Book Review - Field Guide to North American Flycatchers - Princeton University Press

 

     I doubt that you would find many North American birders who would not be in agreement that Empidonax flycatchers are one of the most difficult groups, if not the the most difficult group of birds to identify. So, I was excited to see a pocket-sized field guide devoted to this challenging family. Add in the pewees and it seems that you have it covered. 

     But I'm not totally convinced it works! The differences between species are often so slight and so difficult to observe that picking them apart in the field is well nigh impossible. I am thinking for example, of clues such as primary projection as explained and illustrated on pages 20 and 21. The variation is so subtle that I doubt that anyone but someone with intensive knowledge of the species would be successful in detecting these differences. Even then, in Ontario where I live, if one narrowed it down to medium primary projection, one would still be faced with the possibility that it could be Alder, Willow, Yellow-bellied or Least Flycatcher. To add to the potential confusion, Least Flycatcher is also possible under short primary projection and Yellow-bellied and Eastern Wood Pewee under long primary projection. Don't forget that one is seldom presented with an extended period of study when spotting these birds in life - quite different from an illustration on a page in a book.

     I understand that all clues should be used in conjunction with others, and perhaps if one is able to take a decent picture it might be possible to assemble them later. Traditional features such as vocalization (absolutely definitive), habitat and timing of migration are more reliable it seems to me.

     Having been involved with bird banding for several years, even with the bird in the hand, and with the benefit of biometrics and reference to Peter Pyle's bird bander's bible Identification to North American Birds, we often were unable to identify Willow or Alder Flycatcher as to species and had to resort to recording it as Traill's Flycatcher. Formerly, of course, they were considered the same species under that name.

     For the most part, I found the illustrations very pleasing, but there are several instances where the portrayal of the bird is unnaturally rotund and plump. In other cases, Olive-sided Flycatcher, for example I found them exceptionally well executed.

     Overall I liked the book. I think the text is well done and the pictures accurate and informative. Whether esoteric features such as primary tip spacing will ever be a valid guide to identifying the bird in the field I have my doubts. 

     Perhaps some species are just not reducible to a defined set of field marks that are useful in real life identification - and perhaps too that is the intrinsic challenge of birding, or at least one of them. As the book also confirms, sometimes you have to accept that you will be wrong in your ID, or simply unable to get beyond the family. Empidonax sp., or Contopus sp. are still perfectly acceptable entries on your eBird list or in your notebook.

     You will certainly not be alone!

Field Guide to North American Flycatchers

Empidonax and Pewees

Cin-Ty Lee and Andrew Birch

Paperback - US$19.95 - ISBN: 9780691240626

168 pages - 5 x 8 inches (12.5 x 20 cm) - 55 color and black-and-white illustrations - 19 maps - 53 spectograms

Publication date: 04 April, 2023  

 

Book Review - The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars - Princeton University Press

 

     I suppose you will have to believe me when I tell you that this is a very enjoyable book, although if I could gain personal advantage by lying about my reaction to it, how would you know? Lying and cheating, it turns out is far more complex and nuanced than we might have thought! From fungi to foxes, from apes to amphibians, from cuckoos to crabs, from hominids to herons, cheating and deception are  integral parts of the struggle to survive, and dishonesty is used in myriad ways to facilitate it. George Washington may have declared that he could never tell a lie, but he would be a rare exception to the general rule. Lying is part of our daily existence and is as important a survival strategy in many instances  as food and water. It is not a moral code, it is an essential part of our makeup.

     Lixing Sun treats this topic with both a serious scientific demeanour and a welcome injection of wry humour. In a playful manner he postulates two laws of cheating. The First Law of Cheating is operative when  benefits accrue to the cheater, often at the expense of another. An example might be a Killdeer feigning a broken wing and flying off before the fox was able to gain a meal. My favorite example of this type of cheating says, "......It requires minimum effort, yet the return can be large. If you question that formula, just ask someone who dodged the draft during the war in Vietnam - someone who came from a rich family and paid off his physician to falsely diagnose a bone spur in his medical record." Touché!

     The Second Law of Cheating applies when pure deception is used and one animal exploits another. A soldier is told that he is fighting a noble fight for the glory of his country, when in reality he is furthering the maniacal ambitions of a despot, and is merely an expendable commodity.

     Cheating and lying manifest themselves in so many ways, yet ultimately are reined in when the benefits of deception are outweighed by honesty. One of the great problems in human society today is the exponential spread of lies, misinformation and conspiracy theories on the internet and the effort needed to know what is true. We have always known politicians will lie if it serves their selfish ends, but now lying has become brazen and ubiquitous to the detriment of civil society. Cheaters have been elevated to positions of the highest power and legions of voters accept ouright lies and pure fiction as unassailable truth.

