Some comments on the question "Is that bird countable?"

[Joe Roller]

"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

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/

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)

[Ira Sanders]

What's a Canadian Goose?

Ira Sanders

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[John Vanderpoel]

Ira, a Canadian goose is a goose born in Canada.

Sent from my iPhone

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[Karl Stecher Jr.]

One that says "honk, eh?"

 

Karl Stecher

Centennial

 

 

 

---

From: "Ira Sanders" <zroadr...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2016 3:58 PM
To: "Joe Roller" <jrol...@gmail.com>
Cc: "cobirds" <cob...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [cobirds] Some comments on the question "Is that bird countable?"

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[Gary Brower]

I was waiting for someone to thrown in an “eh” . . .   Eh?

Gary Brower

Unicorporated Arapahoe County

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[markc...@comcast.net]

Joe, I'm glad you brought this subject up, since I have had this friendly debate over the past year.  It can be very confusing to the new birder when they hear a bird is not "countable".  It would be nice for Ebird to bold the non-countable birds and not count them in their list.  I totally understand the reason for the exotics needing to be tracked, so they can see if the population is expanding and self-sustaining. I have also witnessed the new birder traveling miles for a Red Peafowl, African Collared Dove, Greylag Goose, or Mute Swan.  When they tell someone about their new lifer, they get a smile and a comment about how it's not countable. The comment is usually followed with "what?", or "Why would it appear on a need list then?" Bolding the bird would at least give an opportunity to educate the new birder and give them a choice if they want to still go see the bird. I actually chased a Mandarin Duck at the Wheat Ridge Greenbelt even though I knew it not countable, because I wanted to see this beautiful bird!

Mark Chavez
Lakewood-Green Mtn
http://jaeger29.smugmug.com/

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[Will Burt]

I'd guess that it's one of those Branta types that remains a resident of Canada year-round.

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