[obol] Great Backyard Bird Count

[David Bailey]

Sir.,

Your list submission for Winston submitted for 16 February 2007 is 
exceptional for a number of reasons. No offense, but as the regional 
reviewer of submissions, I am responsible for reviewing exceptional 
counts of rare and unusual species. If these are indeed what you feel 
you saw, please provide photo (preferred) or sketches and or extensive 
field notes or plumage and behavior descriptions for all 13 species you 
have reported. Especially the Blue Jays, Pinyon Jays, Clark's 
Nutcrackers, and Gray Jays. Also, how is it that after nearly 13 hours 
of observation you failed to detect some of the most common species 
likely to have been active and easily detected even from a stationary 
count? These species would include, any sparrows, Bushtits, European 
Starlings, American Robin, House Finch, House Sparrow. If you would like 
to count some truly exotic birds, I suggest you make a trip to nearby 
Wildlife Safari where flocks of Egyptian Geese and other otherwise rare 
birds can be seen freely roaming the compound.

If you are testing our vetting procedures, or attempting a playful joke, 
it should be clear to you that we have passed your test and have had 
some fun with your joke respectively, especially by a particularly 
active internet surf-birder on the North Coast who cognates with a 
healthy degree of critical thinking, deduction, and skepticism. This 
same message goes for for both your submissions.

Until you convince me otherwise, your data submitted to the GBBC for 
2007 will remain marked as "invalid," and though archived, will not 
appear in the official results.

Respectfully,
David C. Bailey

Regional Reviewer for Oregon, USA
Great Backyard Bird Count 2007