[obol] Oregon/Washington bird sightings
Jason Randolph (Conservation For The Oregon Coast)
conserve at tidelink.net
Tue Oct 30 06:41:39 PDT 2007
Dave...
This is an excellently worded post and sums up the best of intentions.
Thanks to you Dave for extending a helping hand. I know that I have
birded since I was very young and have seen many folks who truly enjoyed
birding for many different aspects. It's important that we have folks
out there gently guiding new birders in the right direction. Again, good
job Dave...
Now, I want to look at a bit of your post (it couldn't be all goodness
could it? :) )
Dave says:
"New birders also do not automatically consult range maps..."
I personally believe that most range maps are ridiculously out of
balance with the reality of the life of a bird. I don't know how many
out of range birds you folks have seen but I have seen my share I am
sure. If I believed range maps then a handful of different warblers,
Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, Northern Cardinal, etc. were just holographic
images (or perhaps supernatural encounters) provided to me as a young
lad at 9,000 feet in the Colorado mountains. Sometimes they are slightly
out of range, sometimes quite significantly. I believe that, as with all
the natural sciences, an increase in birding will increase our knowledge
of birds and bird life. Then, a true wisdom of the bird kingdom will
replace that which is currently poses constant questions.
Jason in Charleston
DAVID IRONS wrote:
> Pam et al.,
>
> While I agree that you cannot dismiss reports of rare birds out of
> hand, you can also use the context of this report to determine that
> this observer likely did not see a Northwestern Crow . Many new and
> visiting birders see the diminutive crows along the Oregon coast and
> assume they are seeing Northwestern Crow, which is described by field
> guides to be much smaller than Common Crow. Been there done that
> myself about 35 years ago when I was first birding in Oregon. There
> are several clues provided by the observer that his birding experience
> is minimal. For example, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Surf Scoter and
> Heerman's Gull were all lifers. Most importantly, he did not report
> seeing Common Crows at Cannon Beach. We might assume that he would
> not report Common Crows because they are so "common", yet he did
> include Common Crow in his list from the Oregon Convention Center in
> Portland. Common Crows are also quite common about Cannon Beach and
> it is unlikely he would see no Common Crows there and yet have a
> Northwestern Crow.
>
> Critical thinking is a learned skill. Any time one engages in a new
> activity like birding, there is a corresponding skill set that must be
> learned along the way. New birders identify birds strictly on the
> basis of matching a perceived image (what they saw in the field) with
> illsutrations in field guides that seem to match the live version.
> They do not listen to calls or immediately understand that birds also
> have unique voices that are sometimes the most reliable clue to a
> species' identity. New birders also do not automatically consult
> range maps. Finally, since they lack experience, they do not have an
> established concept of relative rarity, or the corresponding
> inclination to properly document the rare bird they are (unknowingly)
> reporting.
>
> Many years ago I was a hyper-enthusiastic new birder. While birding
> around a small pond at the South Bend, Indiana Aububon Society
> Sanctuary, I observed a warbler I determined to be a Kirtland's
> Warbler. I arrived at this conclusion by matching the recollected
> image with a picture in the book that looked like what I saw. I
> excitedly told one of the veteran birders present what I saw and they
> gently assured me that I likely did not see a Kirtland's Warbler.
> They told me how rare a Kirtland's was and then showed the range map
> in the field guide, which depicted their extremely limited breeding
> range. This person also pointed out that there were no recent records
> of Kirtland's Warblers for that part of Indiana. "But it looked just
> like the picture in the book," I'm sure I said at the time.
> Ultimately, I led this person back to where I had seen the bird. We
> relocated it and with some expert assistance I rather quickly learned
> that I had seen was an adult male Magnolia Warbler, which was a common
> migrant in the area. I was thrilled to learn it was a Magnolia
> Warbler, which was a lifer for me at the time. To this day I have not
> seen a Kirtland's Warbler and knowing what I know now, I am thankful I
> don't count a bogus one on my life list.
