Naming names with field guides

Carolina wren's nest and eggs

In the Old Testament, “Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field.” Men and women have always ordered the world by naming and classifying. It’s not enough for a birder to spot a bird he hasn’t seen before. He has to identify it and add its name to his life list. Nature lovers live with field guides.

In our home, we have field guides to birds; trees and shrubs; wildflowers; mushrooms; Eastern butterflies; insects and spiders; North American wildlife; animal tracks; edible wild plants; mammals of PA; rocks and minerals; fossils in PA; fishes and sea life; and coral reefs. And even a field guide to Eastern birds’ nests!

That’s how I identified a Carolina wren’s nest that is built under our deck and, at this very moment, has five tiny eggs in it. (There were only four when we took the photo.) Later, we confirmed the ID when we saw the wren fly from her nest.

From the field guide:

Habitat: Brushy forests – check!

Nest: Built in … nook or cranny around human dwelling – check!
           Rarely higher than 10 feet – check! About 4 feet above the ground.
           Bulky mass of twigs, mosses, rootlets, strips of inner bark – check!
           Side entrance – check! The photo may look like one taken from above, but it was taken from                  the front, looking in.
           Lined with … fine grasses – check! Messy on the outside, good camouflage, but neat and tidy                  inside.

Eggs: Commonly 5-6 – check! There are five today.
           Short-oval shape. Smooth with little gloss. – check!
           White, pale pink; typically marked with heavy brown spots, often concentrated at larger end                     – check!

So why do we love field guides? They help us identify what we observe. And think of the rich education one entry in a field guide provides. By the time we answer our question, “What is this?” we have a sense of ownership. I think it’s thrilling to investigate the great diversity of nature and, at the same time, to acknowledge the perfect individuality and consistency of each member. At a simpler level, it’s fun to recognize and call by name the living things around us. It’s a way of knowing a tree or a flower or a butterfly like a friend.

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