Thursday, January 31, 2008

Batterson/Schrock collection


I learned today of the recent passing of one of Oregon's most prominent ornithologists of the 20th century. Mr. Wesley Batterson was 98.
One of my earliest memories is of a special trip my family made to Portland in about 1953 to hear Mr. Batterson speak. My father, Manassa Schrock, was an amateur ornithologist, a friend of Mr. Batterson, and also (with the requisite state and federal permits) a fellow collector. A common practice among collectors of that era was the exchange of sets of eggs; if you had a duplicate set from one species, you might trade for a set you were lacking which another collector had as a duplicate in his collection. That is presumably how this set of Western Flycatcher eggs, collected by Mr. Batterson in 1949, ended up in my father's collection, which is now housed permanently at Portland State University. (Clicking on the images above will make it easier to read the printing on one of the eggs, and on the catalog card that describes the nest and where it was found.)

1 Comments:

At 10:23 AM, Blogger Seth and Michelle said...

That's a great story. Thanks for your posts, we really enjoy your blog. It is indeed, a sad passing of Mr. Wesley Batterson. We should take this time to say "thank you" to all who preserve and document the habitat and behavior of wild birds and tell them how much we appreciate their hard and dedicated work.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home