>
> Every birder I've ever known has a similar rookie birder story, which
> ends with a bird they once counted being removed from their list. The
> act of helping a new birder recognize mistakes is often viewed as
> elitist or mean-spirited. I think unless someone has a tremendously
> fragile ego, they will ultimately view such help as an act of
> kindness. It is unhealthy to have an antagonistic attitude towards
> those who know a little more than others and are willing to share it.
> Virtually everything I know about birds and bird ID I learned from
> someone, and those dozens of mentors certainly shortened my learning
> curve rather than hurting my feelings.
>
> I think all of us want to know that what we think we know and think we
> saw is real.
>
> Dave Irons
> Eugene, OR
>
> > From: johnpam at ipns.com
> > To: obol at lists.oregonstate.edu
> > Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:41:02 -0800
> > Subject: Re: [obol] Oregon/Washington bird sightings
> >
> > There are no Xanthus' Hummingbirds in B.C. or Siberan Accentors in
> > Idaho,etc. Probably the person identifying the crow did not rely on it's
> > call, but what if he did? How many rare birds are missed because we
> don't
> > take the time to listen to people? I know that I am not a top
> birder, but
> > even if I were, I would think twice before I would report anything
> > different.
> > Pam Reid
> > 4 miles north of Silverton
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: obol-bounces at lists.oregonstate.edu
> > [mailto:obol-bounces at lists.oregonstate.edu]On Behalf Of Mike Patterson
> > Sent: Monday, October 29, 2007 3:42 PM
> > To: Russ Namitz
> > Cc: tweeters at u.washington.edu; obol at lists.oregonstate.edu; erh36 at nau.edu
> > Subject: Re: [obol] Oregon/Washington bird sightings
> >
> >
> > The are no Northwestern Crows in Cannon Beach. Nor is there a
> > modern field guide that suggests there are.
> >
> > Russ Namitz wrote:
> > >
> > > Obol & Tweeters~
> > >
> > > See below for forwarded message by an out-of-state birder.
> > >
> > > Russ Namitz
> > > Coos Bay, OR
> > >
> > >
> >
> ****************************************************************************
> > > Hi,
> > > I am from Arizona and this week (Oct. 23-28) I attended the Society of
> > > American Foresters (SAF) national convention in Portland, OR. I
> did not
> > get
> > > to
> > > do too much birding during this trip, but I did get a few lifers
> (denoted
> > by
> > > *
> > > in the lists below). The only birds I was able to positively ID
> were seen
> > > only
> > > during stops on the two field tours I took (obviously). There were
> many
> > > birds
> > > I saw from the bus during the tours, but it was impossible to
> discern what
> > > they were while the vehicle was moving. I'll have to drive up there
> > sometime
> > > and take my time stopping to check out birds. Tour itineraries can
> really
> > be
> > > a
> > > hinderance to birding!
> > >
> > > Below are the lists for each location on each date:
> > >
> > > 10/24
> > > Oregon Convention Center (Portland):
> > > Western Scrub-Jay
> > > American Robin
> > > Anna's Hummingbird
> > > American Crow
> > >
> > > 10/25
> > > Oregon Convention Center:
> > > Western Scrub-Jay
> > > Cedar Waxwings
> > > Yellow-rumped Warbler
> > > gull sp.
> > >
> > > road between Portland and Camp 18:
> > > goose sp.
> > > gull sp.
> > > Red-tailed Hawk
> > > Western Scrub-Jay
> > >
> > > Camp 18 (logging museum/restaurant):
> > > Belted Kingfisher
> > > Steller's Jay
> > > Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
> > > Red-breasted Nuthatch
> > > American Robin
> > >
> > > Cannon Beach (along the beach):
> > > *Northwestern Crow
> > > cormorant sp. (flying in the distance over the ocean)
> > > Ring-billed Gull
> > > Herring Gull (?)
> > > Western Gull
> > > *Heermann's Gull (I'm pretty sure I saw a dark gray gull with a
> red-orange
> > > bill)
> > > There may have been other gull species present, but I am not
> experienced
> > > with
> > > gull ID.
