I agree with Maureen B. on both counts, and I'll bet a lot of us on CObirds do, too: Occasionally venturing out to try to see birds on the list, but also having great interest what's out there, season to season, whether I can get out to see it or not.
Patrick O'Driscoll Denver County On Thu, Dec 6, 2018 at 8:26 AM Maureen Blackford <[email protected]> wrote: > 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 >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAMvLbkiyodpyjMgejRQcE5O79ejaaobzx02HJUqgKT7P%3D8L75Q%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> 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/CAMNEzJP-14Uo7Nokt1UV7b5TfMGfgzonXR74u8e%2BJutUWsrupw%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
