Hello Everyone,
I thought Mike Collin's post about Wakefield Park, the Ivory-billed
Woodpeckers and Peru was one of the most interesting I've seen in a while. I
was sorry
to see that some people apparently took it upon themselves to contact Mike and
tell him that people were questioning his sightings. This is no way to win
friends. Birding is not a contest where you have to undermine your competitor
so
as to move yourself ahead. I have no doubt that Mike saw the birds he
mentioned. Swainson's, Mourning, and Connecticut Warblers, Philadelphia Vireos
are
birds that we all love to see but for most of us they are few and far between.
I
haven't seen any of the forementioned birds in years but I have fond memories
of seeing all of them. I even saw a Philadelphia Vireo and a Conn. Warbler in
the same apple tree one September. That will probably never happen to me
again but it was a thrill. That was at Myriam Moore's property, Green Valley in
Buchanan. Myriam and several others saw the two birds. No one questioned this
sighting because several people saw them.Several years ago (June 1980) 3
Swainson's Warblers showed up in Roanoke County in one spot. They had
apparently
overshot their mark. They were documented by several birders, no one questioned
it. People have a tendency to question sightings when only one person sees
something that's unusual, unless they're a well known "reputable" birder. Birds
migrate, they show up in unexpected places, they get off track, they overshoot
their mark, that's part of the thrill and anticipation of birding. You don't
always know what you will find when you get out there. This business of
doubting
other people's sightings has been around for a long time but there's really
no place for it. It really gives our hobby a foul odor. If a person
consistently reports "rare" birds they end up only hurting themselves. That's
why we have
VARCOM, to keep the record clean. There's just no need for individuals to
personally attack someone's credibility. That's called backbiting and you have
to
wonder about their motivation.
Mike Purdy
Roanoke
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