Roger Tory Peterson
Roger Tory Peterson
Born: 28 August 1908 Birthplace: Jamestown, New York
” . . . the man who made America
a nation of birdwatchers.”
William Zinsser
Writer and Critic
Your dashes are arrows
in A Field Guide to the Birds, the green-bound “Peterson”
tucked into belts, pushed into pockets, stuffed into backpacks
Arrows that lead eyes of millions,
squinting through binoculars,
to the red-brown cap and black “stick-pin”
identifying the passerine in snowy branches.
“That’s it,” the new birder exclaims,
pulls out list, checks off the “Winter Chippy,”
American Tree Sparrow
Arrows that glide to crest and black necklace of Blue Jay,
“golden slippers” of Snowy Egret,
yellow “spectacles,” black sideburns, of Kentucky Warbler,
purple throat, green crown, decurved bill of Lucifer Hummingbird,
white tail tip of Eastern Kingbird.
The Bald Eagle with white head and tail is “all field mark.”
In the salt marsh in May, the birder thinks “Life Bird?”
Focuses on shorebird
prodding mud flat with Short-billed Dowitchers,
Red Knots, Ruddy Turnstones. Greater Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers,
Semi-palmated and Black-bellied Plovers.
She has identified all with the dried, wrinkled pages of her “Peterson.”
She studies what she knows to be a plover,
concentrates glasses on this bird feeding
by greening shoots of Spartina grass.
Again, she stares at your art,
your arrow guide slanting to the back.
She rereads your description:
“spangled with golden spots above.”
Suddenly, her freckled face is a loud smile,
her whisper a bursting
“Golden Plover!”
Field Guide, 1996
The Roger Peterson Institute of Natural History
Rattlesnake Orchid
Downy Rattlesnake Orchid
Last week I came across this sweet looking Orchid in Allegany State Park and just knew this was something special. Our first investigation made us believe it was the Checkered Rattlesnake Orchid but a few of the leaves on the plant and the flower alignment were off some . . . . just maybe this is a Dwarf Rattlesnake Orchid?? I sent an email to our State Park Botanist.
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A Cure for Cabin Fever!
Feet can go there!
A visit to a favorite spot in Allegany State Park gave me a break from office work and an opportunity to do a guest post for my friend and co-worker Mon@arch. The office project has been interesting, but when I took a break for lunch, and felt the warm sun, cabin fever struck.
I headed for France Brook Road to a spot our “original” naturalists called “El Creepo.” The Road Closed sign reminded me of old times when a big gravel pile made this a dead end. Once or twice each summer the naturalists would get together in the evening to walk up the hill to route one. Some of the cool critters along the way included Porcupines, a Veery family, and deer, of course.
The big favorite, and the reason we came here, were the Barred Owls; we always tried to call an owl. One of the guys once attached a little auxiliary speaker to a tape player set on the roof of his car. We used the recording to call the owl, and had one dive at the speaker–about two feet above our heads!!!
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Little Wood Turtle
Wood Turtle
Today I found a tiny wood turtle along one of the paths that I was walking here in Allegany State Park. Wasn’t the smallest Wood Turtle that I have ever found but it is unusual to find little ones like this!! Of course I had to take a few pictures of it!
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Purple Coral Fungus
Purple Coral Fungus
You ever see Purple Coral Fungus before? Typically they are white . . . sometimes orange or yellow but seeing a purple one threw me back some!!
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Floating Slug
This is something you would expect to find on the Planet Earth DVD . . . . a floating Slug! While bird banding a few weeks ago . . . . Jennifer found this floating slug and was bummed that she didn’t have her camera with her! Lucky, I had my point and shoot on me but this wasn’t an easy thing to photograph!! Here was this slug dangling on some slime/silk from a tree (which you can kind of see in the photo)!!! Isn’t our world amazing???
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Some Birdies
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Here are some cool birdies that I photographed and should have posted while bird banding the past month! Thanks for all your kind comments . . . . you guys are all wonderful!
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Mon@rch's Nature Blog 