Hi, Ted -
More comments later.
What was the vote on that wild Baikal teal of Jan 1993? (not just yes vs
no...I mean how many members of the committee voted for it, how many against
it).
I think one immediate problem of reporting is that many of us (speaking at
least for myself, hopefully others) don't realize that some of those birds
you listed have to be submitted. I speak to some which are frequently seen,
such as gr-ch thrush and glossy ibis.
Re. Kentucky warbler...I had one two years in a row (May) about 8 years ago
at Cherry Creek...not just one sighting, but for about two weeks each
time...didn't know I needed to submit it.
Another comment about your statements "encouraging" us to use e-bird, or
report. Please take this comment is friendly, yet posted with some
irritation: Ted, you have a JOB and a full-time salary watching birds.
Some of us are unemployed, some very busy with other jobs. I don't think
your characterizing ardent amateurs, who so often share their findings with
others, whether by telephone or cobirds posting, as "lazy" is accurate nor
appropriate.
Karl Stecher
Centennial
Ted Floyd writes:
Hello, Birders.
Nick Komar says:
Needless to say, the number of Black-legged Kittiwakes reported in
Colorado this fall has been incredible.
That's great. And I hope folks will be able to look back 5 years from now, or 50 years from now or even 500 years from now, and be able to appreciate what Nick is saying. But here's the kicker: In order for Nick's impression to be validated, there needs to be a formal record of all these kittiwakes. And that can be accomplished only by submitting documentation of these kittiwake sightings to the Colorado Bird Records Committee (CBRC).
Submitting records to the CBRC is exceedingly straightforward, thanks to a state-of-the-art online reporting form created by Colorado birding stalwarts Mark Peterson and Larry Semo. (And perhaps others; apologies if I've omitted anybody.) Get started here: http://www.cfo-link.org/CBRC/index.php5
My personal opinion is that Colorado birders, on the whole, aren't doing a good job of documenting state review species for the CBRC. According to Joel and Marcel Such's excellent "News from the Field: March-May 2010" report, all of the following were reported without documentation:
2 Eurasian Wigeon reports
Eurasian x American Wigeon
2 Mexican Duck reports
Glossy Ibis
Glossy x White-faced Ibis
2 Gyrfalcon reports
Hudsonian Godwit
2 Iceland Gull reports
3 Glaucous-winged Gull reports
Inca Dove
2 Lesser Nighthawk reports
4 Eastern Wood-Pewee reports
2 Alder Flycatcher reports
2 Vermilion Flycatcher reports
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Blue-headed Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Purple Martin
Cactus Wren
8 Gray-cheeked Thrush reports (come ON, people!)
Wood Thrush
Sprague's Pipit
2 Yellow-throated Warbler reports
Prairie Warbler
3 Kentucky Warbler reports
Connecticut Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Canada Warbler
2 Scarlet Tanager reports
That's terrible!--at least 52 occurrences of review species with no documentation submitted to the CBRC in just a single three-month reporting period. It's really important to have a credible, published, properly archived record of the rare birds of Colorado. For starters, such a list is of intrinsic interest to many birders and field ornithologists. But there's more to it than that: Scientists studying vagrancy, other forms of dispersal, and even climate change depend critically on the databases created and maintained by bird records committees. Are Gray-cheeked Thrushes increasing in Colorado? Are Mexican Ducks invading? Was there really a Cactus Wren in Baca County? Unfortunately, scientists and conservation biologists and wildlife managers have absolutely no basis for answering those questions. But they would be able to answer those questions if only folks would submit documentation of their reports to the CBRC.
Three final thoughts:
1. I think some people don't submit to the CBRC because they think the CBRC members are mean-spirited, pathetic losers. It's not true! They're great people. Chairman Larry Semo is, like, the nicest guy in the world. Once, I had to pull him away from a bridge over US 36 in Broomfield, because he was about to jump to his death over the agonizing decision to reject a record by this dude Ted Flo...okay, I'm joking, but you get the picture. Larry and his gang are great folks, and they strive really hard for good relations with the birding community.
2. I think some people--check that, a LOT of people--have a mistaken idea as to the status of "rejected" (or "not accepted") records. They are emphatically NOT removed from the official record!! Such records are published along with all the accepted records. It's really important to realize this. The CBRC clearly acknowledges that its decisions are not infallible. The CBRC wants for others (scientists, conservation biologists, and indeed future versions of the CBRC) to be able to re-evaluate all the data, and perhaps to demonstrate that certain CBRC decisions had been in error. Ironically, the "rejected" ("not accepted") records often get more verbiage (think of it as "press time") than the accepted records!
3. I think some people are too "busy" or "lazy" to submit to the CBRC. That is so lame. If that's your excuse, work harder, type faster, and sleep less... ;)
-------------------------------
Ted Floyd
Editor, Birding
Blog: http://tinyurl.com/2g2staq
Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/2wj9djj
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/2wkvwxs
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