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| Waterfowl -Care, Breeding & Conservation - Book Review |
Simon Tarsnane says he expects many bird breeders to disagree with some of his management advice in Waterfowl Care, Breeding and Conservation and this is good. When breeders disagree, they will talk about it and this dispenses vital information, such as alternative techniques, among other breeders and new ideas or methods evolve.
This is my second favorite waterfowl guide. The author states his purpose as: to provide a working book for those enthusiasts who keep and breed waterfowl. He has achieved his goal and has made his manuscript readily accessible to all by writing in a laid-back, conversational manner.
Tarsnane begins by telling you what it takes to be a good waterfowl stockman. If you are not willing to devote your time to the venture, do not get involved with waterfowl. There is a direct correlation between the amount of time spent on the bird management and the success of the breeding program. Waterfowl are the most labor intensive of the birds.
The first half of the book is general information, grouped into chapters on: acquiring new stock, diets and nutrition, nesting, eggs, artificial incubation, rearing, pinioning and sexing, ailments and remedies, and predator control. Each of these has several sections on the various management details. There is a 32-page centerfold of color photographs of birds, rearing units, and aviaries and enclosures.
The second half of the book is devoted to the breeds, types, and varieties. These sections focus on describing the nesting behavior, type of nests needed, number of eggs in a clutch, length of incubation, survival statistics, and any special breeding or feeding requirements. The author includes information about the worldwide status of the bird, first successful captive breeding, hybridization, aggressiveness toward other birds, and personality quirks, such as the Spotbills being shy in large collections but content in smaller ones.
There is nothing in the book or on the cover to indicate Tarsnane’s qualifications other than twenty years of experience. He has a flair for presenting the information in a chatty manner, as if you were sitting beneath a shade tree watching the birds and discussing them. For example, he refers to waterfowl as the web-footed menace when discussing the ways they can pick at shiny objects and eat everything that they are not supposed to eat, such as wire, nails, mesh, and anything else that can be picked loose from their pen. His tongue-in-cheek approach provides a lively, interesting, and fun read, while being a nice basic instructional manual.
My one big problem with this book is that it is promoted on the back cover as filled with spectacular color photos, often of rarely seen waterfowl. Filled with? I found only a center section, consisting of 32 pages, only 23 of which were of birds and contained only 41 bird photographs. I think the person that wrote the cover blurb put the old artistic PR spin on this book’s photographic support. Perhaps they have not looked at a book that really is filled with photographs, such as A Guide to Pheasants & Waterfowl, Their Management, Care & Breeding by Dr. Danny Brown. It has 258 photographs by my quick count.
Still, if you have any interest in waterfowl, this is a nice pleasure read and a good basic instructional manual. However, it is definitely not the best on the market for advanced information and it is not laid out as well as some. Tarsnane runs his breed narratives in one continuous flow with no subheadings. This makes it much more difficult to locate the specific information needed.
Likely the most important thing about this book is that the author drills the reader to approach waterfowl keeping with the attitude that: if there is a way to injure or kill themselves, birds will find it. That is the type of advice that you only get from a person experienced with the topic and I commend him for stressing its importance. He is speaking clearly in a way that anyone can comprehend. Bravo!
Reviewed by Alicia Karen Elkins, who did undergraduate studies in Agriculture with a minor in Forestry & Natural Resources Management and graduate studies in Creative Writing. She is the co-author of Ain't Goin' Huntin' Cause It's Cold Out There. Visit her website at: www.geocities.com/aliciakarenelkins |
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