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Why are field guides taboo in the field? (1 Viewer)

Motmot said:
I've been a few times pretentious enough not to carry my Stiles while birding my local patch in Costa Rica. Usually that's a good way to attract rare inmature females around.

Sounds interesting.

Anytime I leave my field guides behind I find something that I'm almost sure of but then later find I missed an important detail. They're heavy but almost always with me!
 
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Ok, from a complete novices' point of view (and female), is it just a "macho" thing with fellas? I couldn't care less who sees me with my "My First Robin" book, containing pictures and big writing. ;)
 
I must admit , I dont carry my field guide around with me , but dont think I reckon I can ID 'the lot' , 'cos I cant ! Far from it actually , to cover a point addressed earlier though , I was out recently at a gull roost and I spotted a slightly unusual gull amongst a small group of Black-head's , not knowing EXACTLY what it was I took down a few quick note's ( which came in very handy later when I filed a rarity report on the bird ). Now I knew that 2 Med. Gulls had been sighted here 24 hours earlier ( that's what I was after , a year and also life tick for me ) , but having never seen one before ( other than pictures ) I couldn't honestly 100% ID the bird ( plus it was hiding it's all-important bill under it's wing ! ). So , I took note's , drew a piccie and even asked another birdwatcher over to "have a look at this" . He agreed with my diagnosis of Mediterranean , but had I had a book on me would I have bothered note taking ? Probably not , for when I got home and compared note's ( black primaries , lighter grey back , black head plumage etc .. ) I knew I had got my first 1st winter Mediterranean Gull !! :D
But I certainly wouldn't and dont look down on someone for carrying thier field guide !! WHY ??? Surely it's down to the individual what he or she does . Now I'm not going to go into another rant , but as I have said before ... IGNORE THESE PEOPLE !!! They are quite clearly ( to me anyway ) the one's with the problem not you . My Mum has alway's said to me " never mind what other people think ! ". I'm no expert birder but I love helping someone out with an ID problem they may have , it's a great feeling to know you have helped ... to all those skilled and gifted birder's out there who look down thier noses at people who are just trying to learn .... HELP THEM !! You never know , you may like it !
Rant over .... bye for now ! :)
 
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Michael Frankis said:
Maybe some of us value our field guides too much to want them to get soggy and ruined by the rain? ;)

Michael
You mean you don't have TWO copies? ;)
I have three editions of the Peterson guides and a late edition Sibley; one of them is at least in my scope case before I leave the house, even if it doesn't make its way into my usually overstuffed pockets...

GR
 
I always carry Collins for birds and books on Spiders, Flowers and Caterpillars. I am not so pig-headed to imagine that I know everything about everything I might see, and conkers if my referring to a book causes some intellectual snob sneer!
As for a crafty check while no-one is looking - good grief! NO!!!
 
John Cantelo (Message #49) taught me everything I know. Apart from his selection of field guides, with me it's always Collins, I am in total agreement, although I do have to admit, in Europe the butterfly field guide comes out an awful lot.........
 
Eddie said:
I strike a happy medium in as much as I keep a field guide in the car. I can then check things out fairly quickly if necessary and I don't have to wait to get home. I would carry it with me but with scope, bins, notebook, dog phaser, flask etc I don't have enough pockets. I do agree that it is a useful piece of field kit. Yeah, definitely.


What on earth is a dog phaser - did I miss something by not watching Star Trek after Leonard Nimoy et al left?
 
I was also about to ask what on earth a dog phaser was...

As for field guides in the field, I usually have a copy of Slater (the only practical australian guide for toting any distance) tossed in the backpack, though I dont pull it out much. The last time was to check what an egg was discarded on the ground.
 
I never go anywhere without my field guide and i use to identify a new bird in the field every time, only on one occasion has a bird gotten away unidentified when i have been loooking for it in the book. Most of the time when you see a bird, even if it's new to you, you will know what type it is for example gull, finch or what ave ya. From your memory you can most of the time pick out the bird by the process of elimination on things such as range etc. Having said that, when i'm in the mood i do make notes and this also helps me to id the bird. I think both ways are as good as each other, for me anyway and it's just a case of what process of id you find the most fun, after all, you do the hobby to please yourself and not others.
 
Dan drough said:
Eddie said:
I strike a happy medium in as much as I keep a field guide in the car. I can then check things out fairly quickly if necessary and I don't have to wait to get home. I would carry it with me but with scope, bins, notebook, dog phaser, flask etc I don't have enough pockets. I do agree that it is a useful piece of field kit. Yeah, definitely.


What on earth is a dog phaser - did I miss something by not watching Star Trek after Leonard Nimoy et al left?
Hi Dan,

I guess he's meaning a Dog Dazer - it makes a very loud noise at a pitch too high for people to hear, but dogs can, and are supposed not to like - the idea being that if you're attacked by a dog, you give it a blast of this, and it runs off. Never tried it myself, but I've been told they're very effective at getting cats out of gardens.

Michael
 
We have a field guide or 2 in the car at most times, but dont allways carry them while birding.

Personally i cant remember the last time i had to use one to identify a species.

But, imho field guides aint solely for identifying a species, they can be used to increase your enjoyment & knowledge.
Eg.
Show the picture to casual passers by who invariably ask what yer lookin at?
When watching a small wader like Temmincks Stint when theres no birds nearby to compare size, use the Field guide for measurement details.
Or look at the European map to wonder where else other than Scotland that particular bird could be going to breed....
Look at the pictures, whilst observing the bird in the field so you can compare it with rarer species on the same page that you havnt perhaps seen yet!
The text details in some of these books are excellent & its surprising what you can learn from reading up about common species for eg. the difference between M & Female Moorhen.....

