Hi All, COBirds, as a part of the Colorado Field Ornithologists, has a primary mission of supporting Colorado birds and birding. This is for both scientific and recreational purposes. Each of us probably has at least a slightly different set of reasons for subscribing to COBirds.
When a rare or unusual bird is found or thought to be found, we all know that speed is of the essence, if we have any interest in chasing and observing the bird. COBirds has the substantial advantage of great speed in spreading the news of the find to a large number of people who can decide for themselves the pros and cons of chasing the bird for whatever reason. So early posting with or without identification details is always the first consideration with a 'possible,' or 'probable' added if warranted. Also, I'm sure that just about everyone knows that Colorado does have a rare bird committee called the Colorado Rare Bird Committee which is the official keeper of the State List and has the duty to review rare or unusual sightings and such sightings may be submitted to them with documentation. They will then 'accept' the record or 'not accept.' The latter only means that submitted documentation did not in their opinion confirm the stated identification. All records are filed and kept. While ID discussions are highly appropriate on COBirds and are both interesting and educational, they are just that - discussions. As such we must ensure that such discussions are civil in tone and respectful of all involved. As to the issue of supporting evidence, I believe that speed comes first. If the observer/poster has supporting evidence that they have the time and inclination to include, please do so. It adds much richness to the discusson on COBirds. However, there is no COBirds requirement to document rare or unusual with supporting evidence. That duty comes with submitting a rare bird record to the CBRC. I welcome any of your comment and views. Jim Beatty Durango, CO ----- Original Message ----- From: SeEtta Moss To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 12:58 PM Subject: [cobirds] Re: Ted Floyd's post on rare bird postings I want to second Ted Floyd's comments today about posting sightings of rare birds: "We can all learn a lot by discussing reports of rare birds--ideally, those backed up with excellent photos, like Becca's--reported from Colorado. It's infinitely more satisfying and educational than reading something like, "Went to Crow Valley, refound the Philly Vireo. Good Birding, --Jack Birder." It used to be the norm that when a big rarity was posted it would be accompanied by a description that supported the identification and sometimes an accompanying photo. In recent months there have been posts that made note of a rarity sighting sometimes in a rather off-handed manner (ie, "Saw a flock of robins, oh and also saw a Carolina Parakeet"). I think that sightings that are reported without substantiating documentation are at of being dismissed by many. As Ted also noted Becca got some great photos which really helped with that difficult id. Not everyone can get photos so making good notes of field marks and confirming with good identification sources is important. Let me also congratulate Becca for having the courage to post about this bird. It can be scary and let me add that I have yet to meet a birder who did not misidentify birds, even the experts make errors sometimes. SeEtta Moss Canon City http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
