[texbirds] Re: Written and sketched reports and Reconstructive Memory
- From: Cameron Carver <c.o.carver@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Brush Freeman <brushfreeman@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 14:27:22 -0500
Brush,
"Photos or it didn't happen" is a common tongue in cheek saying.
As for those Razorbill, Pigeon and Black Swift... there is a reason why they
are on the "presumptive list".
Cameron
Sent from my iPhone
> On Mar 19, 2014, at 14:01, Brush Freeman <brushfreeman@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
> "Photos or it didn't happen" Geez Cameron that is profound. Hey I am right
> there with you. Maybe we can convince the TBRC to throw out the huge bulk of
> well written and accepted documentation that have no associated photos with
> the record, no matter the observer's expertise.....Let's try!. That would
> include such silly things like "murre Species, Razorbill, White-crowned
> Pigeon, Black Swift and Crescent-chested Warbler. I realize that you will no
> longer be reporting species you could not photograph and meanwhile I am
> voiding my notebook of birds that "did not happen" this morning. I don't
> even like taking bird photos so I will just continue to imagine those Blue
> Jays and Chickadees.
>
> **********************************************************************
> Brush Freeman
> 503-551-5150 Cell
> 120 N. Red Bud Trail. Elgin, Tx. 78621
> http://texasnaturenotes.blogspot.com/
> Finca Alacranes., Utley,Texas
>
>
>> On Wed, Mar 19, 2014 at 11:50 AM, Cameron Carver <c.o.carver@xxxxxxxxx>
>> wrote:
>> Written field reports and sketches are certainly great ways to learn.
>> Studying the bird in front of you and writing/sketching the details is a
>> great way to learn a species' nuances. BUT here is the problem: Let's say
>> that the view of the bird was fleeting or that you didn't write/sketch
>> details until after the bird left (both of these scenarios are extremely
>> common in birding). Your brain likes to fill in blanks. And in order to fill
>> in the blanks it uses what you know, think you know or what you expect. In
>> doing so your brain may (and will) fudge the details to help you better
>> explain the story or observation.
>>
>> Take for example "The war of the ghosts" (Bartlett 1932) where participants
>> were told a story and then expected to recount the story. The participants
>> added their own details to the story and eliminated some elements that
>> seemed implausible. With repeat tellings the story deviated further from the
>> original.
>>
>> This sort of "filling in" extends to any and all aspects of human
>> observation. So, written/sketched reports made at any point after the
>> observation are inherently flawed.
>>
>> Heidi's sketch of the original Harris's Sparrow was made after the
>> observation. While she may not know it, her mind had plenty of time to
>> process what she was seeing. It was already comparing the bird to other HASP
>> she has seen and the one she saw previously at the location a year before.
>> That sort of thinking could have easily influenced her sketch and likely did.
>>
>> This doesn't even address the fact that human observation can be influenced
>> by stress and emotion.
>>
>> Written/sketch reports are certainly a necessary tool in birding, but they
>> are not "hard" evidence. Nothing beats photo, video, audio or a specimen.
>> This sort of "hard" evidence should be encouraged over any sort of "soft"
>> evidence. As I stated in a previous post, 61% of US adults own a smart
>> phone. Your smart phone can not only take geotagged photos, but record video
>> and audio. Not to mention that inexpensive, mega-zoom point-and-shoot
>> digital cameras are numerous.There is a reason why reliance on
>> photodocumentation has become the standard.
>>
>> The art of writing a report is certainly lost. Written reports add a sense
>> of feeling and place and are nice for historical accounts, but writing is
>> certainly not a necessity. It only supports an observation, it does not
>> confirm it. And if you have enough time to sketch a bird with it in front of
>> you, then you certainly had enough time to get a photo.
>>
>> "Photos or it didn't happen"
>>
>> Cameron Carver
>> Lubbock, TX
>>
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