I would hate to see the compiled list on Cobirds be discontinued. I’m not a chaser, although I have gone to see some areas/birds reported. However, I find it of great interest to see what birds are moving through the state. And to experience birding virtually, through other people’s sightings; I believe it enriches my enjoyment.
Maureen Blackford Boulder County > On Dec 6, 2018, at 8:06 AM, Diana Beatty <[email protected]> wrote: > > I do think it is worth asking who uses the COBIRDS RBA report and getting > some data before deciding to continue the extensive effort or not, unless > someone just realyl enjoys doing it. Is there anyone out there who uses it > fairly regularly? What tools are people using to learn of 'rare' birds? > > Personally, I have not used it much if at all. I have sometimes learned of > great birds in general COBIRDS posts but the RBA is a tool I haven't really > used much. I did use it a few times to try to find out if a bird had been > reported recently several days after the initial report when I didn't see > something in eBird, since I know not everyone uses eBird. I get rare bird > alerts for certain counties from eBird and they are more specific and timely > than the RBA for me personally, but I do rarely chase so my experience may be > atypical. I also learn of some birds on the CFO Facebook page. I do wonder > if there is some concern at least along the Front Range about loving rare > birds to death - i.e. publicizing a sighting very openly possibly being > harmful to the bird in question or to the reputation of birders, etc.,, in > part because there may simply be too many people interested in seeing it, > some of whom may be more 'rambunctious' in their quests than others. I do > not know that the RBA would be considered a contributor to those concerns, if > people have them, though. I appreciate the willingness of people to share > and compile exciting sightings even if I do not go to see them because I do > enjoy hearing about what of note is going on re: birds in Colorado. > > Diana Beatty > El Paso County > > On Thu, Dec 6, 2018 at 4:23 AM 'Allison Hilf' via Colorado Birds > <[email protected]> wrote: >> I totally understand the sensitivity of a Gyrfalcon sighting, and consider >> it like an owl. I agree with Andy and others that it should not be publicly >> shared. I wish it would never have been reported and this discussion never >> happened. >> >> My comment was meant to be about the more general issue where most of the >> more experienced CObirders no longer report any rare bird sightings to >> CObirds or to the RBA. >> >> I was ready to commit a considerable amount of time and effort into helping >> Joe and others keep the RBA going after Joyce retires at the end of the >> year. I’m now having serious doubts, as so few experienced Birders take the >> time to report ANY rare findings to CObirds. >> >> I don’t list and no longer chase anything but a lifer (Gyrfalcon is NOT a >> lifer; I had no interest in chasing the bird). I help beginning Birders >> and spend my time analyzing bird behaviors - we all bird differently. >> >> I apologize if I came across critical of competitive listers; we can all >> agree to enjoy birding differently. But do listers want to share sightings? >> If so, is COBirds the place to do it, and are people willing to report >> sightings to CObirds? Otherwise, why should we spend considerable time and >> effort on compiling an RBA??? >> >> Please respond; as I need to know if anyone sincerely wants the RBA to >> continue. >> >> Thank you, >> Allison Hilf >> Aurora, CO >> >> >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >>> On Dec 5, 2018, at 8:19 PM, Andrew Bankert <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> Let me start off by saying that the Gyrfalcon was not refound anywhere this >>> morning that I am aware of with people looking along Trilby Road and at the >>> landfill. >>> >>> After thinking about it, I do not regret the 15 hour delay between >>> identifying and posting the Gyrfalcon to CObirds. I try to get the word >>> about rarities out as quickly as possible, but this Gyrfalcon was a special >>> case with both being a charismatic species drawing attention from a wider >>> number of people than your average rarity and being found in a restricted >>> area where we could easily lose access if there were any incidents >>> involving birders not following protocols at the landfill. As birders, I >>> understand how exciting it is to chase a rare bird and add a new tick to a >>> list, but I do wonder whether during our pursuits we forget about >>> considering the impacts we might have on the birds we chase and the areas >>> we visit. >>> >>> Considering these impacts, including consulting with other birders, is what >>> happened during that 15 hour delay. Just last week while watching the >>> Grandview Cemetery Eastern Screech-Owl from a safe distance across the >>> canal, a group of us witnessed two, probably well intentioned, birders walk >>> right up to the tree the owl was roosting in while searching for it without >>> seeing it. Cases like this seem to occur somewhat regularly with >>> charismatic species that draw attention from more than just listers. There >>> has previously been suboptimal behavior and breaking of protocol from >>> chasers at rarities even within the same CBC Circle as the Gyrfalcon >>> (American Woodcock and Streak-backed Oriole come to mind). Normally, I >>> would trust in the birding community's ability to help educate this small >>> number of people, but the situation at the landfill is different with large >>> equipment with the potential to cause serious injury to someone not >>> following the landfill protocol. Such an event would surely ruin access to >>> one of my favorite birding spots in Larimer County, which we luckily have >>> the privilege to bird at unlike some other landfills in the state. One of >>> the gatekeepers at the landfill today did say that there were some problems >>> with birders not following protocols yesterday, which verified my concerns >>> about posting this sighting. Finally, the Gyrfalcon did not show up on any >>> eBird alerts because they have been deemed to be a sensitive species, and I >>> thought this was worth considering before plastering this sighting for >>> everyone to know about. It seems that in other states birders and >>> falconers have run into problems over Gyrfalcons, and it was not until >>> Tuesday morning that I was confident that it is illegal to trap a wild >>> Gyrfalcon in Colorado. >>> >>> I still think we, as a birding community, should be excited when rare birds >>> show up and try to share them with everyone when appropriate, but I think >>> we do need to consider the impacts of both reporting rarities and chasing >>> birds. If you find a Red-faced Warbler at a city park there probably won't >>> be too much need for hesitation, but if you find a Snowy Owl that is best >>> viewed from an active construction site you might want to consider the >>> impacts of informing more than just a small group of people you know well. >>> I also hope we can appreciate birders who do consider the impacts their >>> hobby has on the birds they see, the places they visit, and the environment >>> as a whole. Finally, I do encourage anyone interested to visit a landfill >>> that allows access to look at gulls because you are often rewarded with a >>> good study of difficult-to-identify birds, just make sure you always follow >>> their rules and are constantly vigilant of your surroundings. >>> >>> Andy Bankert >>> Fort Collins >>> -- >>> 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]. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAMvLbkiyodpyjMgejRQcE5O79ejaaobzx02HJUqgKT7P%3D8L75Q%40mail.gmail.com. >>> For more options, visit 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]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/BD219403-8AB1-4FFF-A1A7-2F3575259CD6%40me.com. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > -- > ****** > > All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old > that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. > > > > > -- > 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]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAM-_j9u36YnCyM%2Bg7BAqfVdQzfgpc3DOLVEPUNqd_y0O4ShM6g%40mail.gmail.com. > For more options, visit 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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