[texbirds] Tropical Mockingbird rejection
- From: "Chris Harrison" <sandboa@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Texbirds" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2013 07:12:53 -0600
Texbirders,
I would like to add myself to the list of people who care about and
appreciate the TBRC's decision. It is not only a thankless job most of the
time, in fact, it is a task for which they often get raked over the coals by
birders who lost a "tick" on their list. As someone who has birded in
Texas for most of the last 30 years, I'm glad someone is keeping tabs on
when the last authenticated sighting of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
occurred, the first Eurasian Collared-Doves and the status of Mute Swan's
and Egyptian Geese in the state.
I think there is an additional benefit to the record being rejected. From
now on, some people will look twice at Mockingbirds to be sure of their
identity, even if they are just motivated to prove the TBRC wrong.
Tropical Mockingbird is an interesting vagrant species because it is almost
identical to a very common, frequently dismissed state resident. This event
has piqued some people's interest to see if Tropical Mockers really do occur
naturally in the state. We all gain from that. There are a number of
cryptic bird species from south of the border (and elsewhere) that probably
have and do occur in the state that get overlooked because they look too
much like our native species. How many of us check each Kiskadee to make
sure it isn't a Boat-billed Flycatcher, for example? I rarely bother.
Chris Harrison
San Antonio
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