Book Review: The Art of Bird Identification, Pete Dunne (2012)

 

This isn't a new book, but it's new to me and one of the books I received for Christmas, so it might be one that will be useful to others.

This isn't what I would call a hard-core birding book, unlike Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion (2006), which is squarely in the experienced category. This relatively short book is aimed more at those newer to the hobby, but certainly, there are some pointers that even more experienced birders could use a reminder about.

Many people start their birding journey with a field guide (which you do need), but those can be overwhelming for new birders. They contain hundreds of birds, many of which look a whole lot alike.

What this book does is focus birdwatchers on non-field guide identification clues. Sometimes, I'll be out with people and a bird may just flash by, and I can identify it. That seems like I am a real expert, but in most cases, I have watched a bird enough to pick out some aspect of the bird that tells me what it is, and sometimes, it is not a field mark shown in a field guide. The overall impression of a bird, referred to as "jizz" (an unfortunate term in current times), can allow a very quick identification. Where it is, its size, how it walks or flies, and certain easily visible field marks all help pull up an accurate ID fairly quickly.

However, when we are getting started, or if you are in an unfamiliar area, a more methodical approach is helpful. Usually field marks are not the most helpful clues until you can narrow the possibilities. Pete Dunne provides a framework to approach field identification.

Habitat is important. Not every bird will be in every habitat. Even if it is the right habitat, it might not be the right time of year. Then, what type of bird is it? If it's a duck-type birds, you can rule out a lot of possibilities and focus just on birds that are ducks, geese, and similar-appearing birds. How big is it? Compare it to some other bird you're familiar with. It's hard to identify size in inches, but you can probably say "It's smaller than a mallard." Again, that narrows your choices, giving you a manageable number to work with.

Now you look for field marks to find the bird you've observed. He doesn't get into this, but it does take practice to try to pick out the most useful field marks quickly. It's likely you won't have much time to look for them, so you get what you can. Songs and calls also can be useful.

Even with a good process, you can still misidentify a bird. I do it. Pete Dunne admits he does it. If bird identification was easy, birding would not be as challenging and interesting. But if you want to improve your odds, consider getting a copy of this book.

Good birding!

A Silent Christmas Bird Count

A book that started my journey to environmental awareness as a child was Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. This book was instrumental in eliminating (mostly) the use of DDT in the U.S., allowing for the comeback of the bald eagle. However, other factors beside DDT are having a devastating impact on our birds today

Last Saturday (December 20) was our local Christmas Bird Count (CBC). This was the 50th year our count was conducted (except for 1983, which for some reason, there is no record of a count being done).

Although it was a beautiful day, the count was disappointing. We ended the day with around the normal number of species seen, but significantly lower numbers of each species. The CBC requires the participants to count every single bird seen. We had 81 species, but only 18,409 individual birds, with 8 participants counting. This is very low number. We have noticed this trend in previous years. Sometimes, you can chalk up low numbers to poor weather--not this year.

This isn't surprising. We have been losing birds for many years. In 2019 the Cornell Lab of Ornithology published an article in its publication, Living Bird, which highlighted a study, documenting that North America has lost almost 30% of its birds since 1970. The largest losses were in grassland birds, which are primarily what we see here.

Why? In the case of grassland birds, it is largely due to a loss of habitat, as the original grassland prairies have largely been exterminated. The prairie is the most endangered ecosystem on earth with less than 1% of the original grassland prairie in Texas still in existence. Yes, there are rangelands covering a large part of Texas, but that is not the same habitat.

In several parts of our CBC area, there is a lot of development happening. A subdivision in Archer County that is part of my area, has quail names for its streets. There were probably quail there when the houses were built, but I doubt many of the inhabitants see or hear many quail now. All of the houses have suburban-type yards, which are not the habitat quail need to reproduce and survive. Across the street from this housing addition, there is adequate habitat (but not the best), so some may still be in the area, but if that housing area expands, it will further reduce quail territory.

Another issue is insects and other invertebrates. Not that many years ago, a drive meant you had to clean your windshield regularly to get the bug guts off. That is a rarity now. Insect populations are plummeting. Although many adult birds eat seeds, baby birds eat insects. A lot of insects. Insects are high in nutrients, as baby birds grow fast. Fewer insects mean less food and less food means fewer baby birds, and fewer adults. Much of the decline in insect populations is due to the use of pesticides. However, even areas with little disturbance, insect populations are plummeting. One study showed insects declines 72.4% in 20 years in a relatively untouched area in CO. This decline appeared to be due to rising summer temperatures.

Many of these seem issues might seem to be beyond the scope of any one person's ability to impact. Although it is true that many issues require the collective efforts of large communities, there are still things we can do to help our birds.

• Build habitat. Ditch the lawn or most of it. Plant native plants--they feed more of your local area insects and birds. For ideas, see Homegrown National Park.
• Use poisons on your yard sparingly, if at all. They aren't good for you, your family, pets, or the habitat.
• Keep your cats inside. I love cats, but they love to hunt, hungry or not. Cats kill between 1.3 and 4 billion birds annually in the U.S.
• Reduce the use of plastics. Plastics kill wildlife. As they break up into smaller pieces, they are often eaten by birds (whether directly or indirectly in the intestines of their food), filling their stomachs with undigestible food, until they starve to death. I do know it is very hard to avoid plastic, so what you do have, dispose of it carefully.
• Introduce people to birds. People don't develop strong attachments to things they are not exposed to. The more people observe and learn about these fascinating birds, the more likely they are to advocate on their behalf.

Good birding!