Research - Field Guides versus phone apps, by Elizabeth Kay
Lilac-breasted roller, Namibia I research everything, in a nerdy sort of way. But I’m particularly conscientious about natural history facts, aware that disseminating false information is really bad news. Over the years I’ve collected field guides for birds and mammals for the different countries I’ve visited, and I’ve got quite a lot of them. But they do add to the weight in a suitcase, especially when you’re talking about bird books. Venezuela: paperback, 878 pages, and weighing in at 1.87 kg. Madagascar: hardback, 719 g, Botswana pb, 800 g, India, hb, 770 g. Mammals aren’t quite as heavy – India, hb, 677 g, Madagascar, pb, 673 g, Borneo, pb, 464 g, Britain and Europe, pb, 380 g, Southern, Central and East African, pb, 187 g. It’s clear that the more specific you get to a region, the lighter the luggage. And field guides aren’t really necessary for somewhere like Svalbard, where the only mammals you’re likely to encounter are polar bears, arctic foxes, walruses, seals and whales. Whe...