I was waiting for someone to thrown in an “eh” . . . Eh? Gary Brower Unicorporated Arapahoe County
> On Dec 13, 2016, at 4:51 PM, Karl Stecher Jr. <[email protected]> wrote: > > One that says "honk, eh?" > > Karl Stecher > Centennial > > > > From: "Ira Sanders" <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2016 3:58 PM > To: "Joe Roller" <[email protected]> > Cc: "cobirds" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [cobirds] Some comments on the question "Is that bird countable?" > > What's a Canadian Goose? > > Ira Sanders > > On Dec 13, 2016 3:01 PM, "Joe Roller" <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > "Is that bird countable?" is a common question among birders, with no simple > answer. > > First one needs to consider what the criteria are for "countability." > When a young birder starts off, his list may include these birds: > robin, > hawk, > Canadian Goose > duck, > and "Yellow-billed Loon," identified by a stranger and viewed through his > Aunt's scope. > > That is a personal list and quite valid. It's a first step to becoming a > birder, and many of us have done that in the misspent days of our youth. > > And a birder of any age can keep a list of any kind. I have friends who keep > a list of all birds they have seen in Colorado, including at the Zoo! > > But once a birder gets to the stage of wanting to compare his own list to > other birders' lists, and maintain a reputation, the question > comes up, "Can I count it?" In other words, "What are the rules of this > game?" and "Do other birders include that species on their lists?" > > Let's face it, "The Lure of the List" is strong, and many birders have a gene > for competition. Some disparage "listers," but there are few experienced > birders > who do not keep lists. And there are "mental lists." I have found that if a > birder disparages "listers," they can usually tell you what birds they have > seen, thanks to their mental list. > > Most of us follow the rule that the Colorado Field Ornithologists set down > some years ago: For purposes of comparing one's state and county > lists to those of other birders, the bird must be on the official Colorado > list. http://coloradocountybirding.org/Checklists.aspx > <http://coloradocountybirding.org/Checklists.aspx> > That applies to state lists, year lists, county lists, etc. Mute Swan, > Graylag Goose, Monk Parakeet are not on the official CO list and most of us > don't include them on our lists. > That way I can be sure my list has not been "padded" by exotics. > > That official CFO list has been generated over the decades by expert > volunteers on the Colorado Birds Record Committee, and it's maintained with > care and scientific judgement. The CBRC went to great lengths > (stable isotope analysis) to conclude that a taxidermy mount of an Emperor > Goose shot in Colorado was probably not of wild origin. It's important that > our state list is a "clean" one. Then it's comparable to > the lists from other states, for example. > > And the fine points of what birds are countable are spelled out by the > American Birding Association (ABA): > http://listing.aba.org/aba-recording-rules/ > <http://listing.aba.org/aba-recording-rules/> > There you'll find obvious guidelines like, "Don't count roadkill. Don't count > birds in cages." And there you'll find some fine points such as, "When a bird > has been caught in a > net and banded, how many net marks must fade before you can count it?" > > eBird wants us to document exotics to watch for trends and changes. Witness > the multitude of exotic cage birds, parrots and parakeets, that are alive, > breeding and well in Miami, for example. > So in summary, yes, report exotics to eBird, but when you do, the totals > shown there on county or state or year lists, etc are not really comparable > to others, who may have boldly > gone into the field counting every Mandarin Duck and Jungle Fowl out there. > You only have one chance to lose your reputation. > > Joe Roller, Denver > (bracing myself for a storm of contrary views) > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Colorado Birds" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAJpZcUDSsbkhnHbhidMiXO8zfWtx5RK15Tk9w%2Bn1YRkpq-fP_w%40mail.gmail.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAJpZcUDSsbkhnHbhidMiXO8zfWtx5RK15Tk9w%2Bn1YRkpq-fP_w%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout > <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Colorado Birds" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CABF3siExxMuecTcyCH1eEiwGMGKg%3D_pm1N312pWg8d56Ek7eMw%40mail.gmail.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CABF3siExxMuecTcyCH1eEiwGMGKg%3D_pm1N312pWg8d56Ek7eMw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout > <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Colorado Birds" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/dac2f7eb384c43709fd7972bb7fd958e%40idcomm.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/dac2f7eb384c43709fd7972bb7fd958e%40idcomm.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout > <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. 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