Birders' "Desert Island Discs" (1 Viewer)

[joannec]

An idea for a thread inspired by kristoffers thread:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=147916

This got me thinking......we could have a Birders 'Desert Island Discs' thread. Suppose you are on a deserted tropical island, you're the only one there. What birding things would you choose to have? The limit is 10 so think carefully. There is a hut and food is plentiful, it's lush and tropical and your basic needs are met, not luxurious but adequate. There is a fresh water stream. You've got all the time in the world to bird and do whatever you want. So what 10 things would you have with you, you can't have any partners or friends.

Mine would be:

1) Zeiss 8x32 FL bins. (my dream bins, I don't have a pair.)
2) I like my Nikon ED III scope with zoom eyepiece so I'd have that.
3) Good CF tripod and head; it's got to be lightweight as I'd be walking a lot to the remoter parts of the island.
4) Supply of pencils and notebooks.
5) A relevant to the area field guide....got to be a really good one.
6) A good migration book so I know what to look out for.
7) I'd have lots of time and would want to improve my drawing skills so a supply of materials, watercolours, good paper and pencils would do.
8) A supply of clean sheets. :'D

Hummm.......I can only think of 8 but there is no electricity so no computers or camera equipment....no BF. |=(|

Note to non UK readers: 'Desert Island Discs' is a very popular and long running and entertaining radio programme, I first heard it over 30 years ago. A celebrity or moderately famous person comes on, they are interviewed about their life and they choose 10 pieces of music that they would take to a desert island and how they would survive.

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Roy Plumley created the program in 1942 so a bit more than 30 years old...lol

right now my 10 essentials.

1. Kowa 883 scope and zoom eyepiece (I dream of owning one).
2. Swarovski SLC 10 x 50 WB bins (as above)
3. A damn good tripod, not sure which would be best.
4. Loads of paper and pencils
5. Swiss army knife to sharpen the pencils, one of the really big ones with all the bits on.
6. Let's not be greedy.... 10,000 bottles of a decent rioja, at 1 bottle a day that should last about 30 years, not sure I would.
7. A decent razor and millions of razorblades, I can't abide that 3 day feeling with beards.
8. A sleeping bag, it could be cold at night
9. More wine
10. The complete works of Terry Pratchett.

notice no field guide..... I'm going to write the field guide for the island, if I sober up.

 

[allnmark]

1,2,3) Yep - the scope, bins and tripod
4,5,6) pack of notebooks, pencils and waterproof storage box (paranoid about my records)
7) hacksaw to turn the hut into a hide )
8, 9) hammer & nails to turn the bits I cut from the hut into a bird table
10) Corkscrew - Keith is bound to trade some of his wine for a daily cork extraction )

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Mark
That was why I wanted the Swiss army knife...they've always got a corkscrew on them.
Otherwise the sleeping bag would have had to go.

 

[allnmark]

Mark
That was why I wanted the Swiss army knife...they've always got a corkscrew on them.
Otherwise the sleeping bag would have had to go.

Hmmm, Im gonna be thirsty - better start training a passing migrant to fetch!

 

[dantheman]

I kind of wonder how birding would operate in the circumstances - with no peers and no way of reporting your records how relevent would it all become??

With no fieldguide and no outside help how would you be sure you were actually documenting new material, and would you actually care after a while? eg would you become more intersted in observing and enjoying behaviour? Either scientifically, or as a glorified jungle-robin stroker?

I think that I'd be just as fascinated by the whole wildlife of the island, rather than just the birds, especially if it had coral reefs and the invertebrate side of things (including big colourful beetles and butterflies)....

But probably not totally in the spirit of things, so;

Top bins
Top scope
Top tripod
Snorkelling gear (obviously to observe the penguins etc in their natural environment)
Notebooks and pencils/pens
Painting gear
Climbing/Abseiling gear (climbing trees the natural way would be fun, but safety important too)
A set of ringing equipment, including a good book.
A Field guide to the general area (would be a good starting point, even if I wrote my own one eventually), including seabirds.
Decent microscope (for looking at pretty feathers etc with...)
Air conditioning unit (powered by solar batteries/ coconut oil etc)

 

[joannec]

5. Swiss army knife to sharpen the pencils, one of the really big ones with all the bits on.
6. Let's not be greedy.... 10,000 bottles of a decent rioja, at 1 bottle a day that should last about 30 years, not sure I would.

notice no field guide..... I'm going to write the field guide for the island, if I sober up.

Swiss army knife is an excellent idea or maybe one of these 'multi tool' devices they have these days. And the Rioja another good one but a bottle a day......hummmm....Keith a bit too much or your newly written field guide won't make a lot of sense.

8, 9) hammer & nails to turn the bits I cut from the hut into a bird table
)

I love that........I can see you'll be making a garden too.

 

[Parker]

Mine would be thus
1) Swarovski 8x32el's
2) Swarovski ATS65HD Scope
3) Zoom eye peice for scope
4) Sketch book
5) pencil
6) Rubber
7) Paints
8) Big bag of weed
9) Another big bag of weed
10) Lots of LSD then i'd definately see lots of colourfull birds, even if i hadn't.

PS, There seems to be alot of people called "lol" on this Forum.