Archive-name: birds-faq/wild-birds/part2 Last-modified: September 16, 1994 This is part 2
rec.birds Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (Part 2/2)
Archive-name: birds-faq/wild-birds/part2
Last-modified: September 16, 1994
This is part 2 (of 2) of the Frequently Asked Questions list for the Usenet
newsgroup rec.birds. The FAQ is posted every other month. Its editor is
Brian Rice <rice@kcomputing.com>; send suggestions for new questions and
other comments to him.
Do not send articles to the FAQ editor for posting. rec.birds is an
unmoderated newsgroup, so you may post articles yourself. If you are a
newcomer to Usenet, please read the official articles about etiquette
in the newsgroup news.announce.newusers before you post.
If mail sent to <rice@kcomputing.com> bounces, try
<baloga@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu>.
This section of the FAQ contains pointers to more information about wild
birds. The other section of the FAQ contains information about rec.birds
and about wild birds.
Contents:
2.0. How can I get this and other FAQs by anonymous FTP? On the Web?
2.1. Which field guide should I buy as a first purchase?
2.2. I'm going on a trip. How can I find out where are good places to go
birding?
2.3. How can I get on-line bird checklists?
2.4. What are good wild-bird magazines?
2.5. What are good wild-bird-related organizations?
2.6. What is BIRDCHAT? EuroBirdNet?
2.7. Are there good computer programs for maintaining bird lists?
2.8. Where can I get digitized pictures of birds?
2.9. Where can I find recordings of birdsongs?
2.10. Are there field guides for nests, eggs, and nestlings?
2.11. Acknowledgements
---------
2.0. How can I get this and other FAQs by anonymous FTP? On the Web?
Many Usenet FAQs, including those for rec.birds, are archived on
rtfm.mit.edu under /pub/usenet-by-group.
For you Mosaic and lynx users, here is a URL that will get you there:
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/rec.birds/
---------
2.1. Which field guide should I buy as a first purchase?
The most general advice one can give is this: Go to your bookstore
and buy any field guide in which the birds are illustrated with
paintings rather than photographs. Paintings in field guides pose
the birds for maximum learning, and call attention to the distinguishing
features that are most important in the field. Regrettably, the
National Audubon Society's field guide uses photos, and is thus
of limited learning value. On the other hand, photo field guides
do show birds as they would appear under actual lighting conditions,
so they can be valuable in making identifications. You may wish to
consider a photo-based field guide as a later purchase; it's common
for birders to own and use several field guides.
The ultimate advice for a first-purchase field guide is this: go to a
bookstore and select whichever book for your area you feel most comfortable
with. Enjoyable associations with the birding hobby have begun with all.
In North America, the four most popular painted general-purpose field
guides are the following:
National Geographic Society: _Field Guide to the Birds of North America_
ISBN: 0-87044-692-4
Peterson, Roger Tory: _A Field Guide to the Birds_ (eastern and central)
and _Western Birds_ (published by Houghton Mifflin)
ISBN: 0-395-26619-X, 0-395-51424-X
Zim, Herbert S., et al: _Guide to Field Identification: Birds of North
America_ (published by Golden Books, hence called the "Golden" book)
ISBN: 0-307-37002-X and 0-307-33656-5 (pbk.)
Each choice has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, the
Peterson books are easier to carry in the field than the NGS book, because
each covers only half the continent. Beginners may find it helpful that
each Peterson volume shows only those birds likely to be found in its
covered region, so there are fewer confusing choices (of course, birds
do wander).
The NGS book and the Golden book both present each species' range map on
the same page as its description, a great convenience. The Golden book is
the only one of the three to to present "sonograms," graphical represen-
tations of birds' songs and calls, but these graphs are difficult to use
correctly.
All of the books include a few paintings which some birders find
questionable.
North American beginners who feel overwhelmed by the number of birds in
these all-purpose books should consider the _Peterson First Guide: Birds_.
It displays the most common North American birds in a convenient format.
The most often recommended European field guide is Lars Jonsson's _Birds
of Europe, with North Africa and Middle East_, although it is a bit large
for easy portability. In the U.K. and central Europe, Harris, Tucker, and
Vinicombe's _The Macmillan field guide to bird identification_ will be
useful. (The book is available in French and German as well as English.)
