Happy First Birthday!
1 Comment »3rd September, 2006; Category: General
Today marks one year since this birding blog started.
Originally it was written on Blogger but my son transferred all the posts to this domain name in March 2006.
Here is the link to my very first post: My First Blog Entry
Wow – what a gripping title!
And one that’s never been used before.
So – Happy birthday to me… er… Happy Birthday Dear Blog.
How to be a Birder part 18
Hint # 18 Read books about birding and birders
Some years ago I bought and read Bill Oddie’s “Little Black Bird Book.†Apart from being a very humorous look at birders and bird watching as a hobby, this book is full of information about Bill’s experiences as a birder and how to go about the hobby. He gives far more information than I have given in this series of posts. I’m not sure if his book is still in print but it’s worth pursuing in second-hand bookshops or on eBay.
Apart from that wonderful book there are many hundreds more interesting books about birders and ornithologists that are entertaining as well as educational. Recently I read Sean Dooley’s book “The Big Twitchâ€Â. Again this is very humorous and instructive. Sean set aside a whole year recently to go birding. He attempted to beat the all-time unofficial record number of Australian bird species seen in a calendar year. The various sub-plots, including his frustrating love-life, just add spice to the entertainment.
Second hand bookshops and their remainder tables are worth going over as are bookshop sales with discounted volumes. I have made a deliberate choice NOT to access eBay too often lest I be tempted to buy still more bird books to add to the growing pile waiting to be read. It is getting to the point where I need several more bookshelves to house all these wonderful books. Perhaps an extra room could be built on my house; yes, I’ve always secretly wanted a library. Make that two extra rooms; my wife has also wanted a library.
Books I found useful:
The following is a short list of books I found useful when I was learning about birds. The first three may well be out of print. Sean’s popular book is still in print.
- Bill Oddie’s Little Black Bird Book Bill Oddie (Methuen)
- Bird-watching in Australia Ted Schurmann (Rigby)
- Learning about Australian Birds Rosemary Balmford (Collins)
- The Big Twitch Sean Dooley (Allen and Unwin)
Noisy Miner
I and the Bird #31
No Comments »1st September, 2006; Category: Carnivals
I and the Bird is a birding carnival. I have read a number of them in recent months but the current one is the first time I have contributed a post.
I and the Bird #31 can be found over at Migrateblog.
Coincidently, my first contribution to the Festival of Trees has also been published recently over at Burning Silo.
Lots of blogs to read and interesting things to see in the photos.
Links:
Access I and the Bird here.
Access the Festival of the Trees here.
Update: I have had to delete all the links on this post as some of them were broken. Sorry about that. (Nov 2013)
How to be a Birder part 17
Hint # 17 Read books about birds
Birds have had many thousands of books and magazines dedicated to their identification, study and beauty. Most birders end up having at least several field guides. Many birders subscribe to a range of birding or natural history magazines and newsletters. A few dedicated birders have large libraries of bird books. There are even specialist bookshops dedicated to bird books, or at least to books about natural history.
Books and magazines are an excellent way to educate yourself about the life of birds, their characteristics, identification and distribution. The vast majority of books are broad in their scope. Some are dedicated to the birds of a region or a particular country. Others may confine their coverage to a particular region within a country like the birds of South Australia, for example. Still others confine their attention to a specific family of birds like owls, gulls or honeyeaters. Some authors have restricted themselves to just one species for the entire publication. I have in my collection a book published many years ago on the life of the Mallee Fowl, a threatened species present near where I live.
Build up your collection of bird books and magazines over a period of several years as your budget allows. They will, I am sure, bring countless hours of pleasure over many decades. If your budget is very limited, try second-hand bookshops, garage sales and stalls at markets and fetes and even eBay. Don’t forget your local library either. Our library even has a few excellent videos and DVDs about birds.
Links:
Updated November 2013.
Australian Magpie