New Farseers

Day 220: It is said that patience is its own reward. For some time now, I have been accruing "rewards" points with a favourite store, and finally built up enough to invest in a new pair of farseers. My old ones have a broken eye cup, and are stamped "made in occupied Japan." That should give you a clue as to their age. Another issue with the old ones is that they don't flex far enough to fit my small face, meaning that I've always had to close one eye when looking through them. These snug down nicely to my pupillary distance. The new pair is also a bit stronger and has a slightly wider field, not excessively so, but rather just perfect for birding. They also give an image which is somewhat sharper. Good optics are important when it comes to identifying birds in the field, and I am quite pleased with these.

Life List

Day 125: Just a bit of whimsy here. This image was in response to a photo challenge: Create a whimsical book jacket for a mystery/thriller novel. I took it one more step and wrote a teaser.

"Ornithology professor Jay Byrd is drawn into a murder investigation when several of his colleagues are found dead of poisoning. When it becomes apparent that the victims' names are ironically puns upon actual bird species, Professor Byrd realizes that he may be on the killer's Life List."

Ornithological Philately

Day 98: Issued in 1981, the "State Birds" postage stamps were extremely popular both for mailings and with collectors. Although my maternal grandmother was an avid philatelist, I was too practical to follow in her footsteps but for this one notable exception: I purchased a full sheet of 50 for a mere $10 and tucked them away in my "collectible paper" box, not as an investment but as a sort of philatelic field guide.

Even more than with state flowers, you will find a number of shared species. For example, the Cardinal is jointly claimed by Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. Some states are either indecisive or bold enough to "own" more than one State Bird (alternates were not included in the stamp issue). Washington's State Bird is listed as the "Willow Goldfinch," a distinction from the American Goldfinch which is not recognized in ornithological circles. Carduelis tristis (the same little yellow and black bird) is also the State Bird of Iowa and New Jersey.

If there's a lesson to be learned from this dissertation, it's that politicians ought to keep their fingers out of ornithology. While the concept of State Birds is an enjoyable one, it could have been executed in a more educational manner, depicting birds which were more or less unique to a region.

Best Of The Shelf

Day 268: We all have our favorite books. Mine just don't happen to be fiction, biographies, collections of poetry or historical accounts. Nope, my favorite books are field guides, and I have them on a variety of subjects ranging from rocks and minerals, weather phenomena and animal tracks to birds, wildflowers and mushrooms and the more specialized category of lichens.

Among habitual users of field guides, the best resources are generally referred to by author's name. "Brodo" is the North American lichen expert, "Sibley" and "Roger Tory Peterson" ("Roger Tory" for short) the bird men. "Mark Turner" is my go-to guy for Washington wildflowers, alongside "Pojar and MacKinnon." Backing up the hard copies, I also have Sibley on my Kindle Fire, ready to use in the field when some warbler crosses my field of vision.

It always pays to cross-reference. Species names change. Microseris alpestris may appear in one reference with the same plant identified as Nothocalais alpestris in another. These changes often reflect the growth of knowledge about the plant or bird/animal. Taxonomy is a science unto itself, and a little Latin goes a long way in helping the field scientist track a particular specimen down. What shape are the leaves? What is the growth habit? Chances are good that the nomenclature will refer to an identifying feature.

For my nickel (and often a more substantial dip into my bank account), field guides are the best books you can add to your library, even if all you do is look at the pretty pictures. Better yet, learn to use the keys and start exploring the fascinating world which exists all around you. Grab your binocs and magnifiers and let's go on a field trip!