Diptych #25: Birdemic, the Squawkquel

This week, I learned what a ptarmigan is.

“A skillful mix of video and stills that will delight and inform.” —New York Times

Before we talk about the media I’ve digitized for this week, make sure you check out my previous, avian themed post. In that article you will find over 6 hours of bird-centric media, from LP’s of bird calls to video taped tutorials on how to get birds to hang out in your back yard!

This week, we have a three part series brought to you by the Audubon Society in 1985: an extensive guide on the types of birds found all across North America, as well as an audio cassette that I found, simply labeled “bird songs”.

I found this while digging in the tapes at my local Goodwill several months ago, however, in the time since, I’ve been updating my cassette digitization equipment and process. I’ve moved to using an Ion Audio Tape 2 PC Cassette Tape Archiver, which I found in new condition, old stock on Ebay. So far I’ve been really happy with it.

For certain tapes (types 2-4), I think my old process produced higher quality recordings, but for regular, type 1 cassettes, this deck has simplified the process immensely and only requires a computer and a usb cable to run. I’m going to keep my old equipment, especially for those higher quality tapes, but for most things this has been a great time-saver.

And as mentioned, we also have these three videotapes, thanks to the Habitat Re:Store in Jefferson County, Tennessee. The release of these tapes in 1985 was covered by The New York Times and Library Journal, yet they seem to be unavailable to watch anywhere online. Fortunately, I have three of the five part series here to view, and I will of course be on the lookout for the other two tapes so I can complete the series.

"The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation.

Audubon Society’s VideoGuides To Birds Of North America combine bird sights and sounds on videocassette for simple and accurate identification of 505 species. In each volume, moving and still pictures show each bird's markings and behavior; computer-animated range maps communicate breeding and wintering areas for each species; and bird calls and sounds from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology complement informative narration and stunning visuals.

Audubon Society’s VideoGuides combine moving pictures and bird calls and sounds to give you what no book can, a truly multi-dimensional view of each species in its natural habitat. Whether you are an expert birder or simply enjoy identifying the birds that gather at your backyard feeder, the Audubon Society’s VideoGuides promise hours of pleasure. They are a valuable addition to any home library."

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Audubon Society's VideoGuide to Birds of North America PART 1

1985 | Runtime  94 Minutes 

In This Volume: 116 species of loons, grebes, pelicans and their allies, swans, geese and ducks, hawks, vultures and falcons, and the chicken-like birds (pheasants, grouse, quails, ptarmigans).

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Audubon Society's VideoGuide to Birds of North America PART 2

1985 | Runtime  78 Minutes 

In This Volume:  105 species of water birds, including herons and egrets, cranes, shorebirds, gulls, terns and alcids.

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Audubon Society's VideoGuide to Birds of North America PART 3

1985 | Runtime  61 Minutes 

In This Volume: 77 species of pigeons and doves, cuckoos, owls, nighthawks, hummingbirds and swifts, trogons, kingfishers and woodpeckers.

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It really blows my mind that something covered by The Times, and with what has to be in the millions as far as budget goes, is no longer accessible to watch online. I can’t be the only one interested in watching old documentaries like this, after all, many of you reading this blog right now also love this stuff just as much as I do!

That’s it for this week! Thanks so much for checking out this edition of Diptych Newsletter. I keep Youtube Playlists of the all the wonderful media I find. You can check out the Video Archive here, and the Audio Archive here. As always, if you have any questions or comments you can get at me here or here or leave a comment below this post

See you soon.

—Forrest