This past week marked the 20th anniversary of my writing this weekly column for The Daily Courier. In honor of this event, I thought it would be fun to re-run my very first column, written in January of 2004. Unfortunately, neither The Courier nor myself could find a copy of my first column.
The oldest column The Courier could find was the following article first published on March 27th of 2004—almost 20 years ago, I hope you enjoy it!
“I collect bird books. Some of my bird books are from the 1800’s. All of the books in my collection are very special to me, for one reason or another. Now that probably does not come as a surprise to anyone who knows me well, and if you are a serious birder, you probably have a unique collection of bird books as well!
I had an experience at Jay's Bird Barn that prompted me to write today's article. There were three generations in my store yesterday—a mother, a daughter and a granddaughter—and grandma was buying a gift for her 7-year-old granddaughter, the Sibley Field Guide to Western Birds. One of the suggestions I made before they left the store was to take the book home, and for grandma and grandpa to write in the book the name of their granddaughter, and the date. This would guarantee the specialness and uniqueness of the gift for the remainder of this young lady's life.
In 1973, when I was 14 years old, my grandparents gave me the book, A Field Guide to Mexican Birds, as a Christmas gift. My grandparents wrote in the book my name, their name, and the date of the gift. It was only a few months later that I had the unique opportunity of meeting the two authors of this book, Roger Tory Peterson and Edward L. Chalif, at a book signing in Tucson at the University of Arizona.
This book is a treasure to me, as it is one of the few material items I still own from my grandparents with their handwriting in it, and it is autographed by both authors.
Another very special bird book in my private collection is The Birds of Arizona, authored by Allan Phillips, Joe Marshall and Gale Monson. As a young man growing up in Tucson, I had the unique privilege of birding with Gale Monson.
This book is autographed by someone I knew personally and admired. Mr. Monson wrote "To my able young ornithologist friend, Eric Moore, with best wishes – Gale Monson 2/76”. I was 15 years old at the time, and to this day this book is very, very special to me.
In January of this year, I had the opportunity to meet Don and Lillian Stokes. Don and Lillian have produced a series of bird books over the last decade. When I met the Stokes’, I received a personally autographed copy of their newest book, A Beginners Guide to Hummingbirds. This new addition to my collection of bird books is very special, as it came to me as a gift from individuals who are known and respected in the world of birding.
Why am I mentioning all of these stories of autographed books and books signed by loved ones? Books make great gifts which can be cherished for a lifetime.
I have in my collection close to 100 different bird books, but the ones that are dear to me are those that bear the personal writing of my relatives – gifts from my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and special friends. Some of the books in my collection are over 100 years old.
These books belonged to my ancestors, and were handed down to my grandparents, parents, and finally to me. When you give a book as a gift, I strongly encourage you to make the gift more meaningful by writing in the book the name of the individual to whom you are giving the book, a brief message, who it is from, and the date. I assure you that the gift will be cherished for years to come.
If you are interested in seeing some of the books in my collection, I will have them at Jay's Bird Barn for the next several weeks. I hope you cherish your old bird books as much as I do, even if you now own the latest and greatest field guides which use digitally enhanced photography!
Until next week, Happy Birding!”
A lot has changed since this article from 2004 but the one thing that has not changed in my passion for birdwatching! In fact, I think it has only grown stronger.
Eric Moore is the owner of The Lookout, in Prescott, where you will find a Hallmark Gold Crown Store, wild bird products, and Vortex and Swarovski optics. Eric has been an avid birder for over 55 years. Eric can be contacted at eric@thelookoutaz.com.
Prescott National Forest officials would like to give folks a heads up that they have one weekend for climbing opportunities before the Forest implements restrictions on climbing and other activities on the cliff faces of both Granite Mountain and Thumb Butte starting on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. Both sites have been consistently occupied by peregrines annually for more than 25 years and likely for hundreds of years before. These annual closures provide the undisturbed setting and quality nesting habitat essential for peregrines to successfully raise their young.
The closures will begin Feb. 1, 2024, and last until July 15, 2024. For both locations, the closures will be the same as they have been for the last 25 years. On Granite Mountain, it is prohibited to be upon any part of the Granite Mountain rock cliff face or the rim above the rock face and extending 100 feet back from the edge of the cliff face by rock climbing or any other means of access. On Thumb Butte, both the north and south climbing faces, the top of Thumb Butte, and the areas at the base of the climbing faces will be closed to entry. These area closures for the peregrine do not impact or close any system trails; Trails 33 at Thumb Butte and 261 in Granite Basin Recreation area will remain open for hiking.
Maps of the closed areas will be posted throughout both the Thumb Butte and Granite Basin Recreation Areas. The Prescott National Forest is asking local birders to share their field observations of peregrine falcons with our resource managers to provide a better picture of the peregrine nesting progress. Please send observations, photos, and information to the Prescott NF.
Peregrine falcons were once listed under the Endangered Species Act. They continue to be managed under the protection of the federal code of regulations as well as state and federal law. Managers consider the needs of the peregrines and the recreation desires of forest visitors and the values of Granite Mountain Wilderness to strike a balance where people and birds can effectively use the same space at different times for their respective purposes.
If you have any questions about the peregrines and their management, please feel free to call the Bradshaw Ranger District at 928-443-8000.
