[texbirds] Reporting Locations
- From: Lee Hoy <leehoy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: TEXBIRDS <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 15:31:33 -0500
If the mindset is one of wondering why anyone would drive out of their way
to twitch a bird for a list and thus, not take 3 seconds to post the
location of a bird, I truly have to respond.
I moved to Texas in 1993 and was a very new birder. Because of birders
taking the time to give me information, correct my ID's, help me find birds,
and help me learn about birding in Texas, I am a much better birder today.
Birders like Greg Lasley, Brush Freeman, Ron Weeks, Mark Adams, Dwight
Peake, Jim Hailey, Sheridan Coffey, Daniel Peake, Petra Hockey, David
Sarkozi, and many, many more (forgive me for the many I haven't listed by
name) have always helped me when I needed it. I will never forget Greg
Lasley mailing me several pages of his own personal slides of American Black
Ducks and Mottled Ducks to help me learn the difference!! That made a huge
impression on me in how far people were willing to go in helping others in
birding. I think about Ron Weeks making sure my dad and I got a space on a
buggy for the CBC so my dad could see a Yellow Rail. I will never forget
his generosity. I remember traveling with Dan and Sheridan to the valley to
chase three birds for a day because someone had shared with us. Great
memories because others shared.
I have had the privilege of traveling to San Diego and
watching/photographing Elegant Terns at leisure, but not everyone has been
able to travel to see these beautiful birds where they are normally found.
The reason we share on Texbirds is not because we think the other birder's
reason for seeing the bird is in accordance with our own personal worldview,
but because that is what birders do, we share (or we should). To be honest,
I see this trend of "hiding locations" growing more and more. I sometimes
chase and I often do not, just depends upon my mood. I am not a state
lister, year lister, but I love my ABA list because it represents memories
to me. Why people hide locations is beyond me. We are worried about stuff
happening like with the Flammulated Owl in South Padre? Well, let's police
ourselves. Isn't that what mature adults do?
Imagine a birder traveling to Texas from even further away from where
Elegant Terns are found and they happen to be within 30 miles of the bird,
why not run over and see an Elegant Tern? They can't because they don't
know where it is. I have had the opportunity to do this very thing on
several occasions in other states and Canada because someone posted on a
local list serve a rarity and I was able to see it.
I have no plans to travel to see the bird, so this isn't about me not
getting a bird for a "list" or trying to photograph something I haven't. To
be honest, it just seems silly to me to take the time to type up everything
else but not the location.
Just my hope that EVERY birder in our great state will ALWAYS share with
other birders so that we can keep this hobby exactly what it ought to be. I
love teaching Beginning Birding classes because I love to share the treasure
of knowledge and skills that I have learned from other birders and pass that
on. Every single birder on this list has benefitted from the work, effort,
skills, knowledge, time, money, and contribution of other birders. Let's
please work to keep this hobby what it has been, a community experience.
I don't post my full lists usually but I always try to post a location of a
bird that I know local or out-of-town birders would want to see. Unless
someone else has already reported seeing the bird that day and then I try to
not clutter the email.
Just my two cents.
Lee Hoy
Georgetown, TX
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