One thing I’d like to add is this: when there is a large group, the leader
should look back to see if there is a person or two still trying to get to
where the bird is. I’ve been in situations where the leader assumes that
everyone has seen the bird, but failed check to see if everyone was there. Some
folks just don’t have the physical ability to move as quickly as others.
Sheran Wright
Bend
From: Yaakov Epstein
Sent: Saturday, June 20, 2020 1:07 PM
To: obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [obol] Re: Helping others get on a good bird
One other thing I might add. I've been on many trips where experienced leaders
will say "it's in the tree just behind the willow" or "behind the cottonwood
and in front of the hemlock" and so forth. Unfortunately, many people can't
tell one kind of tree from another, especially at a distance. Don't assume any
more knowledge of trees than you do of birds. Try to say which tree without
using its name if you can.
Yaakov Epstein
------ Original Message ------
From: "Paul Sullivan" <paultsullivan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: 6/20/2020 9:26:08 AM
Subject: [obol] Helping others get on a good bird
Recently I was birding with friends who found a good bird. I wanted to see
the bird, but they struggled to help me get on it. It was frustrating.
I have been leading bird walks and trips for nearly 40 years, and I’ve
developed some techniques for helping others get on a bird quickly. I’ve
written an article for publication that I hope will come out in the
not-too-distant future. Meanwhile, let me offer a brief summary.
COMMUNICATE
If you find a good bird the first step is to communicate. Don’t stammer and
say, “I don’t know how to tell you where it is.” Communicate all that you
know, not just “hawk!”, but ‘Hawk flying, on the right side of the road, going
left, below the horizon.” Don’t make people ask, “Is it flying? Which side of
the road?” Which way is it going?”
MOVING BIRD
If the bird is moving, time is of the essence. Say if the bird is flying,
swimming, or walking and which way it’s going.
Divide the scene into quadrants: Which side of the road, above or below the
horizon, ahead of the car or behind, on the fence or in the road.
PERCHED BIRD – LOWER YOUR BINOCULARS TO SEE CONTEXT
If the bird is perched and hard to find, look carefully with your binoculars.
Note the branches near it. Lock onto the bird with your eyes, lock your neck,
shoulders, elbows, wrists. Then swivel JUST YOUR SHOULDERS to lower your
binoculars and see the bird with your naked eye. Note the surroundings, the
context. Put your binoculars back up and refind the bird. Do this a couple
times to make sure you have the location. This only takes a few seconds.
Once you have the “big picture” of where the bird is, DEVELOP A NARRATIVE to
lead others to the spot. Pick out an unambiguous landmark in the area and lead
others from that landmark to the bird.
Example: Across the prairie there are two red barns. Start with the
right-hand barn. In front of it, slightly right, is a lone Ponderosa pine in a
fence row. Count 5 fence posts to the right of that tree and you’ll find the
Great Gray Owl.
Example: Out here in the flats there are 3 strips of water. Look at the
farthest strip. In the middle of that strip, on the near shore, next to a tall
brown weed is a shorebird, facing right. That is a Willet.
GET PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT TREE BEFORE YOU DESCRIBE THE BRANCH
Before you get down to the detail of where the bird is, describing a branch
with a funny crook, crossing in front of another branch, you need to get people
on the right tree, then on the left side of the trunk, then in the top 10 feet
of the tree, then half-way out from the trunk to the tip of the branch.
Example: Look at this big P. pine right here. Go back to the maple behind it
on the left. The birds are in that tree. Look at the longest branch on the
left side of the maple. Go up one more branch which is just above the
horizon. Half way out on that branch are two Band-tailed Pigeons.
REPEAT
Next, repeat your directions for the person who came late to the narrative.
Say the name of the species again, for the person who asks, “What are we
looking for?”
HELP
Finally, help the person who is standing where something is blocking their
view, or who just doesn’t get what you’re talking about. The person who says,
“Oh, THAT tree. I thought you meant this one.”
If the bird goes out of sight, say so. Tell people when it comes back into
view. Tell them it’s a female, so they aren’t looking for a bright male.
Finally, praise the person who found it first. Acknowledge your mistakes.
Good bird-sharing,
Paul Sullivan
