Is there any significance to the way in which many field guides divided the US into Eastern and Western sections? I live in South Texas and as a new birder I was ready to buy guides with Western birds until I discovered that more than half of Texs, including my area, is in the Eastern side of the divide. Although Texas may sometimes be considered a Southern or a Western State, geographically and culturally it is more properly considered a Southwestern State. Surely the geography, climate and vegetaion of the Southwest has some ornithological consequence. I think that the way in which field guides are presently divided can cause some serious prblems for bird and man.
I mean how are birds supposed to know which side of the divide they belong? If they find themselfs on the wrong side, they could easily encounter problems with border vigilantes or even the US Homeland Security and Immigration agencies. Especially, birds from the middle Eastern section(birds from the Middle East, as it were). To say nothing of carrier pigeons.
Furthermore, many Texans, especially East Texans, would take very high umbarage if they knew that more than half the State is considered Eastern in any way. The field guides are actually placing most of Texas in a catagory with the ever so liberal New England States and New York! Texans are conservative birders. They would see being placed in this catagory as an attack on their birding, if not their family, values. In addition, these other States did not vote for George W. Bush. And isn't that where many birds live? (In the bush) Wait till Rush Limbaugh hears about this. This issue could really exacerbate the culture wars.
Sorry folks, I think that I got carried away with my silly humor. I actually have a serious question regarding the issue at hand. I am a cheap birder(pun probably intended) I don't want to buy more field guides than I have to. And I sure don't want to carry more than one field guide around me when I am birding. As I said, I live close to the division on the Eastern side. If I buy guides of the Eastern US, will it include birds that wander across the border? Do field guides provide some redundancy of inclusion for us border birders?
I mean how are birds supposed to know which side of the divide they belong? If they find themselfs on the wrong side, they could easily encounter problems with border vigilantes or even the US Homeland Security and Immigration agencies. Especially, birds from the middle Eastern section(birds from the Middle East, as it were). To say nothing of carrier pigeons.
Furthermore, many Texans, especially East Texans, would take very high umbarage if they knew that more than half the State is considered Eastern in any way. The field guides are actually placing most of Texas in a catagory with the ever so liberal New England States and New York! Texans are conservative birders. They would see being placed in this catagory as an attack on their birding, if not their family, values. In addition, these other States did not vote for George W. Bush. And isn't that where many birds live? (In the bush) Wait till Rush Limbaugh hears about this. This issue could really exacerbate the culture wars.
Sorry folks, I think that I got carried away with my silly humor. I actually have a serious question regarding the issue at hand. I am a cheap birder(pun probably intended) I don't want to buy more field guides than I have to. And I sure don't want to carry more than one field guide around me when I am birding. As I said, I live close to the division on the Eastern side. If I buy guides of the Eastern US, will it include birds that wander across the border? Do field guides provide some redundancy of inclusion for us border birders?