[texbirds] Re: Re Tropical Mockingbird
- From: Eric Carpenter <ecarpe@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Graham Floyd <spcgraham.floyd@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 8 Dec 2013 21:56:16 -0600
If the TBRC or other record committees required proof positive of
natural occurrence, there wouldn't be much of a need to vote on
records like this where there is no obtainable proof. Instead, voting
is done based upon gathering as much info concerning the species
involved as well as data on the particular record to allow one to make
an informed decision. Data is gathered to help answer questions like:
Is the bird prone to vagrancy? How far from Texas does it naturally
occur? Is the bird undergoing an expansion? How plausible is a
human-assisted scenario?
Is natural occurrence more likely or do I have some lingering
questions about the bird's natural occurrence in the state? Voting
members must essentially pick one of the other. The decision, as in
the case, of "natural occurrence questionable" does not claim that we
know positively that the bird's occurrence wasn't natural, it just
means that the majority of the committee felt that there were
significant open questions around this.
This comes up on other records, like Gil's example of Yellow-faced
Grassquit, or perhaps the Double-toothed Kite from a couple years ago.
Obviously there was no proof positive in those cases either, but the
outcome/majority vote on those was that natural occurrence was the the
more likely scenario.
It is an judgement call, but hopefully an informed one. We realize
that others may come to different conclusions.
--Eric
Eric Carpenter
Secretary, TBRC
ecarpe@xxxxxxxxx
On Sun, Dec 8, 2013 at 8:38 PM, Graham Floyd <spcgraham.floyd@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I have no stake in this. Never had an interest in chasing the Tropical
> Mockingbird. Having read the full report linked, I must ask this question:
> Does requiring positive proof of a bird occurring naturally set a standard
> that can never be met?
> Graham Floyd,
> San Antonio, TX
>
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Eric Carpenter
Austin
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