     But "little white lies" are still what they have always been - a means of greasing the wheels of social intercourse. So, the next time someone dear to you poses the question, "Do these clothes make me look fat?" feel free to keep a straight face and say, "No, of course not." It's a survival stratgey well known to us all.

Fact Check

Page 105 - "Among such strategists is an Austrian bird called the Superb Fairy-Wren." In fact, this is an Australian bird, not an Austrian bird.

The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars: Cheating and Deception in the Living World - Princeton University Press

Lixing Sun

Hardcover - US$29.95 - ISBN: 9780691198606

288 pages - 6.125 x 9.25 inches (15.31 x 23.125 cm)

12 Colour and 34 black-and-white illustrations

Publication Date: 04 April, 2023 

Birding in Cuba - Part 7 - February, 2023

16 February, 2023

Playa Larga - Trinidad

     We were all sad to say goodbye to our kind, considerate, gentle hosts, of whom we had become very fond.

Jose, Sr., Damita, Jose, Jr.

     But, it was time to move on and we had the renowned old colonial city of Trinidad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in our sights.

     It is a remarkable place, with its ancient cobbled streets, and venerable old buildings; history oozing from its pores and Cuban life in all its varied manifestations thrumming all around.

     Street musicians there would be worthy of a stage in Canada, such was their musical proficiency and sheer exuberance in what they did.

     I think that Selwyn and I were singing Guantanamera for the rest of the day! You have never really heard it until you hear the full-throated joyful rendition of a couple of Cubans on warm, sunny day in Trinidad.

     We had our own personal tour guide in Mariana who is very knowledgeable about the city and its historic context. 

     Every minute of every day Mariana charmed us with her big smile, affectionate ways and her sheer exuberance for life. Her presence added so much to our experience of Cuba.

     I do not remember all that she told us about the various buildings, and the Cuban heroes who were so important in the development of the country, but the pictures below will give you the flavour of the place.

     The Teatro Tomás Terry has been carefully and lovingly restored and is a cultural gem.

     Old cars are part of the streetscape everywhere in Cuba, some so well preserved and restored as to defy belief.

     But let it be remembered that we are a team of impassioned birders and nothing with wings escaped our attention.

     A Rock Dove (Columba livia), common the world over, nevertheless looked exceptionally splendid when bathed in sunlight atop an ancient tree.

     Everyone got a good look at Cuban Martin (Progne cryptoleuca), initially as they wheeled above the streets and then when they came to rest.

     Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) is conquering the world, and is quite at home in Cuba.

     No doubt they are all happy to make Trinidad their home.

     We were very happy to visit.

     There were attractive murals to admire.

     Ernesto (Che) Guevara remains an enduring hero of the Revolution and his memory is cherished and his legacy celebrated by Cubans.

     We left downtown to visit a local arboretum. A classic Cuban scene presented itself as these hard-working people went about their business.

     A grand sweep of palm trees heralded the entrance to the arboretum.

     We were greeted by our friendly and very competent guide, a plant biologist working at the arboretum, whose name, sadly, I forget. 

     White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae) was quite common and this individual seems to have suffered from the rigours of flight or the perils of attempted predation.

     The whimsical name of Shaving Brush Tree (Pseudobombax ellipticum), sometimes called the Dr. Seuss tree, is very descriptive of the flowers, in both pink and white versions.

     Our arboretum guide was quite superb and provided lots of information on the trees we examined, but I cannot remember it all, not even the names in some instances. In this case a search has not helped me so all I can tell you is that this is a tree!

     Bear in mind that this is an arboretum and trees from around the world are cultivated there.

     Buttercup Tree follows. There seems to be two scientific names in use for this plant, Cochlospernum religiosum or C. vitifolium. I am not sure which is in current usage so I am providing both.

     As we all marched ahead, Lisa was glancing back to capture something that had caught her eye.

     Fig Trees (Moraceae) were very interesting.

     Our guide was anxious to show us the strength of their trailing branches and swung to and fro in an impressive display of physical fitness.

     Lisa and Tina, the unsinkable Den Besten sisters, posed in the woods like sprites from a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.

      Palms are magificent, numerous, exotic and appealing - and difficult for the uninitiated to identify as to species! You will have to be content knowing only that these fan-like beauties are in the family Arecaceae.

