I miss guidebooks.
That’s a weird thing to say, considering I own most of them. It’s just that I primarily rely on apps and downloads for my birding resources in the field these days. My books remain on the shelf most of the time. I sometimes regret that.
I don’t remember how old I was when I was gifted a used copy of Birds: A Guide to the Most Familiar American Birds, written by Herbert S. Zim in 1956. I cherished it for a few years, before a used copy of Roger Tory Peterson’s “Field Guide to the Birds” fell into my little hands. I was probably about 8 years old. From that day forward, I wanted to see every bird in the book.
Some bird books can’t be replaced by an app. Books on how-to and where-to are still valuable. Guidebooks on advanced identification of difficult species can display troublesome birds side-by-side. That makes my books on gull, shorebird and hawk identification still useful, even as the pages slowly yellow with age.
Apps have little room for stylish writing. Text is terse and to the point. Over the years, I’ve developed a certain fondness for birding authors who display a flair for writing.
Pete Dunne is one of those skilled writers. I have several of his books on my shelf, including Hawks in Flight, a field guide he co-wrote with David Sibley.
Although he spent most of his birding career in New Jersey, he now bumps around Deer Isle. You might imagine how excited I was to discover he was on one of the puffin trips I led out of Stonington last summer.
It was not my first encounter with Pete. I went on one of his morning bird walks in Cape May, New Jersey, many years ago. We later co-led a field trip for the Acadia Birding Festival. On each occasion, I labored to keep my fan worship in check.
Kenn Kaufman is another prolific and stylish writer, and an equally gifted artist. He’s written multiple guides covering the birds, insects, butterflies and mammals of North America. But my favorite Kenn Kauffman book is “Kingbird Highway.” I have an autographed copy.
Kenn and I are virtually the same age. We both developed an interest in birds in early childhood. Then at age 16, Kenn went nuts. He dropped out of school (with his parents’ blessing) and hit the road, seeking to break the record for the most North American birds seen in one year.
The Big Year concept, which is a challenge to see as many species as possible in a calendar year, started in the late 1930s. Nowadays, competitors spend a lot of time and money, jetting around the continent to chase down every possible rarity.
But in the early 1970s, Kenn stuck out his thumb and hitchhiked across America. He describes his adventure as “a natural obsession that got a little out of hand.” “Kingbird Highway” is that story. Kaufman’s latest book is “The Birds That Audubon Missed.”
John James Audubon was another of the several well-known ornithologists in the early 19th century. All made historical contributions to our understanding of North American birds. They were also fierce competitors, trying to be first to document and name “new” plants and animals.
In their haste, they made errors of commission and omission.
For instance, in 1827, Audubon began publishing “Birds of America,” a four-volume illustrated set of all the birds in North America. Except that he didn’t get them all. Philadelphia vireo is one bird he apparently didn’t know about. If you want to see one in Maine, I recommend Roaring Brook Campground in Baxter State Park this summer.
Another example is that American warblers don’t warble, yet the pretty little songbirds were so-named by the early naturalists. Our birds probably bore a vague resemblance to ones in Britain that did warble. Truth is, those 19th century naturalists had a hard time figuring out what warblers were.
It’s easy to understand how these pioneering naturalists made errors. This was a time before anyone had smartphones, or even binoculars.
The subtitle of Kaufman’s new book is “Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness.” Sounds steamy. Kaufman weaves quite a tale in exploring this historical backdrop, but don’t take my word for it.
Maine Audubon is hosting a ZOOM presentation by Kenn on Feb. 10, which is quite a membership perk. We’ll learn firsthand about the birds Audubon missed, and the fascinating history behind them. It’s free, but registration is limited. Only Maine Audubon members know about it.
But, whoops, now so do you.
