT)att.net>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 1:34pm
April 1, 2008
Burt,
You have stumbled onto a little-known, carefully-hidden fact. However, the real
truth, here revealed to the world for the first time, at great personal peril,
is far more diabolical than you suspect.
In every field guide in the world there is at least 1 (one) species that does
not exist. These birds are invented, pictured and given detailed description of
their habits, locations, etc. But they're completely imaginary. Ha, ha, ha! This
is a running joke in the worldwide community of field guide writers &
illustrators. When anyone claims to have actually seen one of these fictitious
species, this community knows that said claimer is a big, fat, liar, and the
word about him goes out around the world. They all have a great laugh at the
expense of the big fat liar, who rarely finds out that he (or she) is the butt
of a joke.
Stay with me here, because it gets worse.
Not only are there invented birds in the field guides; there are well-known
birding destinations that are completely fictitious.
The most egregious example of imaginary birding destinations is the so-called
"Continent of Antarctica", which is a utter fabrication, along with all its
marching penguins and other purported wildlife! The real truth is that where
this continent supposedly lies there is only a gigantic hole into the interior
of the earth. It is from the technologically advanced but ethically regressive
civilization located in the earth's interior that come those pesky flying
saucers that buzz our aircraft, seduce our cattle, and fog the pictures which
people attempt to take of them. But I digress.
People who believe they have traveled to Antarctica have actually been implanted
with false memories while held drugged and secluded in an enormous underground
facility located in Ushuaia, Argentina. (Operated by the tourist-hungry local
Ushuaians, under contract to the InnerEarthians. Franchises now available in
your community!) The entrance to this facility is located near the garbage dump
west of town where all birders are taken to see the Chimichango Caracara.
Unfortunately, Burt, after all is revealed, said and done, the Red-cockaded
Woodpecker is not one of the phony birds. It's real. Keep looking. I saw them in
a small park just north of the Houston, TX airport. But stay far, far away from
Ushuaia. That way leads only to madness.
yours,
Chuck Almdale
North Hills, CA ;-)
"...and the truth shall set you free." - Y. barYosip
At 12:03 AM 3/30/2008, BIRDCHAT automatic digest system wrote:
>Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:59:28 -0700
>From: "Guttman,Burton" <GuttmanB(AT)EVERGREEN.EDU>
>Subject: Great Red-cockaded Snipe Hoax Revealed
>
>Well, kids, I think it's time for everyone associated with the Red-cockaded
Woodpecker gag to come clean, admit that it's all a joke, and then we can all
have a good laugh and maybe pull the joke on some unsuspecting newbies. <BIG
SNIP>
>Burt Guttman
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Rusty_Blackbird_clarification?=
From: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Tim_Boucher?= <tboucher(AT)GEOCITIES.COM>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 2:44pm
Sorry about that! I didn't know about the special e-bird project. Mea culpa,
but honestly there is just WAY too much information to keep track of! Great
projects, both, and great that they are working together.
BTW, I'm not Tim. I just use his BirdChat identity because, well, it's a
long, long explanation shrouded in the mists of time.
Ellen Paul
Chevy Chase, Maryland
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: new member introduction
From: Jeremy Taylor <jeremyjtaylor(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 2:46pm
Hello,
I recently joined the group, and wanted to introduce
myself to everyone. I grew up on a family farm in
upstate New York. In 1997 I earned a B.S. in wildlife
biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science
and Forestry in Syracuse, NY, and from there I went on
to work in the bird department of the San Antonio Zoo,
a position I held for nearly two years. After that, I
worked for 3 1/2 years on the Aviary Team at Disney's
Animal Kingdom, and then moved to South Florida to
work as a state wildlife biologist in the Everglades.
A little over 3 years ago I moved back to upstate New
York, and took a position as an ecologist and
environmental educator for Audubon International,
which is an environmental organization based in
Selkirk, NY. For the last year I have been working in
the retail field, but I am hoping to return to the
environmental field very soon.
For the last year and a half or so, I have been
conducting a short questionnaire about nature and the
environment. I have been sending it via postal mail
and email to world leaders, corporate CEOs, wildlife
experts, religious leaders, and others, and as I get
the results back, I am posting them at a blog I
created for the project,
http://earthsurvey.blogspot.com To date, I have gotten
back more than 340 responses, from all over the world.
I am particularly interested in the intersections
between religion, culture, society, and the
environment. In the future, I hope to publish
something additional with the results, although at
this point I am not sure what format or when exactly
this will take place. If anyone would like to
participate, please let me know, and I would be glad
to send you a copy! There is a disclaimer on the site
that the views expressed are those of the individuals,
and not to be taken as official statements or
policies, and if you prefer to remain anonymous, I can
do that too! The more the merrier, so please feel free
to ask for a copy of the questions!
Looking forward to being a part of the group!
Regards,
Jeremy
"We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we
borrow it from our Children." ~Native American proverb
Visit me online:
website http://jeremyjtaylor.tripod.com
Earth Survey Project blog
http://earthsurvey.blogspot.com
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Subject: Re: North America Field Guides---How do they
rate?
From: Steve Sosensky <Steve(AT)Sosensky.com>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 6:16pm
If I'm limited to one book, I'll take National Geo. Sibley is my next
into the book bag, and then I head for the family books like Garrett
& Dunn's Warblers, Rising and Beadle's Sparrows (both illustrated and
photographic versions), etc. I have Handheld Birds on my Treo 650 and
that is always with me, so I don't carry a book around with me all
day. Also on my Treo is a set of the undertail illustrations from
Garrett & Dunn's Warblers.
While RTP was surely the pioneer in North American bird guides,
Western Birds is terribly out of date, and it has enough flaws to
eliminate it from consideration for use in California, if not
elsewhere. Not least among these flaws is that there are
significantly more birds on the California state list than there are
in the book.
A field guide serves different purposes for different levels of
birders. For beginners, and we were all there once, learning the
common local birds is a daunting task, and there is an argument for
leaving out birds that we are unlikely to see. This serves the dual
purpose of making the task seem smaller, and keeping beginners from
leaping to incorrect identifications of rare species. David Sibley
also takes this approach, though to a lesser degree than Peterson,
but it does the advanced birder the disservice of removing options
for a difficult ID or when the mega rarity is really there and
reference material is not.
My other problem with Western Birds is that some of the illustrations
are very weak by today's standards. We have people like David Sibley
and Jonathan Alderfer (NGS) to thank for that. Incorporating more
current observations in field marks, things like Sibley's wing beats
of Storm-Petrels or NGS's lower mandibles from underneath and primary
projections in the Empidonax flycatchers go a long way towards making
these IDs more accessible to less experienced birders.
One more book that really improved my birding, though not truly a
field guide is the Peterson Series: Advanced Birding by Kenn Kaufman.
This book breaks down some of the most challenging ID problems into
digestible concepts. Kaufman's approach to Empids had to have been
(at least indirectly) the impetus for the improved illustrations in NGS.
At 11:23 AM 2008-04-01, David M. Gascoigne wrote:
>Poor old RTP must be spinning in his grave. No one has given so much
>as a casual nod to a Peterson Field Guide. There was a time not so
>many years ago when this reaction would have been pretty nigh unthinkable!
Good birding,
Steve Sosensky,
SoCA Bird Guides <steve at sosensky.com> www.sosensky.com/guides
Nature Photos www.sosensky.com/nature_photos.htm
Optics4Birding <steve at optics4birding.com> www.optics4birding.com
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 949-269-2161 33.56485 N, 117.72205 W
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Subject: Re: North America Field Guides---How do they
rate?