     I do not recall specifically the function of these plastic covers on the branches, but I am assuming that it is a protective device against undesireable insects. It could also be a means of facilitating a graft and shielding the wound from pathogens.

     Our guide was lamenting the fact that cattle frequently stray into the arboretum and eat just about anything they can reach, and it is becoming a serious problem. We saw evidence of this in several locations.

     I am afraid that once again the following plant, beautiful though it is, has to remain unkown.

     Victoria had been hoping for a good, solid look at Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani) and several were quite obliging and she was able to study them in detail.

     More plants that I am unable to identify, I'm afraid.

     This interesting structure is colloquially know as a monkey pot, apparently in reference to the tendency of monkeys in its South American home to attempt to breach its defences. 

     It is the empty seed pod of the Brazil Nut Tree (family Lecythidoideae), the familiar nuts having originally been nestled inside.

     They would make great nest boxes suitably mounted on a tree.

     There is not a birder alive who does not love an owl, and even people generally not intimately concerned with nature, enjoy seeing them. On this visit to Cuba, Cuban Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium siju) was seen on no less than four occasions.

     Another Smooth-billed Ani presented itself for study by Dr. Ho.

     We saw this kind of waste receptacle quite often, and thought it a great use of natural material, and quite attractive in addition to being utilitarian.

     People seemed to use it too and not toss their trash on the ground.

     Try not to be too shocked - here is another plant I am unable to identify.

     Cuban Butterup (Turnera subulata) gave me no trouble at all!

     Is it not beautiful?

     Yellow Trumpet Flower (Tecoma stans) is equally captivating.

     Spiderwort (Subfamily: Commelinoideae) of one variety or another was widespread.

     We returned to Trinidad where we took lunch in a restarant that would not have been out of place on the Champs Elysée. Elegance, good taste and excellent service was personifed from start to finish. Miriam and I decided that a gin and tonic on a hot day was just the ticket, and that is what we had. Miriam shared a pizza with Mariana and I had a ham and cheese sandwich, with french fries cooked to perfection. Much as I made a very valiant effort to resist, and despite my protestations to the contrary, a slice of lava cake with ice cream appeared in front of me. What could I do but eat it, followed of course by delicious coffee. How do you spell satisfaction? - C U B A.

     After lunch we ventured into the countryside; my notes are scant as to what we saw, but here we are searching.

     This lizard charmed us but I have been unable to identify it.

     When we returned to Trinidad in late afternoon to claim our B&B Jiovani was unable to drive along the narrow cobbled street where it was located, so a horse and cart was pressed into service to deliver our luggage to the front door, and we walked alongside and behind, all the while finding interesting sights to occupy our attention.

     One could easily imagine being transported back in time.

     Our casa from the outside resembled all the other doors on the street, but once across the threshold it was a different story.

     There was a fascinating collection of historical artifacts to rival a museum and a pleasant little courtyard. It was truly charming.

     At one point this was no doubt a grand mansion with many rooms, now converted to serve the tourist trade. The level of dignified grandeur has been maintained, however, and our room was very comfortable.

     As we had encountered elsewhere the ceilings were very high - around four metres would be my guess - to permit hot air to rise during the intense heat of the summer, I presume.

     We were able to climb up onto the roof and this was one of the views from that vantage point.

     Tania had granted us an extended siesta until 17h:30 when we left to go for dinner, after enjoying a pleasant stroll through the city.

     It staggers the imagination to contemplate the passage of history that these cobbled streets have witnessed.

     At all times we had our beautiful Mariana to provide a narrative for us.

     Here we are glancing skyward, at White-collared Swifts (Streptoprocne zonaris) I presume, many of which were feeding on insects high above our heads.

     As we made our way through the streets, eyes darting hither and yon at every step along the way, this display of traditional Cuban craft caught Miriam's eye. 

     It is called pulled-thread embroidery, we believe and it is interesting, intricate and beautiful.

     I would never claim for a moment that my knowledge of this kind of work approaches Miriam's, but when you are married to a quilter you learn to appreciate the creative process and the finesse of the end result. A lot of work is required to accomplish the perfection you see here, starting with considerable creative talent.

     I kick myself for not having bought one.

     We went for dinner to the Vista Gourmet restaurant.

     It had pretentions that were not quite realized, but was very pleasant nonetheless, and everyone enjoyed a fine meal.

     Another view of the city was an agreeable corollary to a splendid day in fine company.

     We made our way back to our rooms as the city lights illuminated the streets, well content in every respect, with Victoria and Selwyn waltzing down the cobbled streets. 

     Mary Oliver asked, "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Maybe including a day or two in Cuba is not a bad start.