David Allen writes that the Macmillan guide does not cover all species;
rather, it shows those species most easily confused with one another.
More recommendations from David Allen:
Peterson, R., Mountfort, G., and Hollom, P.A.D.: _A Field Guide to the
Birds of Britain and Europe_ (Collins, 1993)
ISBN :0-00-219073-7
"The basic Peterson guide with painted plates and pointers; maps and
descriptions separate. The new edition is certainly available in Spanish,
and I think in French and German as well."
Heinzel, H., Fitter, R., and Parslow, J.: _The Birds of Britain and Europe
with North Africa and the Middle East_ (Collins, 1979)
ISBN: 0-00-219210-1
"Good illustrations, with descriptions and maps printed opposite.
The book I use in continental Europe, because I can check the map
to see if the species is likely."
Perrins, C.: _New Generation Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe_
(Collins, 1987)
ISBN: 0-00-219769-3
"More plumage variants than any other small guide, maps and text
opposite illustrations, and a whole section on general ornithology
topics, anatomy, behaviour, etc. BUT four of the illustrations fit
onto a postage stamp. My favourite guide for use in the field."
Ferguson-Lees, J.; Willis, I.; Sharrock, J.T.R.: _The Shell Guide to
the Birds of Britain and Ireland_ (Michael Joseph, 1983)
ISBN: 0-7181-2220-8
"Vignette illustrations, painted, including plenty of action shots showing
typical poses. Maps, text, and illustrations all together. Split into
two sections: regulars and rarities."
Jorgen Grahn recommends "The Hamlyn Guide to Birds of Britain and
Europe" by Bruun, Delin, Svensson; illustrations by Singer, Zetterstrom.
The most commonly used field guides for Australian birds are Simpson and Day,
_Field Guide to the Birds of Australia_ (Penguin Books, Aust.); and
Slater, Slater, and Slater, _The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds_
(Weldon)
King et al., _A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia_ (Collins,
London) has also been recommended (although it now seems to be out of
print).
-----
2.2. I'm going on a trip. How can I find out where are good places to go
birding?
There may be a "bird-finding guide" for the area you wish to visit.
Bird-finding guides are books that cover the birdlife of an area in
detail; they include discussions of promising sites, maps and directions,
and indications of birds' seasonal abundance. The American Birding
Association offers by mail order an enormous selection of these books,
covering both North America and elsewhere, and their service is quite
prompt. See section 2.4 for information on how to reach them.
Please post your request as well to rec.birds. Locals (and recent
visitors to the same area) may be able to give you up-to-the-minute
information, and you might even find people to go birding with when
you're there.
-----
2.3. How can I get on-line bird checklists?
A checklist of the birds of North America is available on floppy disk
from the American Birding Association (see section 2.4 below).
The American Ornithologists' Union 1991 bird list is available for download
as AOU91.ZIP from The Osprey's Nest BBS, +1 301 989 9036.
[Elsewhere?]
-----
2.4. What are good wild-bird magazines?
That depends on your purpose. Bird magazines have three main offerings:
interesting articles, compelling photography, and records of unusual
sightings. Many publications have strengths in only one area.
Below is a list of many magazines, with their organizations. Bernard Volet
supplied much of the European information. Also, see the next section, as
its subject matter overlaps this one's.
North America:
_American Birds_ (five issues; important repository of sighting
records; in financial difficulty; US$30/yr)
P.O. Box 490
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
700 Broadway
USA
(editorial address is 700 Broadway, New York, New York 10003, USA
+1 212 979-3000)
_Birders Journal_ (bimonthly; general-interest; C$34/yr)
Circulation Department
8 Midtown Dr., Suite 289
Oshawa, Ontario L1J 8L2
CANADA
_Birder's World_ (bimonthly; general-interest;
outstanding photos; US$19.75/yr)
Subscription Dept.
434 W Downer Pl
Aurora, Illinois 60506-9919
USA
_Birding_ (bi-monthly; with _Winging It_, a monthly newsletter;
US$36 with membership)
American Birding Association, Inc.