> > >
> > > Cannon Beach (near the public parking area next to a small wetland
> area--I
> > > don't remember the name of the wetlands; there was a small platform
> > > overlooking it):
> > > *Chestnut-backed Chickadee
> > > *Surf Scoter
> > > Anna's Hummingbird
> > > Song Sparrow
> > > Golden-crowned Sparrow
> > > Mallard
> > > Northern Shoveler
> > > Steller's Jay
> > > Brown Creeper
> > >
> > > Oswald West State Park:
> > > Brown Creeper
> > > Red Crossbill
> > > [unidentified passerine sp.]
> > >
> > > Garibaldi:
> > > Double-crested Cormorant (2)
> > > Western Gull
> > >
> > > Tillamook:
> > > Western Gull
> > > Ring-billed Gull
> > > Brewer's Blackbird
> > >
> > > 10/26
> > > Portland Zoo:
> > > Black-capped Chickadee
> > > Steller's Jay
> > > American Robin
> > > Sharp-shinned Hawk
> > >
> > > Hoyt Arboretum:
> > > White-throated Sparrow
> > > Golden-crowned Sparrow
> > > Song Sparrow
> > > Cedar Waxwing (~100)
> > > American Crow
> > > Steller's Jay
> > > Bewick's Wren
> > > Ruby-crowned Kinglet
> > >
> > > 10/27
> > > Washington:
> > > Mt. Adams Ranger Station (near Trout Lake, WA):
> > > Chestnut-backed Chickadee (several; one flew down to some vegetation a
> > foot
> > > away from me and, of course, I didn't have my camera turned on at the
> > time!)
> > > Black-capped Chickadee
> > > Red-breasted Nuthatch
> > > Pygmy Nuthatch
> > > Steller's Jay
> > > American Robin
> > >
> > > forest roads below Mt. Adams:
> > > Red-breasted Nuthatch
> > > Steller's Jay
> > > Red Crossbill
> > > Golden Eagle
> > > Northern Flicker
> > > Common Raven
> > > Clark's Nutcracker (I thought I heard one briefly in the distance)
> > >
> > > Sunnyside Rd. (below forest roads below Mt. Adams, near Trout Lake):
> > > Wild Turkey (3)
> > > Common Raven
> > >
> > > Columbia River:
> > > gull spp.
> > > Bufflehead
> > > Mallard
> > > Eared Grebe (?)
> > > merganser sp.
> > > Canada Geese
> > > [2 Osprey nests]
> > >
> > > Despite not seeing as many birds as I had hoped for, it was
> awesome to see
> > > the
> > > beautiful forests. This was my first trip to the Pacific NW region
> (and my
> > > 1st
> > > time on a plane!). It was amazing to see how large everything grows up
> > there
> > > in comparison to what I've seen in AZ. As part of the forest
> health tour
> > > that
> > > went to near Mt. Adams, WA, we got to see a GIANT ponderosa pine.
> It has a
> > > diameter of 84 inches, is 202 ft. tall, and has a volume of 22,000
> board
> > > ft.!!!! It was mindboggling to stand at the base of such an enormous
> > living
> > > organism. The huge trees along the lush trail at Oswald West State
> Park
> > were
> > > impressive, as well.
> > >
> > > The Pacific NW is definitely one of my favorite places to visit now.
> > >
> > > Good birding!!!
> > > Eric Hough
> > > Flagstaff, AZ
> > > erh36 at nau.edu
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > > obol at lists.oregonstate.edu
> > > http://lists.oregonstate.edu/mailman/listinfo/obol
> > >
> > > To unsubscribe, send a message to:
> > > obol-leave at lists.oregonstate.edu.
> >
> > --
> > Mike Patterson
> > Astoria, OR
> > celata at pacifier.com
> >
> > Technology and the modern birder
> > http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/archives/2007/09/technology.html
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> >
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