Who was John Gould?
September 14, 2007
Article in: Birding
John Gould was born on September 14, 1804, in England. He became a known artist for his stunning bird prints, his most famous being the Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Hummingbirds.
Twenty-Six
September 7, 2007
Article in: Birding
Today is my (Birdfreak’s) 26th birthday!! Here are 26 facts about me. Enjoy!
- I was born on Labor Day in 1981
- I belong to the “Sevens Club”, something my sister, Snowy Owl and I dubbed for friends and family members born on a seventh of a month
- I have a B.A. degree in Marketing from Northern Illinois University
- I switched majors twice before choosing marketing – computer science and biology were the other major attempts
- My birding career began at around the age of 5 or 6 when my parents took me bird banding – I held a Blue-winged Warbler and was hooked
- I’ve traveled from coast to coast but have yet to get to the southeast, particularly Florida
- I’ve never flown in a plane
- I’ve been to Mexico and Canada, but no other foreign countries
- I love to travel and in 2002 I traveled for over 3 weeks with my dad and two dogs all over the west, totaling over 7100 miles and 17 states
- I keep a lifelist but I am not a hardcore lister – my list is around 350
- I’ve photographed nearly 1/2 of the lifebirds I’ve seen
- My favorite bird is a tie between the Northern Cardinal and White-breasted Nuthatch
- My rarest bird sighting is a Blue Mockingbird in southern Texas
- I am a full-blooded Illinoisan and have lived in Rockford all my life with one small exception
- I lived in Grand Teton National Park for a brief period
- I love to write and writing runs in our family – both of my grandfathers were professional writers and Snowy Owl (aka Susie) is one too
- Our family tree links to a fellow by the name of Shakespeare (yes, THAT Shakespeare)
- I am also part Czech and dream of birding in the Czech Republic someday
- I am a dog person despite also having a lovely cat
- I have always dreamed about adopting stray and neglected dogs on a large scale
- I love playing video games like Madden and Grand Theft Auto
- I used to collect baseball cards by the thousands but not anymore
- My favorite sports teams are: St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and Chicago Bulls – I don’t really like hockey
- My favorite place to bird is Horicon Marsh NWR in Wisconsin
- I don’t hunt but appreciate what hunters have done (and still do) for conservation
- I love spending time at my grandparent’s farm in northern Wisconsin, a forested playground of hundreds of acres
There you have it: 26 facts about Birdfreak!
Who was William Vincent Legge?
September 2, 2007
Article in: Birding
Born September 2nd, 1841, in Cullenswood, Tasmania, William Vincent Legge was an Australian ornithologist who founded the Australasian Ornithologists Union. He wrote History of the Birds of Ceylon in 1880, which is considered a valuable source of reference on Sri Lankan ornithology. The Legge’s Flowerpecker (Dicaeum vincens) was described by one of William Vincent Legge’s specimens and named after him.
Photo from BIRDWING Nature Holidays
Bond. James Bond. Ornithologist.
August 19, 2007
Article in: Birding
Disclaimer: I have never watched a single James Bond movie in all my life, and I have no desire to do so.
Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond novels, wanted to give his hero a name that sounded “as ordinary as possible.†He was a avid birder living in Jamaica and was familiar with a bird guide called Birds of the West Indies, written by ornithologist James Bond and originally published in 1936.
So although the name James Bond will forever be associated with the famous international spy hero from the movies, bird lovers can proudly know that the original James Bond (January 4, 1900-February 14, 1989) was one of their own. “Bond won the Institute of Jamaica’s Musgrave Medal in 1952; the Brewster Medal of the American Ornithologists Union in 1954; and the Leidy Medal of the Academy of Natural Sciences in 1975.â€
Note: Some information obtained from wikipedia.com
Who Was Meriwether Lewis?
August 18, 2007
Article in: Birding
Meriwether Lewis was born on August 18, 1774, in Virginia. Along with William Clark, he led one of the most famous explorations of the United States that uncovered new species, documented geography, and led to many preserved parks and trails.
There are historic trails along the large area of Lewis and Clark’s Expedition and they can be great to go birding. Many plants, birds, and places are named after the famous explorer, including the Lewis’s Woodpecker.
I saw a black woodpecker [6] [NB: or Crow] today about the size of the lark woodpecker as black as a crow. I indevoured to get a shoot at it but could not. it is a distinct species of woodpecker; it has a long tail and flys a good deel like the jay bird.—Lewis and Clark Journals
As their travels led them to new and wild territory they discovered many different bird species.
Unfortunately, Lewis died under mysterious circumstances a few years after the exploration was finished. He was only 35-years-old, but his work and discoveries will live on forever.
Dakota is Ten!
August 7, 2007
Article in: Birding
The big 1-0 !! Today, August 7th, 2007 (8-7-7), the little naturalist – son of Veery and nephew of Birdfreak turned 10 years old. (Sometimes we refer to him as “Kingfisher” or “Little Kingfisher”). Only a fifth grader, Dakota has been to some great birding places and has a lifelist of 171 birds. He has traveled to Whitefish Point, Michigan, been to Horicon Marsh several times, and has learned much about the natural world around him.
Dakota earlier this year on a cold day in late April
Dakota is also old enough to start competing in the Young Birder of the Year Contest, hosted by the American Birding Association.
By offering a young birder the opportunity to see and learn about nature first-hand, we know Dakota will be an advocate for nature. Although he has plans to be a baseball player, car engineer, Jeff Corwin’s successor, BMX racer, dog rescuer, and a dozen other things that will surely change over the years. But, no matter what he is a birder!
Who Was William Clark?
August 1, 2007
Article in: Birding
William Clark was born on August 1st, 1770. Clark’s fame stems from the great Lewis & Clark Expedition where, along with Meriwether Lewis, he voyaged across the western United States on assignment from President Thomas Jefferson.
Numerous books have been written about this duo and Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge is named after the explorers.
In the birding world, Clark’s name comes up when referring to that mischievous nut-caching Corvid, Clark’s Nutcracker and Clark’s Grebe, often confused with Western Grebe.
Who Was Joel Asaph Allen?
July 19, 2007
Article in: Birding
Joel Asaph Allen was born on this date in 1838. He was an ornithologist who studied under Louis Agassiz and was the first curator of the birds (and mammals) at the American Museum of Natural History.
Waterfall at Yellowstone National Park
Allen headed naturalists for the Smithsonian on the North Pacific Railroad expedition that traversed from Bismarck, North Dakota to Yellowstone. He also helped begin the first Audubon Society in New York.