P. O. Box 6599
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80934
USA
Toll-free phone (North America) (800) 850-2473
ABA Sales: in North America (800) 634-7736
Otherwise +1 719 578 0607
_Birds of the Wild_ (quarterly; C$16.00/yr)
P.O. Box 73
Markham, Ontario L3P 3J5
CANADA
_Bird Watcher's Digest_ (bimonthly; aimed at novices and backyard
feeders; US$17.95/yr)
Pardson Corporation
P. O. Box 110
Marietta, Ohio 45750-9977
USA
In North America (800) 879-2473
_Living Bird_ (quarterly; US$30 with membership)
Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, New York 14850
USA
_Partners in Flight/Aves de las Americas_ (free quarterly)
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Suite 900, Bender Bldg.
1120 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036
USA
_WildBird_ (monthly; general-interest; US$23.97/yr)
Subscription Dept.
P.O. Box 52898
Boulder, Colorado 80323-2898
USA
In the United Kingdom:
_British Birds_ (monthly; Europe, the Middle East, and North
Africa. US$73 or 38.60 pounds sterling. Sample
issue requests should be directed to Erika
Sharrock at this address, mentioning this FAQ)
Fountains
Park Lane
Blunham
Bedford
MK44 3NJ
ENGLAND
_Birds_ (quarterly; 20 pounds sterling/yr)
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
The Lodge
Sandy
Beds
SG19 2DL
ENGLAND
Switzerland:
_Nos Oiseaux_ (quarterly; bird behavior and distribution, local bird
sightings, in French with German and English summaries
SFr.33/yr)
Musee d'Histoire Naturelle
2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds
SWITZERLAND
Phone and Fax: +41 039 23 39 76
France:
_Alauda_ (quarterly; bird studies in France and Africa, in French,
FFr.260/yr)
Museum d'histoire naturelle
Laboratoire d'Ecologie generale
4, avenue du Petit-Chateau
91800 Brunoy
FRANCE
_Ornithos_ (new, coming in 1994, biannual, field ornithology, in
French, FFr.180/yr)
Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux
BP 263
17305 Rochefort Cedex
FRANCE
_L'Oiseau magazine_ (quarterly, more general public oriented, bird
protection, in french, FFr.140/yr)
Same address as Ornithos
Germany:
_Limicola_ (six issues, field ornithology, in German with English
summary, DM 69/yr)
Limicola
Uber dem Salzgraben 11
OT Druber
D-37574 Einbeck
GERMANY
Phone +49 (05561) 82224, Fax 82289
_Ornithologischer Jahresbericht Helgoland_
(annual, report of bird sightings on the famous
island, in German with English summary, DM 15)
Ornithologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft Helgoland e.V.
Postfach 869
27490 Helgoland
GERMANY
Spain:
_Ardeola_ (biannual, papers in Spanish and English with summaries
in both languages)
SEO
Facultad de Biologica
28040 Madrid
SPAIN
Fax +34 1 549 5740
The Netherlands:
Dutch Birding (in Dutch and English)
Postbus 75611
1070 AP
Amsterdam
THE NETHERLANDS
-----
2.5. What are good wild-bird-related organizations?
Start locally. Your local bird club, or, in North America, chapter
of the Audubon Society, organizes birding trips that will help you
hone your skills. Many states and regions have independent ornitho-
logical societies.
The National Audubon Society, once a bird-oriented conservation
group, is now trying to be a broad-spectrum environmental organization;
whether it is succeeding is a matter of debate.
National Audubon Society
700 Broadway
New York, New York 10003
USA
In North America, the organization dedicated to birding as a sport
is the American Birding Association.
American Birding Association
P.O. Box 6599
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80934
USA
Toll-free phone in North America (800) 634-7736
Otherwise +1 719 578 0607
Professional ornithological associations, by and large, are much more
welcoming of amateur members than those of other sciences. They publish
scholarly journals, which may be had very reasonably with membership.
