Nature Note: A Naturalist's Travels Through Nature

Before this week's competition begins, I would like to let you guys know that I'm only doing one entry for the week as I'll be in Florida from Friday until next Tuesday. I'll inform you guys of how the trip went (hopefully with photos) and update the tournament as well. Thanks for bearing with me and the hectic start to the new year. Hopefully I can get some new species to show for it huh? (Here's hoping for Limpkin ( Aramus guarauna ) and Snowy Plover ( Charadrius nivosus )) Anyhoo, let's get this week's competition underway! Griscom vs. Gould! The battle of the G's begins now! Practically the Gaston of birdwatchers Ludlow Griscom (1890-1959) as can be seen above, was regarded as being the "Dean of Birdwatchers". A man with a commanding personality and a passion for birds to match, he made his mark on the birding world, especially in Massachusetts and in the East. His most famous contribution to the birding world was the concept of fi...

Welcome to part two of the birding reading list. Here are my next four submissions. Oology: Ralph's Talking Eggs by Carrol L. Henderson (2007) I picked this book up somewhere (I don't remember where) and was fascinated by the study and formerly rife practice of oology (the study of bird eggs and to a lesser extent, their nesting habits) which was pursued during the days of "shotgun ornithology" and market hunting, when the idea that such huge numbers of shorebirds, ducks, and pigeons ever running out was thought to be flights of fancy. I'm looking forward to it because it explains the tale of one such oologist named Ralph Handsaker who lived in the Midwest and started a collection of eggs that many other bird experts used to recognize all sorts of birds all over North America. It looks like an interesting read based on a formerly prominent hobby of many nature observers and amateur scientists and how it has had an impact on bird conservation and study in moder...