- In 1943, he was drafted into the Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where he was first in the camouflage unit and later the unit assigned to produce technical manuals. Life magazine used his field guide principles for a plane-spotting manual; later the Air Corps used them in their training manual for plane identification. Once, he persuaded a drill sergeant to reroute marching troops so as to avoid a horned lark's nest.
- At 19 he enrolled in the Art Students League in New York City and later studied at the National Academy of Art Design (1929-31). He received a DSc degree from Franklin & Marshall College in 1952.
- His first book, A Field Guide to the Birds, appeared in 1934, demonstrating the prominent field marks that enabled quick identification.
- He became interested in birds and joined a Junior Audubon Club at age 11.
- Twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1983 and 1986, and was a finalist for the award the second time.
- In 1934, he joined the staff of the National Association of Audubon Societies as educational director and art director for Bird Lore, the Societies' magazine. He redesigned Audubon Junior Leaflets and revised the requirements for the Boy Scouts' Bird Study Merit Badge. He published A Field Guide to Western Birds (1941).
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