The American Ornithologists' Union, US$35/yr
(publishes _The Auk_ quarterly [although it has been delayed recently])
810 East Tenth Street
Lawrence, Kansas 66049-8897
USA
Western Field Ornithologists
(Covers Western North America US$18/yr (outside U.S. US$23))
c/o Dori Myers, Treasurer
6011 Saddletree Lane
Yorba Linda, CA 92696
The British Ornithologists Union, 18 pounds sterling/yr
(publishes _The Ibis_ quarterly)
c/o British Museum
Sub-Department of Ornithology
Tring
Herts HP23 6AP
ENGLAND
Vogelbescherming
(the Dutch Society for the Protection of Birds; publishes _Vogels)
(member of BirdLife International)
Driebergseweg 16c
3708 JB Zeist
THE NETHERLANDS
+31 03404 37744
fax +31 03404 18844
birdinfophone +31 03404 37773
Norsk Ornitologisk Forening
(publishes _Vaar Fuglefauna_ quarterly)
Seminarplassen 5
7060 Klaebu
Oslo
NORWAY
Bird Observers Club of Australia
(publishes The Bird Observer, monthly except January; A$40/yr,
overseas A$60 includes airmail)
183 Springvale Rd
Nunawading, Victoria 3131
AUSTRALIA
fax +61 3 894 4048
The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, A$64/yr
(publishes _The Emu_)
21 Gladstone Street
Moonee Ponds, Victoria 3039
AUSTRALIA
Papua New Guinea Bird Society
P.O. Box 1598
Boroko, NCD
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Southern African Ornithological Society, around R65/yr
(publishes _Birding in Southern Africa_; scientific members
[around R20 more] also receive _Ostrich_)
P.O. Box 84394
Greenside
Johannesburg 2034
SOUTH AFRICA
+27 11 8884147
fax +27 11 7827013
Here is a sampling of international conservation organizations:
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
The Lodge
Sandy
Beds
ENGLAND
+44 0767 680551
BirdLife International (formerly International Council for
Bird Preservation; quarterly journal, US$35/yr)
Wellbrook Court
Girton Road
Cambridge
CB3 0NA
ENGLAND
+44 223 277318
(U.S. affiliate : World Bird Club
P.O. Box 57242
Washington, DC 20037-7242
+1 202 778 9649)
British Trust for Ornithology
The Nunnery
Thetford
Norfolk
IP24 2PU
ENGLAND
See the previous section for more such organizations.
-----
2.6. What is BIRDCHAT? EuroBirdNet?
BIRDCHAT is one of a family of mailing lists dedicated to wild birds.
BIRDCHAT is for discussion of general wild-bird topics; the subjects
are much like those raised on rec.birds, but the tone is slightly
more serious. It is not forbidden to post an article both to BIRDCHAT
and rec.birds if the content is not frivolous.
BIRDEAST, BIRDCNTR, and BIRDWEST, other mailing lists in the family,
contain reports of rare birds (transcribed by volunteers from hotlines)
from eastern, central, and western North America, respectively.
To subscribe to BIRDCHAT, send a message to LISTSERV@ARIZVM1.CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU
containing this command:
SUBSCRIBE BIRDCHAT Your Name
To unsubscribe, send this message:
SIGNOFF BIRDCHAT
For more information, send this message:
HELP
EuroBirdNet is a private mailing list for relaying information about
birds in Europe, mostly consisting of rarity reports and trip reports.
Join by sending e-mail to Annika Forsten <aforsten@aton.abo.fi> .
-----
2.7. Are there good computer programs for maintaining bird lists?
Commercial computer programs exist for this purpose; they are advertised
in the back pages of many birding magazines.
One prominent commercial program, AviSys, is reviewed in the August
1992 issue of _Birding_. _Birding_ has reviewed several such programs
in the past few years, including Plover. _Living Bird_ reviewed nine
PC-based programs in its Summer 1992 issue.
Many shareware and public-domain programs also exist, such as LifeLister.
Check public-domain archives to get copies of these programs.
Carena Pooth <HFDH09A@prodigy.com> graciously provided the following list
of names, addresses, and phone numbers. If you find any problems with
it, please notify her as well as the FAQ maintainer. All prices are
U.S. dollars.
