[texbirds] Re: Written details, written or sketched a dying art form
- From: Mark Lockwood <Mark.Lockwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "'texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx' (texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 17:27:11 +0000
The idea that there is no need to provide written details as part of a record
seems ill conceived to me. There is a perfect example of the need for such
information for a rare bird present in Texas right now. The difficulty in
separating immature Tundra and Trumpeter Swans is a real identification issue
that is actually exacerbated by the lack written details. An excellent quality
photo certainly identifies the bird as a swan and depending on the individual
perhaps characteristics that will allow the bird to be unequivocally
identified. That is not the case for the bird Lubbock in my opinion. I had
seen a series of photos taken in February and a video from March of the bird
and was convinced it was a Tundra Swan, especially from the video. I later saw
closer photos of the bird that made me wonder if it was not actually a
Trumpeter Swan. The fact that an obvious Tundra Swan was seen in Lubbock
during December and some observers thought that it was the same bird as the
Trumpeter currently present emphasizes this identification issue. Trumpeter
Swan is almost 15% larger than a Tundra. A fantastic photo of an ambiguous
immature swan does not provide this very important information.
Another example that might not be the case today with digital cameras and high
quality lenses was a kingbird photographed in Florida in the 1970s and
identified as the first US Loggerhead Kingbird. Sadly there were no details to
describe any aspect of the bird. Ultimately the record could not be accepted
and might be a Giant Kingbird. Written details might not have solved the
problem, but concise details of the color and possible comparisons to other
similar sized birds would have been invaluable.
I do not claim that birding or documentation of birds is science, but this is
one aspect where our hobby benefits greatly by the rigorous requirements of
science to document, document, document.
Mark
Mark Lockwood
Alpine, Texas
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