[TN-Bird] Re: Mid-summer Accipiters

Bill,

I appreciate your sending this to TN-Bird.  I would like to piggy-back on your 
post and extend the reminder to other species that pose identification 
challenges.  

As a subscriber to TN-Bird for many years, and as someone who uses it regularly 
to compile data, I have often been flummoxed by posts of rare or unlikely birds 
and left to wonder if the observer made the correct identification.  It would 
certainly be helpful to me if every post of an unusual species were accompanied 
by notes as to how the ID was made, including reference to any guides or human 
sources used.  In fact, this might be a good guideline for TN-Bird subscribers 
to consider adopting. I think it would add to the long-term usefulness of the 
TN-Bird archive as a tool for learning and conservation decision-making.  I for 
one am willing to take a little extra time with my posts to improve the quality 
of what I send.  Anybody else care to weigh in on this idea?

Don Miller
Greeneville, Greene Co., TN 

   
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Pulliam" <bb551@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "tn-bird Listserv" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 4:50:50 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: [TN-Bird] Mid-summer Accipiters

Hi all,

This comes up regularly in reviewing eBird submissions, but it's a  
worthwhile reminder for everyone:

While Sharp-shinned Hawks are certainly not unknown in middle and  
west Tennessee in the dog days of summer, they are quite scarce at  
this season.  At this time of year they are vastly outnumbered by  
Cooper's Hawks, a widespread breeder all across the state from the  
mountains to the Mississippi.  So, any suspected Sharpie in these  
areas in summer should be identified with great care, as you would  
use for any other rarity that presents ID challenges.  There is more  
to making this distinction definitively than just size and tail shape  
-- consult any (or all!) of the excellent field guides out there.   
And remember there is NO shame in leaving some Accipiters  
unidentified as to species; it's a sign of honesty, not poor birding  
skills.

Bill Pulliam
Hohenwald TN 
  
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=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen.  The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
      To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
                    tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________ 
                To unsubscribe, send email to:
                 tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
            with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                ------------------------------
                Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
                         Cleveland, OH
                -------------------------------
               Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
                          Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
         
          Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
              web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                          ARCHIVES
 TN-Bird Net Archives at http://www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/

                       MAP RESOURCES
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com

_____________________________________________________________

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