All,
I have really appreciated all the comments re CBCs. I remember doing the Port
Orford Count with Paul on New Year's 1994, and getting Virginia Rail as first
bird of the year. These counts can be so fun.
Like Lyn, I used to make a different list than taxonomic, based as much of what
we would expect to find in combo with the alphabet. HEck, I don't even know
what comes first on the list any more--my taxonomic order is still stuck on
loons.
I do think that getting people involved is really important, and being friendly
to novices is too. My wife refuses to go on a CBC any more because the group
leader (not me) never thought about finding a place with a toilet--we had to
separate from the group for an hour to go get her warm and relieved, and the
experience was lost on her. I hear about this to this day! I once diverted a
group in North Portland to a lunch of Pho because it was so cold and people
weren't prepped.
My original point on the number of people counting really gets to not coverage
or "pumping up" numbers but to the importance of certain places--there are
counts I would really like to do because I love the places. I also appreciated
Lars' stories of the differences in generations--when I started, I was sent out
to cover as much area as I could in the circle grew up in while other folks
birded small, more private areas. ANd doing the same count and same sector is
really helpful--Sohlstrom and I knew how much ground we could cover after
leaving Elmer's in Forest Grove before we;'d have to hit the toilets at the
McDonalds in North PLains
THanks to all for this thread--good memories and good words
Ray Korpi
Vancouver
