"Roger Tory Peterson"

 ROGER TORY PETERSON was the world’s foremost birder, I just finished the book about him!! GOD USED HIM to call attention to the amazing birds He created!! He certainly inspired ME, as a kid!!

Before Peterson, Scientists SHOT birds to study them and books describing them were overly technical and bulky. Peterson FILMED birds, did TERRIFIC paintings and always emphasized a FEW distinct traits of each bird. His bird books were thus smaller and easier to take out into the field, aiding in rapid identification and making birding ACCESSIBLE to common folk.

When I was a kid, you were called names if you dared to admit you liked birds. I wanted to be an Ornithologist when I grew up, but got discouraged when the grownups around me didn't know what it was. Now, last I looked the Sunday section of our state newspaper carries a weekly page about Birding, it's so popular!!

Peterson painted birds in “ordinary” poses which were much more realistic while AUDUBON (for example) did overly DRAMATIC poses, perhaps to try to instill “life” in his paintings as he worked from DEAD models. All I can say is I hope that, after so many years studying, painting, filming and writing about birds, that Mr. Peterson knew the One Who created them!! After all, Jesus taught lessons using birds as examples, I hope Peterson knew the Creator as well as the creations!!