Hey tweets, In response to Ian Paulsen's provocative post asking us how we
would design the ideal guidebook, here is my two cents:

I'd like to see more descriptions of behavior, especially behavior that is
diagnostic. Most field guides include these descriptions now and then, and
they are very helpful in narrowing the range of choices when I'm not sure
of an identification. Unfortunately, the current guidebooks do not include
these descriptions consistently.

Second, I'd like to see some indication of when birds migrate. Golden
includes a map of spring migration times (coded by dotted or dashed lines
to show how and when a species moves north). I love these maps and wish the
authors had put in something similar for fall migration. It would be great
to know when to start expecting birds to arrive and depart, and when a
given species is early or late. I think most of us develop a
seat-of-the-pants feel for this, and some of us keep private records. But
it's not systematic. The reason I'd like to see the guidebooks include this
information, aside from helping us with identifications, is that it's fun
to speculate why an individual bird or species is early or late. Is weather
to blame? Magnetism? Global warming? Insect supply? It's fun to think about
these things, but more important, it ties us more closely to birds' life
cycles. I can't migrate with warblers, but my imagination can go with them
on their journeys. I've never been up to the tundra to see a ruff on nest,
but I like to think about that when I walk around the Fill and wonder when
a ruff is going to show up here. Maybe the wayward ruff who eventually is
going to do that was born this season. Maybe, even as we speak, it's
flappying its little baby wings to grow strong enough to come here. Okay,
when do I start really looking for it? I'd like to know. - Connie, Seattle

csidles at isomedia.com