I'm often asked if I list. Yes, but not birds—I list bird authors. I follow the American Birding Association Guidelines:
- The author must have been within the prescribed area and time period when encountered.
- The author must have been a species currently accepted by the ABA Checklist Committee for lists within its area, by the A.O.U. Checklist for lists outside the ABA area and within the A.O.U. area, and by Clements for all other areas.
- The author must have been alive, wild, and unrestrained when encountered.
- Diagnostic field marks for the author, sufficient to identify to species, must have been seen and/or heard and/or documented by the recorder at the time of the encounter.
- The author must have been encountered under conditions that conform to the ABA Code of Ethics.
A budding photographer, I've been able to document my many encounters. Perhaps someday I shall write my own Photographic Guide to North American Bird Authors. And since I am my own records committee I unanimously accept all my records.
This list will be in constant fluctuation and added to as I run into more authors. This list is also in no particular order.
I was in Nebraska looking for large quantities of sandhill cranes when I got Johnsgard. This particular species is not at all skittish and tolerates human contact very well. In winter, Johnsgard can be found in a variety of colorful sweaters and seems most relaxed sitting in a dark box in twenty degree weather listening to cranes or prairie chickens. It is also interesting to note that Johnsgard has written so many books that when stacked on top of one another, the pile is taller than me (I'm five foot and a half inch).
Kissing is not mentioned as a no-no in the ABA code of ethics so this sighting is totally countable.
I have encountered this particular species on several different occasions and there is always one key field mark. Many would say it's the binoculars always in hand, but like the red shoulder patch on a red-winged blackbird the binos can be hidden away under a chair or driver's seat. Some would argue that it's his beard, but several birders have facial hair and that's not always diagnostic when trying to ID Kaufman. For Kenn, the unmistakable field mark is the blue shirt. This photo was taken on a birding trip in Park Pointe in Duluth, Minnesota.
The first time I identified Kaufman was pulling up to my hotel at the Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds. I was parking my van when I saw a man walking into the hotel. I grabbed my friend Amber's arm and said, "Oh my gosh, he looks just like his picture." Look on the back of Lives of North American Birds and you will see what I mean.
If you follow the rules, I have heard, but not seen, Scott Weidensaul. I've been a huge fan of his books since I had to read Raptor Almanac as part of my training to be an educator at the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center. Weidensaul's books are easy to read and interesting. My encounter with him was a phone conversation when I asked if I could mail a book to him for to be autographed for a friend's birthday. An incredibly nice and friendly guy who did send back a handwritten note so I have proof of correspondence. Weidensaul has an unmistakable scholarly voice and for those who want to know, he pronounces it: WIDE-n-saul.
Those who know Kim will appreciate this sighting.
When I first moved to Minnesota I heard about the Duluth hawk migration and of the famed Kim Eckert who had written A Birder's Guide to Minnesota. Not knowing much about hawk migration I headed up to Hawk Ridge in Duluth at dawn expecting to see thousands of birds, not realizing that the migration doesn't kick in until 9 a.m.
A man showed up and started setting up the displays for the day. Wanting to make a good impression on the birding community in Minnesota I offered to help. The gentleman seemed wary of my help, which I understood since I was a stranger. I followed the guy around for the day never getting his name, but watched as he brought raptors from the banding stations and various warblers and spoke to the crowds about bird identification.
As crowds gathered throughout the day, there was a lady chatting about birds with several people listening. "That must be Kim Eckert!" I thought to myself. To make sure I wouldn't embarrass myself, I asked the gentleman I'd been following if the lady over there was Kim Eckert. The gentleman looked at me strangely, shook his head and walked away. I thought I had obviously worn out my welcome and should go mingle elsewhere and not be such a pest.
I headed over to the lady speaking and learned that she was not Kim Eckert, but Laura Erickson. The gentleman I had been following all day was Kim Eckert.
This particular bird author is found all over the place and is relatively easy to attract to many bookshelves, even shelves not belonging to birders. Somewhat nomadic in that one day he could be in Iowa and the next Alaska. Though often identified by his gigantic camera he frequently blends into is surroundings and is not flushed until you are right on top of him (and usually ruining a good shot at the same time). This species is easily taken for granted since he can be easily seen, but much like a chickadee he is a favorite to many a birder, especially beginners. Tekiela is very fond of turkey jerky and candy and is often found in mixed flocks of bird photographers and authors.
This gregarious bird author can be easily overlooked, since his writing can be found most anywhere from books, magazines and even the internet. Some worry that he can crowd out other bird authors but I find this species attracts other bird authors so it's best not to overlook him. Often vocal, he loves to tee up in a small flock and sing his song.
A specialist, this species tends to favor raptor migration sites. When encountered can often frighten observers by his strong resemblance to Swamp Thing as he is wearing full camo when photographing hawks. It's best to quietly meander trails around hawk watching sites and listen for faint calls of "clickity, clickity, click" when hawks fly over. When you hear that don't move as he maybe quite close and photographing raptors right over your head. Can be found in mixed flocks, especially with the Tekiela species but does seem quite content to hide below the skies to get fantastic shots of eagles, hawks, falcons and vultures overhead.
Apparently this species had been right under my nose on several occasions in Duluth, but I just got him checked off on my list in 2004.
This saucy author is well loved for her vocal talents as well as her writing and artistic ability. This is one of the few species where the female sings along with the male and is best observed in a lek where several males and females get together to (try) and sing. This author frequently pairs up with Bill Thompsons, so if you see one, other may not be far behind.
This author responds well to recorded bird calls, although many question the ethics of using bird cds or even pishing to attract him. He is tolerant of people and wil put up with long observations. When not frequenting bird conventions he can be found at the University of Massachusetts or Cornell University or in the field hidden in bushes listening to winter wrens.
This is a non-native, invasive species that was introduced to North America years ago. Wearing all black, Gaiman is often found in urban areas roosting in comic book shops and feeding on raw fish. Though prolific and found on just about every book shelf, this particular species does not seem to affect the bird author population in general so removal doesn't appear to be necessary.