Show r WESTERN NATURE STUDIES if vf Prof or Goodwin on the Birds of Utah Reported by J H Paul PaulI u Lecture I FIRST STEPS IN BIRD STUDY I L LIf first lecture I ture before the nature ma hi If At At t to es at the he university this year Pro kr l or R a 1 H HI Goodwin spoke somewhat t Il s as I 1 Jam am glad to o ot resume work wk ar with you Yo u In ln Inam mot Inte og and fascinating S that t 1 Tali of In Ini of t all fields field i Loon pone e to my request far fer suggestions line to b be followed In y to any am an i Professor Paul answered work ork k I p What Vlut our student students need first and andem nemt em u is to le learn leam rn to Identify identity at t sight birds after alter that what tile tye ue points point on ornithology you youl the i r l I che Le to give them themi ny i some part of N Nu that r Hof ropY S H what hat I hope to aid I d you In I ae ac but it involves work put out Ide ds t f the class c k must be beby t M he a botanist hY by you roar ou 0 Can n II you if end and mt R gu I afield In ln H ma malty ny Y an anField exhaust 9 itil ig tra IP I II Field Work Indispensable L I t F bald is i the he first claw c room and 1 into which you must go aJ Lithe Ith br of Intellect lect nor n Un 1 JUa aNaa p powers of ot observation will 1 ba be lint ne essarY Mary for tor entrance entra yield work I repeat Su le absolutely ab In Inah ah I J may mav tell teU wS what t I know a blyd or about any an number r of ot gout a hods and that will not help you you t rod and know for tor A Ak of ot bird birda In Is I valuable hOCk k made their acquaintance ac niter after ou h nan have i f m th Ih the It may accompany but bOuld r m t precede knowledge gained at t 1 first hai harm 1 ln the study In tn the How Ho are arf re we t to i begin heft helt Jit way a 1 I answer some In the simplest some there t th some som balk As some va ns ray hr h u quid null learn piano music might j l gri with sImple Dimple exercises so others here wish to begin with the Impossible First Points Form and Color 1 If you were to go Into the field and meet with a bird that had no striking strikIng ing gg colors and I should ask you for a description your answer would be most likely Why Vb It was Just a little gray bird or a brown bird That is good as far tar as It goes a first step atop but in order to know birds or that particular bird you must separate from thin this general fact other facts which shall more specifically describe the term farm Note one two three or 01 a dozen items about the bird mark any patch of ot col color color color or Its location the bill heavy or long or short note what the bird birdis is doing where you found it and just justas as many other facts as you OU are le to notice Next the Song 2 Another step Among the notes and calls and songs and gossipy chat chatter chatter chatter ter of or hedgerow and garden and nd field not one may ever have specially at attracted your our attention and insisted upon being distinguished from them This ThiN bird music has been here and there and yonder wherever you have been b but you have not stopped long enough to mark differences It may be that you hear a burst of ot song or a babel of bird voices then listen for tor the pur purpose purpose purpose pose of separating from the volume of music some of ot the strains or fragments that enter into the chorus If It you have hae gone thus far you have made a beginning You have begun to notice and mark Never again will the blyd be simply a Jumble of ot sounds for you can pick out some of the strands you can assort the sounds 3 A third step will follow tollow you will find yourself sorting and grouping sights as well as sounds At this point In all probability you will try to tell yourself how large this bird is and you Qu a thing to measure It by and then too It Is far out of your reach You need a unit of measure something with which this bird may be compared c and not only this one but others as aswell aswell aswell well For this purpose there Is one which probably because of ot Its pres presence presence presence ence everywhere and its familiarity would suggest itself viz Iz the robin is UI this bird larger or smaller than the robin Is it of at similar build Or is it more stocky sto y and so on The beginner does not have ave jave much trouble with the birds of or strikingly colored plumage I These give little trouble but the small I plainly dressed birds do perplex and I confuse one who is just making a start in the work I As you ou observe for example a com common comI common mon bird of ot the rollicking notes a bird that sings both at rest and while fly ing you will discover a further dis mark over the head and throat and shoulders extending even to the breast you nete note a beautiful crim crimson crimson crimson son and while noting the color of the will be quite likely to ob observe observe observe serve that Its bill Is heavy and Ind strong and If It It should alight upon the ground you would see that it hops Jumps along and does not run as Is the robins habit Bird Localities 4 Another step You will now find yourself associating certain birds with particular localities Very early In your Our field work Ork you will observe that certain birds never appear In a