From: thomas-gin(AT)comcast.net
Date: 1 Apr 2008 8:20pm
>
> At 11:23 AM 2008-04-01, David M. Gascoigne wrote:
> >Poor old RTP must be spinning in his grave. No one has given so much
> >as a casual nod to a Peterson Field Guide. There was a time not so
> >many years ago when this reaction would have been pretty nigh unthinkable!
> Good birding,
> Steve Sosensky,
The Peterson Field Guide is what I got when I became a little older, but I got
started with The (Little?) Golden Field Guide to Birds by Robbins, Bruun, and
Zim in the early 50s. The edition on my shelf, out-of date but still
interesting, is copyright 1966, but I remember a pocket sized book that I
carried with me..It was exciting to know other people looked at birds and wanted
to know about them.
--
Thomas M. Lufkin
West St. Paul, Minnesota
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Subject: Amazing new discovery: flying penguins! (link)
From: Devorah Bennu <birdologist(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 8:24pm
Hey everyone,
I've been so excited to get onto wifi so I could share
an amazing new discovery with all of you; a flock of
penguins has just been discovered that can actually
FLY! yes, you read that correctly. Even better than
hearing it from me is seeing the video;
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2008/04/when_penguins_fly.php
GrrlScientist
Devorah
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/
Roosting high up a tree somewhere in Central Park, NYC
____________________________________________________________________________________
You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total
Access, No Cost.
http://tc.deals.yahoo.com/tc/blockbuster/text5.com
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Subject: Re: North America Field Guides---How do they
rate?
From: "Mitch Heindel" <birdfish(AT)gvec.net>
Date: 1 Apr 2008 8:43pm
Wayne Weber Wrote:
>Although Sibley illustrates many
>plumages not shown in most other guides, I find that it often seduces
>inexperienced birders into trying to identify subspecies (or subspecies
>groups) that cannot be identified with certainty, or into trying to
>determine the age or sex of a bird when it cannot be determined with
>certainty. Perhaps Sibley illustrated these various plumages mainly to show
>the range of variation within a species, but many birders jump to
>conclusions and assume that age, sex, or geographic populations can be
>identified with certainty from these illustrations, even in situations
where
>they cannot.
Wayne, the Nat. Geo Guide started and caused this 20 years before Sibley,
which doesn't even use subspecies names in the "big book" (the 1st one).
The Nat Geo Guide which did use subspecies names (1983) to show variation,
did not make it clear enough that there were 10 more Song Sparrows, etc.,
ad. infinitum, than shown, in many cases resulting in the problem
you mention. People learn birds thinking they are learning to field
identify
subspecies when they shouldn't. It is mind-boggling scary as you mention.
The Geo guide is the best for having the 3 marks you dang well
better have seen to claim an ID. Sibley does not always provide this.
But his art blows away Geo and the others, and is the best since
Eckleberry (Pough) for really giving you an idea and feel of the bird.
David's "1st big one" had great vocal descriptions, even excellent,
original, innovative, and spot-on, in many to most cases.
Geo's "new improved" Myiarchus stink in their 2D schematic format
to make them look alike as possible, as compared to the 3D originals.
Gray Vireo, Rufous-capped Warbler, Chat, are the same, now 2D, flat,
and there are many others. Schematics I guess, of what the bird might
look like that give me virtually no feel for the bird, and I find useless.
Improved my foot. Not for teaching me the bird or what to really expect.
Despite Steve Sosensky's relentless picking on Peterson (:)), I would say
the proof is in the pudding and the crop of birders he (RTP) and his guides
produced were/are the best. Maybe it made folks look harder and study more.
But it worked. Peterson, Robbins (Golden Guide), Pough, and for
westerners Hoffman (Birds of the Pacific States) were the stone relics
that grew the best crop of birders ever, so far.
Finally, I suggest Kaufmann for beginners. It is the easiest for
newbies without being overwhelming. They like the pictures too.
Mitch Heindel
Utopia, TX
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