Aves (In N.A. (800) 925-BIRD) Ecosystem Software, 638 El Dorado
Ave., Oakland, CA 94611 $65
AviSys (In N.A. (800) 354-7755) Perceptive Systems, P.O. Box
3530, Silverdale, WA 98383 $89.95 (Version 3.0)
BirdBase (+1 805 963 4886) Santa Barbara Software Products
1400 Dover Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93103 $59.95 (99.95
for world list version)
Birdlist (+1 301 229 7002) Bird Commander, Inc., P.O. Box
34238, Bethesda, MD 20817 $99
Birds (+1 404 951 8252) Scientia Enterprises, 2536 Cedar
Canyon Drive, Marietta, GA 30067 $75
Datahawk (+1 310 479 8780) $89 (Version 2)
Flexi-List (In N.A. (800) 356-7613) Parkway Software, P.O. Box 275
Villanova, PA 19085 $50
Plover (+1 415 892 9871) Sandpiper Software, 9 Goldfinch Ct.
Novato CA 94947 $68; demo disk $3
Sialis (+1 201 836 1496) Alfred Milch, 461 Palmer Ave.,
Teaneck, NJ 07666 $75
Nina Mollett recommends MacPeregrine for the Macintosh (Whole Life Systems,
P.O. Box 162, Rehoboth, NM 87322). Another Macintosh prodict is BirdBrain,
which was reviewed in the December 1989 issue of _Birding_.
If you use a bird-listing program, please post a review to rec.birds.
-----
2.8. Where can I get digitized pictures of birds?
The AVES Internet archive stores images of birds, as well as digitized
recordings of bird songs. Connect by anonymous FTP or gopher to
vitruvius.cecer.army.mil (129.229.21.78). The archive is managed
by Russ Glaeser <rglaeser@macaw.cecer.army.mil>.
Here is a WWW link (a "URL") for AVES: ftp://vitruvius.cecer.army.mil
There is now a WWW page that gathers together a wide variety of
pieces of information about birds. Its URL is:
http://compstat.wharton.upenn.edu:8001/~siler/birding.html
-----
2.9. Where can I find recordings of birdsongs?
For North American birds, Houghton Mifflin's Peterson series includes
Walton and Lawson's _Backyard Bird Song_, a simple introduction to common
birds, as well as _Birding by Ear_, a more advanced course. I have only
seen these in cassette format. They also offer "aural field guides"
for North America on cassette and compact disc: there is an Eastern/
Central and a Western volume.
The National Geographic Society (In N.A. (800) 638-4077) offers an audio
field guide. Lang Elliot offers a series of recordings called _Know Your
Bird Songs_ that are very useful for advanced and intermediate birders.
If you can't find these items locally, try the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's
shop at +1 607 254 2400.
Bernard Volet suggests the following for European bird songs:
Roche, J.-C.: _All the Bird Songs of Britain and Europe_
4 cassettes covering 420 species or 4 CDs covering 396 species,
Comments in French and English.
"For research, teaching, identification problems, covering Western and
Eastern Paleartic, Afro-tropical, Oriental, Australasian, Nearctic,
Neotropical and Antarctic, inquire at:
British Library of Wildlife Sounds (BLOWS)
National Sound Archive
29 Exhibition Road
London SW7 2AS
ENGLAND
Fax +44 071 412 7441"
-----------------------------
-----
2.10. Are there field guides for nests, eggs, and nestlings?
Yes, but they must be used with great caution. Never interfere with
nesting birds, and spend as little time as possible in the nest's vicinity.
Needless to say, do not touch the nest's contents.
The main North American reference is:
Harrison, Colin: _A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of
North American Birds_ (published by Collins, 1978).
ISBN: 0-00219-316-7
Be sure to read this book's introductory text; don't skip right to the
species entries.
If you have an interest in nests and eggs, the FAQ editor suggests that
you seek out and get involved with an organized bird survey.
-----
2.11. Acknowledgements
The acknowledgements list is maintained in part 1 of this FAQ.
*********end of part 2 (of 2) of the rec.birds FAQ*********
E-Mail Fredric L. Rice / The Skeptic Tank