[texbirds] Re: Reporting locations of rare sightings
- From: Adam Wood <birdsondabrain@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: TexBirds <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 10:53:33 -0500
Adding to the point that Mark spends a lot of time finding his own interesting
birds and that the rest of the birding community is free to do and should do
the same thing. I think this is asking a bit much. Mark is in an enviable
position that his photography is outstanding and it is able to support his life
style thus enabling him to be able to spend a large quantity of hours in the
field with the birds that only increases his odds of finding a really
interesting bird. I realize there are many birders out there like him or are
retired that can put in the necessary number of field hours to find an
interesting bird but then there are those of us who work 40 hours a week day
jobs and don't have the ability to easily put in the hours that it requires to
increase the odds of finding that interesting bird. We rely on others sharing
their good finds with us to be able to see a fair number of rarities. Would we
rather find our own rarity I would like to say most of us would say yes but
since we don't have the time to find many of our own we really appreciate the
chance to chase a previously reported one.
I agree that the finder has the right to not disclose the location but I wish
in instances where they elect to not disclose the location that they don't post
to a public forum that they saw the bird and keep the record quite aside from
submitting it to the TBRC for review. Then the rest of us can enjoy another
good record for Texas vicariously with out getting bent out of shape for not
being able to get the opportunity to chase it since by the time the committee
has voted on the record the bird will be long gone and no longer chaseable.
Just my thoughts.
Adam Wood
Houston, Tx.
Sent from my iPhone
On Sep 18, 2013, at 10:15 AM, Martin Reid <upupa@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Dear All,
> Every time this subject appears I see the same potential reasons given for
> suppressing news of a rarity. I won't list them again here because they have
> been stated and restated so many times I'm sure we all know them by heart. I
> think many of these reasons are valid if the circumstances are as proposed
> with that reason.
> However, I do not feel that they apply in this circumstance. The tern was
> obviously photographed on a beach close to the water's edge. All Texas
> beaches are public. All Texas beaches are subject to the same random,
> uncontrollable access by us humans. Mark seems to spend most of his time
> between Bryan Beach and San Luis Pass, and if any of you have visited this
> area, you'll know that it receives so much recreational visitation
> (beach-goers, walkers, vehicles, para-sailors, surfers, fishermen, etc) that
> I contest it would be almost impossible for birders to disturb birds (by any
> significant degree) more than they already experience on a daily basis.
> So while there are good and valid reasons for suppressing a rarity, in this
> case they simply do not apply, I feel.
> Does anyone have the "right" to not reveal a bird's location? - of course
> they do! But this is not a matter of someone's rights. It is about chosen
> behavior within a group that one has chosen to join, engages with, seeks
> advice from, gets bird location details from, and - let's be honest - enjoys
> the ego-stroking feedback from, regarding photos! Let me say that all of
> this applies to almost all of us - especially me. When one is part of such a
> group and enjoys the benefits listed above, to then choose - for no obvious
> reason - to suppress the location of a VERY rare bird that many in the group
> would like to see seems to me, well, rather mean. There is an unwritten
> covenant that if you take from the group, you give to the group.
>
> Some in this discussion have mentioned that Mark does not chase and spends a
> great deal of time finding his own interesting birds. I certainly agree with
> the last part, and commend him for the work he puts in and insight he gains
> AND SHARES due to such efforts. But Mark has "chased" birds found by others:
> check out his excellent photos of the Yellow-faced Grassquit at Goose Island
> and the Varied Buntings from Junction, to name a couple of examples.
> Mark is under no obligation to explain himself, but I feel I must be missing
> something, as there seems no good reason in the apparent circumstances for
> Mark to choose not to share the location (although he as the right to
> so-choose).
>
> In a (probably futile) effort to reduce the hate mail, I'd like to say that
> since some of you chose to publicly defend suppression in general and Mark's
> choice in particular, it is okay for me to publicly question some of the
> premises you used to do-so.
>
> Regards,
> Martin
> ---
> Martin Reid
> San Antonio
> www.martinreid.com
>
>
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