[obol] "That's NOT a ______".... (a word of caution)

[Paul T. Sullivan]

OBOL:

I have a friend who is a casual birder.  She keeps track of the birds in her 
backyard and goes on trips, but doesn't keep a list.  We've birded together 
from time to time.  On more than one occasion she has questioned my 
identification of a bird.

For example, we're looking out over a marsh.  A Song Sparrow is giving it's 
"cheep...cheep...cheep" in the tall grass nearby.  I say, "There's a Song 
Sparrow right there," and she says, "That's not a Song Sparrow; I can't see 
it's spot, and it's too dark!"  Now, whether one can see the spot or not, 
the familiar dark bird, flitting in the tall grass and brush, with the twist 
of the tail as it flies and the "cheep...cheep...cheep" is a Song Sparrow.

Recently, relatively new birders have posted sightings on OBOL, giving a 
description which fit a common bird, but they have ruled out the likely bird 
for some reason.  It's good to rule out "the bird it's not," but be careful. 
Don't rely on one field mark alone.  Consider winter plumage.  Consider the 
range of the species, it's habitat, behavior, and voice. (I know these take 
time, and they're not all in the books.)   Allow for regional variation. 
Song Sparrows -- and many other species -- look different in the Pacific 
Northwest than they do in the Eastern U.S.  Red-tailed Hawks and other hawks 
are highly variable across their range.  Allow for INDIVIDUAL VARIATION too. 
Don't get hung up on finding an exact match for your bird in a book or on 
the Web.

Expect what's likely to be here.

Bird Watcher's Digest ran an article 10-15 years ago titled something like 
"10 Rules for Beginning Bird Watchers," and the first rule was:  "It's a 
Red-tail!"  Never mind the (choose your adjective) back, it's a Red-tail. 
If I find that article, I'll share the other rules.

At the other end of the scale, don't get hung up in finding subspecies and 
hybrids (unless you want to -- and love long discussions on OBOL).  You 
don't have to be able to tell if it is a juvenile, first spring, or subadult 
(unless you want to, again.) Some towhees are more spotted than others; some 
wet, some dry.  Some Savannah Sparrows show lots of yellow in the 
lores/eyestripe, others little yellow.  Winter Yellow-rumped Warblers are 
rally drab.  INDIVIDUAL VARIATION again.

Maybe you won't identify all the birds you see.  If it's regular at your 
feeder you can probably get help figuring it out.  If it just flies by and 
gets away, say, "That one got away" and let it go.

In any case, enjoy the birds.

Good birding, everyone,

Paul T. Sullivan

"...all the people who can identify a dusky flycatcher when they see one,
... won't add up to enough votes to elect a mayor.... You like those little
red birds, whatever they're called?  So do I.... You're a birder, and we're
pals."
             Kenn Kaufman -- BirdWatcher's Digest, Nov-Dec 2001