birding-aus

Carrying field guides into the field

To: "birding aus" <>
Subject: Carrying field guides into the field
From: "Philip A. Veerman" <>
Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 14:33:45 +1000
Perhaps English twitchers are particularly peculiar. (I have never been there.) I don't take a field guide out with me around home, because I don't need it, however I usually do in unfamiliar places and always have at least two different ones in the car on longer trips. I guess in England most birds are predictable, so experienced people don't need a book, hence it would be uncool to take a book with you. It is only for the rarities that they need a book. It may be considered good discipline to take your own field notes for those occasional unexpecteds, as you would need those notes to justify the id for rarities, (just as for here).
 
Philip
-----Original Message-----
From: <>
To: <m("vicnet.net.au","birding-aus");">>
Date: Wednesday, 31 July 2002 10:59
Subject: [BIRDING-AUS] Carrying field guides into the field

I have nearly finished reading Mark Cockers' book 'Birders: Tales of a
Tribe' about the twitching phenomenon in the UK. It has been a very
enjoyable read but a comment in this book which was similar to a statement
made in Bill Oddie's autobiography had let me to believe that I continue to
make an enormous faux pas everytime I go birding. Both books allude to the
fact that it is poor form to take a field guide out in the field and one
must make notes and diagrams of what one sees. In taking my copy of Slater
with me into the filed, have I committed a cardinal sin of birding, or is
this a particularly English peculiarity?

Cheers
Alastair
PS Presumably those that take chairs into the field do so, so they can
accommodate the larger field guides or even HANZAB on their lap.

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU