This James W. Eike field book contains field notes on birds taken from August 1964 to early January 1965. His chronological notes contain lists of various birds spotted in Virginia, the majority at Eike's home on North Tuckahoe Street in Falls Church or in the surrounding area. He often notes the number and sex of the birds as well as weather information. ** Thank you to the volunteers who helped transcribe his field notes. **
This James W. Eike field book contains field notes on birds taken from August 1964 to early January 1965. His chronological notes contain lists of various birds spotted in Virginia, the majority at Eike's home on North Tuckahoe Street in Falls Church or in the surrounding area. He often notes the number and sex of the birds as well as weather information. ** Thank you to the volunteers who helped transcribe his field notes. **
James W. Eike was not a professional ornithologist. He was a U.S. civil servant, working in several different federal organizations over the course of his career. But his passion for birds and bird watching filled his days. Over the course of fifty years, he rarely missed a day recording the birds he saw in northern Virginia and the surrounding areas. His notes include weather conditions and events that stood out to him, such as family or local events.
A native of Woodbridge, Virginia, Eike joined the Virginia Society of Ornithology (VSO) in 1933, in the year between his graduation from Georgetown University and the beginning of his career as a federal civil servant. Eike was an active member and officer of the VSO for the rest of his life, participating in numerous field trips and bird counts sponsored by the VSO and the Audubon Naturalist Society in addition to his daily bird watching.
