A Milwaukee Duck Feathursday
There are field guides and then there are field guides, and the famed Wisconsin conservationist and UW-Madison professor of Wildlife Management Aldo Leopold believes that this field guide is a step above: The Ducks, Geese and Swans of North America by Canadian engineer, businessman, and conservationist Francis H. Kortright (1887–1972), illustrated by the Canadian ornithologist and artist Terence Michael Shortt (1911-1986), and published in Washington, D.C. by the American Wildlife Institute in 1943.
In the introduction to the book, Leopold laments that "the existing literature on the identification of waterfowl describes manly their spring plumages. This is of little avail to the sportsman who is afield mainly in the fall, and it hardly suffices for the ornithologist, who is afield at all seasons." But in this guide, Leopold writes, "Mr. Kortright has sensed the need for a year-round waterfowl book and has done a scholarly job of writing one. . . . I do find much useful and interesting subject matter which most ornithologists omit. . . ." That Kortright has no formal training as a zoologist does not phase Leopold: "While he disclaims being an ornithologist, I detect no lack of ornithological competence in what he has written."
Of the illustrations, he writes, "Mr. Shortt's paintings, portraying all of the more important plumages of a given species, in themselves justify the publication of this volume." That both author and illustrator are Canadians also seems a plus: "To my mind it is appropriate that this book should issue from the pen of a Canadian. Canada is the birthplace of most waterfowl; this book attests her growing activity in waterfowl research and conservation."
We represent this field guide with images of some ducks most commonly found in our Milwaukee area: the Mallard, Wood Duck, and Blue-winged Teal are present in summer, with the Mallard and Wood Duck as year-round residents, while the Mergansers, Bufflehead, and Goldeneye are most prevalent in winter. We end with a couple of plates of random goslings and ducklings. Why? Well, because they're just so darn adorable!
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