Field data (Sightings)

[Ron Gatrelle]

I keep thinking about taking my little voice activated recorder with me in
the field. I've had it for a few years but never seem to get it on my leps
"equipment" list. I had just chalked that up to being of the grandpa
generation until Chris posted the following message about his use of one. I
used a typewriter up till 98 which is when I broke down (or caved in) and
got a computer. Not on line till 2000.

With a voice recorder, I will have to back up some to the pro counters. One
could hang the box around one's neck (or in hand) and simply call out a
name every time something is seen and then just count how many times a name
was said when back to base. Of course, it might look and sound a little odd
to a passer by seeing someone staring off into the bushes and saying,
aphrodite, aphrodite, aphrodite, nymph...

I too still have some of my early Iowa stuff in 50's (Scott, Hardin, Story
counties). The best one is the halesus from Buffalo, Scott Co.

Ron

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris J. Durden" <drdn at mail.utexas.edu>
To: <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Friday, February 23, 2001 1:14 AM
Subject: Re: Field data (Sightings)


> Well said Ron. I don't keep score either. I have not even reconstructed a
> "life-list". I agree that journalling in the field detracts from
attention
> so I chatter into a voice-activated mini-cassette recorder at my belt.
This
> really helps with photographs of individuals I then take as vouchers.
Most
> day-site-lists with sight records, I gather during off seasons (winter,
or
> summer drought). I do however give individual number to each specimen
taken
> to irrevocably tie it to its data. My oldest surviving specimen I
collected
> in 1950. My day-site-lists go back to 1953. The locality-event list is
> computer searchable, but not all the records are entered yet but are
> available longhand in notebooks.
>     I too am not very social when at work in the field. It does demand
> undivided attention. I find results are significantly better if I skip
> lunch and collect hungry. Social listing I do in the off seasons only,
for
> educational purposes.
> ............Chris Durden
>
>
> At 03:06 PM 2/22/2001 -0500, you wrote:
> >I have logs that go back decades filled with field data. I've been
making
> >records for each trip for decades. Weather (% of sun, precipitation,
> >temps ), time of day, specific sites, species seen list (one - three,
> >common, many, abundant), nectar sources, flight habits. For collected
> >specimens the exact number of males and females of each species - and
often
> >a reference to their condition.
>
>
>
>
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