So i wouldnt be bothered what anyone thought if they glanced at my fieldguide...i'd even offer them a Look !

This would appear to be more of an issue in reserves with hides, Wheres theres SO very often an instant expert-just add birds kinda guy, who's all gob & loud.
This kinda person especially on a RSPB reserve can be a menace & is forever mixing up his :-
Green & Common Sands
Wood Sands & Green Sands
Wood sands & juvvy Redshanks.
Just pass the book along the bench & hes Not so loud then. ;)


Stevie
 
My partner has in the past looked askance at me using a (birds) fieldguide in a hide.
However I/we have recently starting watching dragonflies, & we have found one of us noting details & then calling them out while the other compares the likely suspects in the fieldguide works very well.
On the rare occasions he needs a bird detail checking - he'll (quietly) ask me to look it up.
I always carry fieldguides, birds or dragonfly whichever I'm most likely to see, usually with flower/butterfly guides in the car.

As someone still learning, I find it the most effective method for me. Look very closely, try to recall what you have already learned, make your best estimate & if not sure - check then & there.
Having the field guide there allows you check the typical/average/expected plumage/behaviour against the real thing.

H
 
Tim Allwood said:
it's all relative

you wouldn't want to be in Peru or Colombia etc. without a field guide to hand....I bet even Ted Parker used to have one very close by!

Ditto Australia.

Just out of interest, are there any decent field guides to these areas, Tim? Africa and Asia have got pretty good coverage but what about South America? I read about a trip to Brazil in which the birder said the new guide to Brazil he used was better than nothing but only just.

E
 
Edward said:
Ditto Australia.



THESE WERE SOME REPLIES TO A SIMILAR QUERY I MADE A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO




Just out of interest, are there any decent field guides to these areas, Tim? Africa and Asia have got pretty good coverage but what about South America? I read about a trip to Brazil in which the birder said the new guide to Brazil he used was better than nothing but only just.

E


Hi Dan

birds of Peru by Clements and Shany

it's usable but Birds of Colombia by Steve Hilty is very useful too and for me is the best field guide ever written

Birds of South America Vols 1 and 2 are excellent with great artwork by Guy Tudor and are a steal pricewise

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1) For the Amazon, north Andean and north-east dry regions try "Birds of Ecuador". Yes, "plates are [in a] real 1950s style". But, even though they don't look like they are about to leave the plates, they are quite precise and works fine in the field. The text is quite good aswell. Regarding the Amazon, the main problem is the endemic zone of Amazonian SE Peru (shared with N Bolivia and W Brazil). Many endemics, best covered by;
2) "Birds of South America" vol. 1 & 2. There have been recent talks about finishing up the job and making the two final volumes (which would cover non-Passerines). I personally doubt it will happen. Not that it matter, as the Passerines covered in vol. 1 & 2 are of much greater importance in terms of ID.
3) "Birds of the High Andes" by Krabbe & Fjeldsaa. An expensive, yet highly recommendable book. Has become a referance work, and is highly useful in the high Andes from Venezuela in the north to Tierra del Fuego in the south. Very good and precise plates. Many people copy plates from this book for their trip to Peru/Bolivia.
4) "Birds of Machu Picchu". A small, yet highly recommendable guide made by Barry Walker. Good, as it covers a great part of the species found in the Yungas endemic region (only shared with Bolivia).
5) "Field Guide to the Birds of Chile", by Alvaro Jaramillo. Highly recommendable, and (obviously) especially good for southern Peru and pelagics.
6) "Handbook of the Virds of the World" vol. 8 covers a large percentage of the South American species - i.e Ovenbirds, Woodcreeper, Antbirds, Ground Antbirds, Gnateaters & Tapaculos. The next volume will cover another large chunk of the Neotropical birds; most importantly Cotingas, Manakins & Tyrant-flycatchers. Copys of plates from vol. 8 are already seen commonly in the field, and I am quite sure the same will be the case with plates from vol. 9. For a few of the problematic genera in Hummingbirds, plates from vol. 5 are useful.

6)... wait for the new guide for Peruvian birds - it is in preparation, and should be in press within the next few years.
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Last edited by Rasmus Boegh : Yesterday at 03:16.

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I learned a valuable lesson about fields guides last spring.

While in my backyard, I heard what I thought was a warbler in one of our trees. My bins were nearby, in my car, but all of my field guides were in the house. I was forced to view the bird carefully, once I got my bins and spotted the little guy, since I knew I would have to rely on my memory once I got inside the house and into my field guide.

I spent a long time looking at that bird, taking in as much as I could.

When the bird finally flew away, I went to my guide and identifed the Cape May Warbler.

Now, when I see an unfamiliar bird, I do the same thing. I study it carefully before consulting my field guide, rather than reaching for the guide right away.

And, yes, I unashamedly carry three bird field guides, and the Newcombs Guide to Wildflowers, in my pack, when I bird. Sorry....I wish I knew it all...but I don't.

Good birding to all!

Marty
 
Brazil field guide

Only Brazil guide I know is
All the Birds of Brazil
Deodato Souza
pub. Dall (in Brazil, but English text)
ISBN 85-86967-04-1
Pril 2002

Got mine over web from British bookshop (can't remember which)

Artwork not what we are used to but still wish I had had it before I went

Collins Birds of Southern S America and Antarctica covers Southern Brazil

hope this helps somebody

Dave
 
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