Month: April 2018

    Rick Howie is a Micro-Naturalist

    Kamloops-Based Naturalist

    Rick Howie is a professional biologist with fifty years experience. His career has taken him across Canada while working in National Parks. For the last forty years he’s been based in central British Columbia.

    Rick Howie

    Rick Howie worked for Parks Canada as well as BC Provincial Parks and the BC Wildlife Branch for a total of 33 years. After retirement he launched his own consulting company which he has operated for 15 years. His work consists of wildlife inventory for conservation organizations as well as wildlife impact assessments from urban and suburban developments. He also conducts riparian area reports to ensure that stream-side developments are in compliance with provincial legislation.

    His interest in microscopy is a new initiative. It aids him in identifying smaller wildlife and plants as part of an ongoing biodiversity inventory he has initiated for the Kamloops area. He hopes to develop some capacity for identifying freshwater organisms that require a microscope to reveal their secrets. He currently owns a Meiji binocular stereo scope as well as a Meiji compound scope, both with camera attachments. The transition from years studying wildlife with a telescope to observing with a microscope has been an exciting new experience.

    Curiously the focus that unites us is sand. From his many provincial and international travels he has generously brought me sand samples to study. His microscope interests are global and he is always interested to experience the specialties of others. Most significantly he is interested in involving more naturalists in the use of a microscope to study and appreciate the natural environment.

     
     

    Categories: People

    An Unusual Marine Water Mite in Plankton Sample

    A couple of days ago I used my plankton net and found this marine water mite in the trawl sample. I have not seen one of these before. I don’t know if they have been present but unnoticed in my samples or if it has just appeared.

    This organism is closely related to the much more common and numerous freshwater relatives found in ponds and streams. The scientific literature on this species is not easy to find on the internet. I believe that it is from the family Pontarchachnidae which is the only family of the Hydrachnidae occurring in the marine environment.

    Categories: Animals, Posts

    Book: Guide to Microlife

    In 1996 Kenneth G. Rainis and Bruce J. Russell published a full colour highly illustrated book that introduces the plants and animals you might encounter in samples viewed under a compound microscope. It helps a beginner micro-naturalist to identify and understand the organisms encountered but also offers advice on where to go to find the habitats so they can be collected.

    At the back of the book is good solid information on the equipment and techniques needed to collect and view the organisms referenced in the main text. The book can be read with a microscope present, but of course works best when comparing a live image with the the images in the book.

    Publisher information

    ISBN 0-531-11266-7 Paper bound and published by Franklin Watts (A Division of Grolier Printing) 1996 The authors are Kenneth G. Rainis and Bruce J. Russell.

    Categories: For Beginners, Reference Books

    Book: Complete Book of the Microscope

    Another Good Book for Beginners

    A big team of authors developed this book about the microscope for a beginner. It is richly illustrated and aimed at younger audiences. In fact any adult would be comfortable reading and learning from the text. Although the book is undated but I would guess that it was published about 2005. It may have been updated since the publication of the copy that I purchased.

    The book is linked to a website on the internet (which incidentally is difficult to find on its own). See https://www.usborne.com/quicklinks/eng/catalogue/catalogue.aspx?cat=1&area=S&subcat=SE&id=834

    Publisher information

    It was published by Usborne.com and is billed as being “internet-linked”.

    Categories: For Beginners, Reference Books

    Book: Life on the Dock

    A Useful Book

    Michael W. Konrad published a highly illustrated book of the marine plants and animals that can be found clinging to docks, floats, and pilings on the Pacific coast. The book surveys many organisms that are easily visible to the naked eye but to the joy of the micro-naturalist he also includes the microscopic world.

    I highly recommend it to west coastal micro-naturalists. It is competently written, very informative and well illustrated. Many of the organisms will be encountered on field trips and some are suitable for viewing under a microscope. It makes good general reading on the subject.

    Publisher information

    The book was published in 2013 by Science Is Art at Sausilito CA. ISBN 978-0-9832590-0-8 paper bound. The author is Michael W. Konrad. It should still be available from book sellers online.

    Categories: Animals, For Beginners

    Book: Insect Microscopy

    A great book for beginner users of the Microscope

    The focus of this book is on the study of insects with a microscope. The book contains colour pictures on almost every page. It is interesting to read. It contains plenty of reference information too.

    The study of insects is an easily accessible focus of interest for a micro-naturalist. Most of the techniques that the author presents and explains are directly applicable to the study of any microscopic organism. Insects can be found everywhere even if you live in the center of a large city. Insects present endless possibilities for study under a microscope too. Even if you already have some experience with microscopes, or if you are a new entrant to the hobby, this is an excellent book to own and use.

    This is a great book for beginners to the hobby use of the microscope. It presents the details of modern microscope techniques and procedures.

    The Book Cover

     


     

    What’s in the Book?

    The book contains chapters devoted to equipment, microscopes, media for mounting, compounds and chemicals, slide mounting and publishing your work. Clearly ‘citizen science’ was on his mind when he wrote this book.

    Publisher information

    Author Andrew Chick is an entomologist (he studies insects) and teaches at the University of Lincoln in the UK.You will find this book through online booksellers. It was published in 2016 by The Crowood Press ISBN 978-1-78500-201-4 128 pages. It is paper bound.
     

    Categories: Reference Books

    Book: Introduction to Digital Photomicrography

    The new book (2017) written by Brian Matsumoto and Carol Rouillard is the most up-to-date book on this topic that I have been able to find. It is filled with practical information about modern microscopes, but more to the point, it covers modern digital cameras and their use. Most books on the market are stuck in the past offering advice on adapting SLR cameras which are seldom used today.

    The book covers making movies as well as images, and contains lots of tables and reference material that could be difficult to locate even on the internet. If you only own one book on digital microscope photography this should be the one.

    Publisher information

    The authors are Brian Matsumoto and Carol Rouillard. ISBN 9781785003042 The Crowood Press 2017

    Categories: For Beginners, Reference Books

    Book: Safe Microscopic Techniques For Amateurs

    A Good Book for Beginners

    The late Walter Dioni was a proponent of using safe techniques and materials while enjoying microscopy. A new micro-naturalist often needs assistance in learning how to make good use of the microscope. In fact, anyone who has taken a course in biology will know that for decades the materials used to preserve specimens and slides were often dangerous to use. Some of them have been lately declared unsafe or even have been banned. It is no longer necessary to use these chemicals to enjoy all aspects of the hobby.

    This book shows how safe, easy to obtain, substitutes can be used for mounting specimens on microscope slides. The book is a collection of articles, previously published in the excellent online Micscape Magazine by its editor Mol Smith. The book gives illustrated examples of the techniques with a complete “how-to” approach to the techniques.

    Publisher information

    This book was published in 2014. ISBN: 9781499746518 Printed in Middletown DE.

    Categories: For Beginners, Reference Books