Once in a great while, as the New York Times noted recently, a
naturalist writes a book that changes the way people look at the living
world. John James Audubon’s Birds of America, published in 1838, was
one. Roger Tory Peterson’s 1934 Field Guide to the Birds was another.
How does such insight into nature develop?
Pioneering a new niche in the study of plants and animals in their
native habitat, Field Notes on Science and Nature allows readers to peer
over the shoulders and into the notebooks of a dozen eminent field
workers, to study firsthand their observational methods, materials, and
fleeting impressions.
What did George Schaller note when studying the lions of the Serengeti?
What lists did Kenn Kaufman keep during his 1973 “big year”? How does
Piotr Naskrecki use relational databases and electronic field notes? In
what way is Bernd Heinrich’s approach “truly Thoreauvian,” in E. O.
Wilson’s view? Recording observations in the field is an indispensable
scientific skill, but researchers are not generally willing to share
their personal records with others. Here, for the first time, are
reproductions of actual pages from notebooks. And in essays abounding
with fascinating anecdotes, the authors reflect on the contexts in which
the notes were taken.
Covering disciplines as diverse as ornithology, entomology, ecology,
paleontology, anthropology, botany, and animal behavior, Field Notes
offers specific examples that professional naturalists can emulate to
fine-tune their own field methods, along with practical advice that
amateur naturalists and students can use to document their adventures.
[permaculture] Field Notes on Science and Nature - Michael R. Canfield - Harvard University Press,
Lawrence F. London, Jr., 06/15/2011