"I consider myself to have been the bridge between the shotgun and the binoculars in bird watching. Before I came along, the primary way to observe birds was to shoot them and stuff them"

Roger Tory Peterson was a distinguished ornithologist and naturalist who reinvented bird watching. In this quote, he is referring to his own contributions to the field of bird enjoying. Prior to Peterson, the primary method to observe birds was to shoot them and pack them. This was a harmful and unsustainable practice. Peterson's work assisted to move the focus of bird seeing from hunting to observation. He developed a system of recognition that allowed bird watchers to observe birds without damaging them. Peterson's work assisted to bridge the space between searching and observation, making bird viewing a more sustainable and enjoyable activity. His contributions to the field of bird seeing have actually been invaluable and have assisted to form the way we observe and appreciate birds today.