nothin New Haven Independent | “Master of Bird ID” Dishes

Master of Bird ID” Dishes

With Permission

Once again the Blackstone Library packed them in.

This time it was for a talk last month by artist, writer and naturalist David Sibley, whose second edition of The Sibley Guide to Birds has just been published.

With spring in the air, you can’t help but be aware of the morning bird songs and the appearance of familiar feathered friends.

Sibley has been hooked on birding and drawing birds as far back as he can remember. He considers himself lucky that his passion was nurtured in a supportive atmosphere. His father, Fred Sibley, was an ornithologist, and he was coached by another well-known local ornithologist, Noble Proctor, who introduced Sibley on behalf of the Menunkatuck Audubon Society, which has abundant opportunities for nature lovers.

After a year of college, he took off in a camper van to concentrate on birding. He showed slides of his Hawk Owl sketches and how they evolved over the course of the year he spent observing, sketching, and putting together the details. The act of drawing forces you to learn more about the subject,” he said at the recent library event, adding that he’s also done pen and ink images, which he describes as the essence of drawing.”

He said photographs show a moment in time – the background is a distraction – but a sketch/illustration shows just the bird in a neutral pose, sideways so it’s easier to compare and view in the field.

THE ART of BIRD ID

Sally E. Bahner Photo

Sibley (pictured) said there are the intellectual challenges to birding, such as telling the difference between a crane and a heron, and among sparrows, which may have different colorations, but the same pattern of feathers. He noted that the Blackpoll Warblers’ pointed wings evolved for their 72-hour migration. Over the years he’s come across more and more ingenious ways to identify birds.

He starts with sketches in the field, then moves on to opaque watercolors. He said he creates a template” of a bird, and fills in the details from additional observation and reference materials, adding layers of paint. At times he uses an assembly line” process in preparing the drawings, preparing 8 to 12 images at a time. Ironically, he said, the most common birds are the most difficult to paint. Many songbirds have the same body plan.”

Sibley said he paints songbirds larger than life, and then reduces them down by a third for the field guide.

With Permission

The first edition of Sibley’s field guide was published in 2000, but it had been in the works much earlier. Given his lifelong interest in birds creating a field guide was perfectly reasonable, he said. The new edition, published March 11, has the addition of more than 600 new paintings 111 rare species. It comes in at just about 600 pages.

He said that the field guide is a good starting point for conversations among birders, which birds have been seen where and how early – rather like friends chatting on the television show, Cheers.”

BIRD FEEDERS ARE GAME CHANGERS

The changes in the climate and suburbanization have resulted in changes to the migration habits of many birds. Many, such as robins, are wintering over due to the abundance of suburban shrubs and bird feeders. There’s food around that wasn’t around 40 years ago,” he said.

Sally E. Bahner Photo

Some species, such as the Loggerhead Shrike and Vesper Sparrow, have declined, while Wild Turkeys have increased. Each has its own story,” Sibley said. The modern world is more diverse from nature than ever before.”

So with an intimate knowledge of thousands of birds, what are Sibley’s favorites? Many,” he said, I like seeing what I can learn.”

He just might be partial to the Magnolia Warbler. He remembers it vividly as a kid and it’s on the cover of The Sibley Guide to Birds,” second edition.

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