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Re: Potential Museum Specimen



After many hours of voluteer work with the Nova Scotia Museum of Hatural
History and the curator of Zoology I learned that Dead birds can often be as
valuable or more valuable than live birds.  In this museum for instance Nova
Scotia's only record of Black-billed magpie is a single study skin that was
of a dead bird found on the side of a road.  Fortunatley this bird was
discovered in time and this bird was saved.  Even common birds like
kingfishers and sparrows can be turned over to a museum.  Chances are that
the museum is always looking for specimans so if you find something that is
not too rotten take it home and place it in your freezer.  Then take it to
the museum.  I have so many thing in my freezer that I have to make a trip
sometime this week.  Everything from starlings to Semipalmated Sandpipers to
sparrows and juncos.  That's just the birds.

Anyway help out the museum.  You should also include the date you found it,
sex (if possible), where you found it and conditon of the body.  These
should be it but the person at the museum will ask more if that is not
enough.

Bye for now,

Tony Bezanson
Lake Echo, NS
bezanson@ns.sympatico.ca


-----Original Message-----
From: ephstop@mindspring.com <ephstop@mindspring.com>
To: carolinabirds@duke.edu <carolinabirds@duke.edu>
Date: September 22, 1999 7:48 PM
Subject: Potential Museum Specimen


>It always causes an internal twitch when I read about the numbers of
>dead birds from myriad causes. This response is amplified when those who
>seem to have an interest in birds  seem totally unaware/disinterested in
>the possible scientific value that bird carcasses have, assuming that
>appropriate data are available and the specimen is intact/unspoiled.
>Storms, toxic spills, roadkills, windowkills,towerkills, predators (I'm
>resisting the almost overwhelming urge to be more specific, Will), are
>responsible for millions of bird deaths, annually. The North Carolina
>Museum of Natural Sciences, hopefully, will always have room for more
>study skins. Although the death of any bird is quite final for the
>individual involved, it's remains can make a significant, permanent
>contribution in a scientific collection; otherwise, it's just more
>garbage.
>
>Please contact anyone associated with the Ornithology section (919 715
>2600) of the Museum for details about getting involved.
>
>Wayne Irvin
>ephstop@mindspring.com
>910 695 7269
>