[wisb] Patagonia Picnic Table Effect
- From: "Cutright.Noel" <Noel.Cutright@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2011 17:12:13 -0600
TIP OF THE MONTH: THE PATAGONIA PICNIC TABLE EFFECT
Sometimes, when birders show up to look for the rarity in question,
other remarkable birds are found. This simply proves that with enough
birder coverage, and enough eyes, the discovery of one unusual bird
often leads to the discovery of another.
This phenomenon has a name: the Patagonia Picnic Table Effect, and its
origin goes back several decades. Sometime in the late 1960s, birders
realized that there were nesting Rose-throated Becards at the wooded
roadside picnic area on Arizona 82, about 4 miles south of the small
ranching community of Patagonia. The stop is no more than 0.3 mile of
old pavement, with concrete picnic tables under cottonwood and ash trees
abutting an arid thornscrub hillside. Regular stops at the rest area and
along the wooded trail on the opposite side of the road often seemed to
produce other interesting sightings: Thick-billed Kingbird, Black-capped
Gnatcatcher, Five-striped Sparrow, Yellow Grosbeak, and more. To this
day, birders regularly pause at the picnic roadstop, rather than simply
drive by on the way to someplace else.
Thus evolved "The Patagonia Picnic Table Effect:" one good bird attracts
birders, who often discover yet another good bird, which brings more
birders, ad infinitum.
In reality, similar scenarios play out several times a year somewhere in
North America. The end result is the locality becomes "well known for
rare birds," even though it may be little or no better than other
similar nearby localities!
Stay alert and stay tuned, because you may find this very phenomenon in
action in the next few months or in the coming year somewhere near you!
Noel Cutright, Ozaukee County
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