State Bird Records Committee

[Mark Obmascik]

In an age of Ebird, CObirds, and even Facebook bird ID groups, why do Colorado and other states still have state bird record committees?

After John Ealy found the hooded oriole in his Douglas County backyard, many excellent birders asked to have documentation submitted to the Colorado Bird Records Committee, which decides whether rare-bird reports are legitimate. I submitted, but the process is a hassle. The website crashed, and instructions weren't always clear.

I know this an all-volunteer effort, and money is short, and I'm always in favor of something that increases interest in and knowledge about birds, but what does the committee do that isn't already being done elsewhere in a more convenient way? In my experience, Ebird reviewers do an excellent job of screening entries. (They've found a bunch of my mistakes.) Ebird and CObirds make it easy to add photos. And with its international reach, Facebook allows fast access to ID experts whose yardbirds are our vagrants.

It's also tough for me to forget how the committee decided that Bill Brockner's Baikal teal, seen by me and hundreds others behind the Baskin Robbins in Evergreen a few years back, was not actually a real Baikal teal. 

If there's a good reason to keep submitting to bird records committees, I'd like to hear it.

Good birding.

Mark Obmascik

Denver, CO

[Doug Faulkner]

Mark and Cobirds:

I will share the primary reason I believe that Bird Records Committees (BRCs) are important.  They are repositories for bird records.  A one-stop shop.  Yes, one can submit photos to eBird, Cobirds, and any number of other online sites, but availability to that information is not long-lived.  A BRC acts like a museum.  The records submitted to it are available for easy, public consumption in perpetuity.  Yes, there is the vetting process that BRCs perform for what constitutes a "record", and that is important, but to me it is the repository aspect that makes BRCs necessary.

One could argue that museums are no longer necessary because collecting is not performed at the same level as in the past.  Yet, they provide a valuable resource to researchers because of their repositories of specimens.  In much the same way, BRCs provide a repository of bird records that can be used by researchers now and 100 years from now.  Try finding any information about the Hooded Oriole on the internet next year, 5 years from now, or in 50 years.  Instant gratification and information sharing is great, but it is fleeting.  BRCs are in it for the long-haul.

respectfully,

Doug Faulkner

Arvada, CO

--
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 cobirds+u...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to cob...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/243757657.4730579.1461944140443.JavaMail.yahoo%40mail.yahoo.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Joe Roller]

Mark,

I understand your concerns, but Bird Record Committees have NOT been surpassed by eBird,

and I am a huge supporter of e Bird. e Bird species ID reviewers do great work, but each of them is staunchly

supportive of the CBRC.

Perhaps the current chair of the Colorado Bird Record Committee, Mark Peterson or 

the recent chair, Doug Faulkner, now President of CFO, can take the time to answer your questions

point by point.

In the meantime, I will just say that detailed documentation of any rarity and many more common birds

is absolutely necessary for Colorado to have a "clean" state list, unimpeachable.

Norm Erthal found Colorado's first state record of Hooded Oriole, and he and I (who was with him) prepared

detailed reports to the CBRC, even though there were fine photos. Yes, it was sort of a hassle, but well worth the effort.

I yearn to send the CBRC detailed reports of the next Colorado Wood Stork, Olive Warbler and other birds that require 

documentation. Those would be happy hassles.

And to second guess the 7 or so highly expert committee members' decision about the Baikal Teal is not reasonable. As I recall, the bird

was thought to be a "real female Baikal Teal," but it's "provenance" was the sticking point. Many more Baikal Teal

are kept in aviaries in the US than are thought to have flown here from Lake Baikal.  And there was an aviary 

a short distance from Evergreen. That is just the way I recall it, perhaps not exactly correct. Ditto with the 

Evergreen Rufous-collared Sparrow. Species ID was not questioned, but they are good singers, are

widely kept as cage birds and are not vagrants to the US.

Mark, I'd be glad to chat with you on the phone, as space here is limited. There are marked differences

between e Bird reviews and CRBC reviews. Just look at the issue of Colorado Birds that describes 

the tremendous effort the CBRC did in analyzing the ID of Colorado's only Kelp Gull and it's "wild"

provenance.

Joe Roller

proud CFO member since 1975

On Fri, Apr 29, 2016 at 9:35 AM, 'Mark Obmascik' via Colorado Birds <cob...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

--

[David Suddjian]

These pasted from the Colorado Bird Records Committee page <http://coloradobirdrecords.org/> offer some response to the question:

"The primary purpose is to provide a repository for information regarding the records of rare or unusual birds within the state of Colorado. In order to perform this function, the CBRC solicits, collects, assembles, reviews, renders opinions on, and permanently archives, in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, all documentation concerning rare and unusual bird records in Colorado."

And

"Birding anecdotes are great fun, but like any oral history, they disappear over time. By providing details of rare bird sightings in an archival documentation, birders contribute to a collective body of knowledge that spans generations.  The intent of the Colorado Bird Records Committee's peer review process is NOT to validate an individual's sighting or personal list, rather it is to establish a standard for which rare bird reports can be used as scientific-quality data."

David Suddjian

Littleton, CO

On Fri, Apr 29, 2016 at 9:35 AM, 'Mark Obmascik' via Colorado Birds <cob...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

--

[Bill Maynard]

Mark,

 

You answered your own question by reminding birders about the Baikal Teal behind the Baskin Robbins.  It was a “real” bird but it was found during a period when Baikal Teal in their natural Asian range were in severe decline after having been the most common duck in its range.  Also, anyone can currently buy a pair of Baikal Teal for a farm pond for $400.  The ornithological record is way more than a birder’s eBird claims. It is a method of documentation that describes in writing for perpetuity what the bird was doing, what it looked like, where and when it was seen, and why it wasn’t a look-alike species. eBird reviewers and eBird users make mistakes.  Rare bird committee members make mistakes too, but there 7 people evaluate a record, ask experts from outside of CO when needed, vs. the one eBird reviewer.  If you want Baikal Teal on your personal list, tick it, but there were excellent ornithological reasons not to have it become part of the official CO bird list.  Careful documentation, especially when a suite of photos or sound recordings are included, adds very valuable ornithological information for Colorado. eBird, IMO, not so much.

 

Respectfully,

 

Bill Maynard

Colorado Springs

--

[Gloria Nikolai]

Mark,
I love that you asked the question ND I love even more the reasoned and respectful reasons given in return. Thanks to all for benefiting the entire group with the conversation.

Happy birding,
Gloria Nikolai
El Paso County

Ps. FOS Spotted Sandpiper today in El Paso County :-)

---

From: cob...@googlegroups.com <cob...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Bill Maynard <bmayn...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2016 11:08:25 AM
To: mo...@yahoo.com
Cc: cob...@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: [cobirds] State Bird Records Committee

 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/002f01d1a239%24be72df90%243b589eb0%24%40com.