This essay by Charles Waterton is about birds of Amazon
Henry Seebohm's essay on birds in Siberia. Access to more of his books
Grant Allen's essay Prophetic Autumn can be read from his book Moorland Idylls
Encantadas by Herman Melville.
Interesting magazine collection.
Rachel Carson's work
Ernest Thompson Seton's essay The Wild Geese of Wyndygoul' from his book Wild Animal Ways
Richard Jeffries work
Already praised work of Edmund Selous
Find W H Hudson, Maurice Maeterlinck and others work
Teddy Roosevelts African game trails
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Why birds Sing
This essay included in the 'By the Light of the Glow Worm Lamp' from Jacques Delamain (his 1931 book) is best read accompanied with the songs of the birds being talked about.
Serins, Cirl Bunting, Chaffinches, Mistle Thrush, Cetti's Warbler, Ortolan
Serins, Cirl Bunting, Chaffinches, Mistle Thrush, Cetti's Warbler, Ortolan
Plovers
In Edmund Selous essay 'Birdwatching' included in 'By the Light of the Glow-worm Lamp', the author has a descriptive account of stone-curlew. It is the longest, captivating reading about watching birds. Wiki says the term for the activity took off with a book of Selous by the same name.
I can imagine the curlew going after a thistle- down. When he talks of dance, by thinking of it without music, one can see it in just the movements too. From the pattern we move to the unit actions that make it up.
Looking at a video of a plover flying, I had to be informed that plovers can fly too. For the little time I take to recognise these little shore birds, they walk around detecting food with their bills, it does not occur to me that they can fly. Given that they migrate, I have to believe it.
I have seen the stilts fly, but none of all the busy feeding shore birds. Maybe I should shadow them to learn all they can do. Then it would have to be done in different months too.
I can imagine the curlew going after a thistle- down. When he talks of dance, by thinking of it without music, one can see it in just the movements too. From the pattern we move to the unit actions that make it up.
Looking at a video of a plover flying, I had to be informed that plovers can fly too. For the little time I take to recognise these little shore birds, they walk around detecting food with their bills, it does not occur to me that they can fly. Given that they migrate, I have to believe it.
I have seen the stilts fly, but none of all the busy feeding shore birds. Maybe I should shadow them to learn all they can do. Then it would have to be done in different months too.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Watching Birds
My motivation in reading this book by Roger E Pasquier is a sketch of different shore birds with varying bill lengths searching for food in water. The classic 'early bird' tale has a twist. If your neighbor's bill is not the same size as yours, you can sleep longer. Your foraging zones are different.
Journals from SoraLook for Birding mag
Journals from SoraLook for Birding mag
Sunday, February 21, 2010
By the Light of the Glow-Worm lamp
What is needed is to write the lives of our birds so that the creatures may be recognized without the aid of an illustrartion.
Charles C Abbot in essay 'An October Diary'
Charles C Abbot in essay 'An October Diary'
The Nature of Nature
This book with essay 'Gujarat and Rajasthan' by Peter Matthiesen I learnt of birds like sarus(saras) crane godavan(bustard), Luggar falcons and trees like mahua, khejri.
oriental birds
Reading of the salt impregnated in Koli salt miners that dont burn, I just wish they had the adaptation of flamingos long legs to save their feathers from the salt from water( Extreme birds )
Casques of cassowaries and hornbills
A book cover of an egg color
bombax's red
Demoiselle cranes
Why madagascar does not have woodpeckers?
Painted stork
OPen bill stork
black neck crane
greylags
pacas
clusia tree
oriental birds
Reading of the salt impregnated in Koli salt miners that dont burn, I just wish they had the adaptation of flamingos long legs to save their feathers from the salt from water( Extreme birds )
Casques of cassowaries and hornbills
A book cover of an egg color
bombax's red
Demoiselle cranes
Why madagascar does not have woodpeckers?
Painted stork
OPen bill stork
black neck crane
greylags
pacas
clusia tree
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Bird watching and Mind
Two fridays ago, I had gone for an early and quick bird watching. The attention grabber that day was an Osprey. That capital O is a new development. They have become the pronouns for me now. Osprey thrilled us with his tour. Later he rested on a tree. As we scanned to the left, there was a hunk of a bird on a dead tree. I dismissed it as the same bird. Later when a cowatcher found it, she wondered how could anyone miss it and I realised how mindlessly I snubbed the Red tailed hawk as Osprey, clearly when osprey has such contrasting black and white in it. As I followed a phoebe from a tree to a bank, I was surprised to call it and wondered how does our memory work and when are we sure of the bird.
Last sunday sitting in a class with glass windows, we looked out to find a bird. After looking at its ID, I wondered if it was a shrike but didnt say it loud as I thought the others around would have called it if it was that. It is ironic that few weeks ago, it was the same marks that I carried home and checked it out in the bird book that it was a shrike.
Last sunday sitting in a class with glass windows, we looked out to find a bird. After looking at its ID, I wondered if it was a shrike but didnt say it loud as I thought the others around would have called it if it was that. It is ironic that few weeks ago, it was the same marks that I carried home and checked it out in the bird book that it was a shrike.
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