certain locality while others If they are to tobe tobe tobe be found at all an will be met with ex ox there Then It will occur to you that Just as you would not look for tor sailors and fishing smacks and the pa paraphernalia paraphernalia of the sea up at the Sil Silver Silver Silver ver King mine so 80 you can hardly ex expect expect pest to find water birds In the mountains moun mountains mountains and on these windswept benches Birds are suited sult to certain environ environments environments environments ments just as fish are their life lICe de depends depends depends upon having the conditions which make life fife possible they the must go where food of the sort that they like and can utilize Is to be found The Tho western grebe for example would be sorely out of f place and would soon starve to death in our gardens and fertile valleys ita home is upon the water there it finds its Ita food and there it passes pases Its life ute On the other hand members of ot the Warbler family find their food in the I trees where they search with their II sharp eyes on twigs and leaf leat for tor In Insect Insect insect sect food tood so small that the naked eye ey can hardly discern it Presently you will 11 observe that certain certain certain i tain birds such as marsh hawks certain I tain owls and wrens rens u and warblers and bitterns and others seem to prefer preter the reedy roody marshy grounds bordering ponds and lakes and that still others like best the shores delighting in run running running running ning along in the shallow water Other birds remain in the fields the meadow larks horned larks sparrows sparrow doves while the beh hes canyons and mountains shelter still others that pre prefer pr prefer fer to remain In those localities such are towhees crow crows jays and others othera 5 There is another step stepa a funda fundamental fundamental mental law which must be observed by byall byall all who make any headway In the study of this subject That is the bird birl student must learn to be exact must practice exactness In his observations There IB Is l no reason for discouragement in thit statement the habit may be acquired and one of the requisites to accuracy and exactness is field notes In a notebook deal with each new bird birdas as you meet with it do not trust to memory just there so 50 many fail faU to ac accomplish accomplish accomplish anything or to te gain pin anything hu huby by their work Let me give you a brief outline that may b be followed at It atthe atthe the th outset Summary of First Steps Concerning any new bird that you meet with note 1 IThe The locality I whore where found I 1 e in inthe Inthe inthe the valley on bench in canyon about the water in the marshes ete etc 2 The size measured by your stand standard standard ard of ot measurement m the robin and it will be of ot service If It you note any quail qualifying qualifying tying fact concerning co Its size whether the bird is slim stocky etc ote 3 The color more general statement as black and white If It it is a lark bunting or a bobolink or yellow and i grayish of If It a yellow breasted chat hat Is j i found 4 Any details of markings that may attract your attention e g the white and dark stripes on the head of a sparrow or the white brown and darker stripes and patches on the head and throat of ot the lark sparrow or the black cap and wings wing and yellow body of ot the goldfinch or orthe orthe the red epaulets of th the blackbird etc otc 5 irhe The song Bong Note Noto whether It is fragmentary or sustained whether ether It has only calls or a real rea sing sang when and hew it sings 6 The food Watch a bird birdd for tor a few fe moments only and you will discover what it likes and eats Nete Note whether it eats fruit or grain or seeds or In Inserts Inse se ts etc ete together with how this food tood is taken whether on the wing or nr otherwise whether it there tak ll Its Ib food in one place and carries It to another to tobe tobe tobe be eaten etc 7 The flight Is It straight like th robins or bounding or zig zigzag zigzag zag swallows and night hawks etc 8 The nest When you find a nest noto note where It is placed and of ot course course the date always ys date the top of the page so there may be b no mis mistake mistake mistake take of ot what material constructed character as to structure both th the style of architecture and whether loosely built or compactly put together etc eta 9 General habits Any other fact tact concerning the bird which may b f brought to your notice Every Item will help to fix the particular form torm in jn InIta Its Ita proper place and in your mind Of course I donot give this outline meager as it IB with the expectation that you ou will 11 fill it out with all that tha t might be given place in It It is intro introduced Introduced introduced here so SQ that you ou may have some something something thing Definite to work on or toward In future talks I hope to bring before you certain groups and families o 0 of birds provide you with keys which will help you to Identify those with which you are likely to meet and point on out ont and illustrate somewhat of ot the great mass of material which H lies s every when about you and at your very doors |