|
The bird-watcher is fortunate in more than one particular. His is an inexpensive hobby, for the apparatus needed is not extensive and once purchased will, with care, last a lifetime. The open air and the birds are free for all, and what are required are mainly a sharp eye, an inquiring mind, a passion for the subject and a dogged perseverance. But a sharp eye can be made even more effective by the use of good binoculars, and money spent on a first-rate pair will be amply repaid. An essential in a binocular for bird-watching is that it shall be light in weight; it is surprising how quickly the arms tire when one has to stand motionless, with binoculars raised to the eyes whilst a shy bird moves across the view. So let the glasses be of aluminum alloy if possible. Magnification may be anything from 6 times (=x6) to 10 times (=x10). Higher degrees of magnification should be avoided as it is difficult enough to hold low-power glasses sufficiently steady, and with high powers almost impossible to get a steady view without a rest or stand of some kind. Focusing should be by a central screw as this is much more rapid than the method which focuses by varying each eyepiece. For long-range work, as at reservoirs or sheets of water, a good telescope of magnification X25 is a great help, but is cumbersome to carry and requires a tripod for effective use.
But the real test of a good bird-watcher is his ability to take good notes. This is not as easy as it seems, and there are a few golden rules which ought never to be broken. The first is, write it down on the spot. Never trust to memory. Memory lets you down, and then imagination fills in the blanks with disastrous results. Secondly, write too much rather than too little, in the field note-book. You can always transcribe and condense into a fair note-book when you get home. Record even apparent trivialities; they may turn out to be essentials when the jig-saw of bird behavior comes to be fitted together. In identifying a bird seen in the field, never record characteristics before consulting a work on ornithology. It is fatal to jot down a few notes in the field, go home, look at a colored plate or detailed description of your bird, and then proceed to write a description of what you have seen. Field notes should record such points as distance away from the bird, direction of light, nature of ground, types of other birds associating with your bird, whether it was at rest or in flight, character of the flight if seen, size and shape compared with other birds known to you, points of structure like size, color and shape of bill, length and color of feet and legs, shape of wing, and length of tail. Any distinctive white or colored marking with their exact position should be recorded. Write down any cry or note the bird utters. And finally, although you may be " rotten at drawing," try to make a rough sketch of the bird and fill in details. For close observation of birds at the nest a hide-tent is essential, and doubly so if photography is to be undertaken. From a hide tent the bird-watcher can see many intimate details of bird behavior which are lost to the more distant viewer. Photography can be an aid to bird-watching but only so long as the obtaining of a photograph is kept rigidly secondary to the observing and recording of bird behavior If a camera is carried and used merely to illustrate aspects of bird behavior, it can be a useful tool in the bird watcher's kit. A small reflex, or a miniature camera is best, especially the latter, as a great many photographs can be taken with a miniature in a very short time. The results may not be up to " exhibition " standard, but stuck into a notebook will be very valuable additions to the notes. And finally, preserve a scientific passion for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Avoid competitive discussions with fellow bird-watchers on lists of rarities seen : they become similar to discussions by fishermen on the size of their catch. Find a man whose interest is not merely in discovering eagle owls, or golden orioles, or surf-scoters (often only in a fertile imagination), but one who, like yourself, wishes to study the way birds live and so to understand what manner of creatures they are. Experiences exchanged will then be knowledge gained.
|
