I'm not a hard core photographer, but I'm thinking that if you take a photo of one bird and discover another bird after-the-fact in the photo, the second bird should count as well.  Bernie Sloan Milwaukee --- On Tue, 4/19/11, john romano <cajunbirder@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: From: john romano <cajunbirder@xxxxxxxxx> Subject: [wisb] The "Ethics" of Birding - How much assist from the Camera To: wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, wsrohde@xxxxxxxxxxxx Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 6:09 PM Wayne brings up a really interesting quandary. I think itâ??s obvious that the advantage goes to the person holding a camera. They can both get better magnifications and time to study and analyze the ID points. In Wayneâ??s example the camera made for seeing more species and making more accurate IDâ??s. So for purposes of surveying and E-bird reports etc, the camera can obviously be an enhancement. For â??competitiveâ?? birding , I would think that the playing field should be level â?? but of course it never is for various reasons.   One bottom line is that Wayne was out in nature, found a bird, and was able to get an ID, and thatâ??s what we are trying to do.   And he did it all himself â?? and that might be contrasted with someone with a guide on a birding trip where the guide takes a person somewhere, points to a  bird and says, â??Thatâ??s a ____ â??.   I think the person with the camera that finds his or her own bird, getting the shot and putting an ID on the bird  has better standing for putting the bird on a list than someone who has a guide pointing out a bird and make the ID for them.  I think an interesting question in Wayneâ??s quandary is if a person takes a photo of a bird, and then later notices another bird they did not see, would this be a countable bird for bird lists as people use bird lists? Iâ??m thinking no, because they did not see the bird while birding. I think the photo of the bird they saw would be countable. Yes they may have an extra advantage of the photo over a non-photographer, but they did find the bird and had the skill to get a workable photo. I would think for most flitting passerinres it would be easier though to ID with Bins anyway.  The ultimate bottom line on any of this is a person's overall abilities in knowing how to find birds in the first place and then ID birds by sight, sound, geography, and now photo. And of course a 'List" is never the ultimate indication on ones skill and ability.  Disclaimer - I am not a photographer.  John Romano Madison Wis  â??The show doesnâ??t go on because itâ??s ready; it goes on because itâ??s 11:30.â?? â?? Lorne Michaels, creator of Saturday Night Live   --- On Tue, 4/19/11, Wayne & Susie <wsrohde@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: From: Wayne & Susie <wsrohde@xxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [wisb] The "Ethics" of Birding To: wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 3:55 PM I suspect that most of us, when we hear of "the ethics of birding," immediately think of such unethical activities as baiting owls, pishing for birds during nesting season, disturbing eagles in winter, etc. But that's not my point! Neither am I rasing the question of whether or not "heard only" birds should be counted on one's life list. (I freely acknowledge that a relatively small number of "heard only" birds have, at one time, occupied such a slot on my own life list - perhaps the best-known one being the Whip-poor-will - prior to seeing one years later. One-by-one, I think I've now seen all such birds as well as heard them.) My query relates to the matter of photography as an aid to bird ID. I have three examples, all of which have occurred in my own outings... 1) When I first spotted the Western and Red-necked Grebes on Geneva Lake during a CBC, they were so far away that I couldn't positively ID them - even when viewing them through my scope. The conditions were horrible for viewing. I knew the birds were grebes, and my initial impression is that they were perhaps Horned Grebes. But the more I looked the more I suspected that they might very well be a Western Grebe and a Red-necked Grebe. What did I do? I digiscoped a bunch of images, rushed home and transferred the images to my laptop, and then it was clear that the birds really were Western and Red-necked Grebes - a fact confirmed over the course of the next few days when both grebes were much closer! But I counted them on my CBC on the day of the initial sighting, and notified wisbirdn about their presence, prior to being able to positively ID them in the field (but after confirming ID on my computer). 2) When grandson Oliver pointed out a grouse while we were hiking, I simply assumed that he was seeing a Ruffed Grouse. My bad eyes could only see a speck in front of me. I had no time to check the bird with my bins, but opted instead to raise my camera (with only a moderate telephoto lens), and squeeze off a few shots. It wasn't until we were back in the camper, reviewing the images on my dSLR's LCD, that I knew the grouse was a Spruce Grouse. So I counted it! (It was a "lifer" and I have Oliver to thank!) The next day, we retraced our steps, and came across the Spruce Grouse again - this time only a couple feet away! 3) On another occasion, while scanning a flock of peeps, I assumed that all the peeps were Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers. The view was bad, and I decided to take a few images. Later, back at home, it was clear that I also had a couple of other peeps (Bairds or White-rumped, I don't recall which right now). I decided to list this other peep on my day's count. Acually, even as I write I recall yet another incident, one that took place at Duluth's Hawk Ridge. I had been watching kettles of Broad-winged Hawks, and decided to take some shots. Later, back home again, it was clear that a Sharpie or two were in the mix. So I listed them too. (Of coruse in this case I'd seen other Sharpies the same day.) What I'm discovering as I get older, and my eyesight deteriorates, is that some birds are too distant, or fly away too quickly, to ID in the field. In other cases (a flock of peeps, a kettle of hawks, a lone Bohemian Waxwing mixed in with a flock of Cedar Waxwings), I can simply miss what's there. (I even recall photographing a bunch of dabbling and diving ducks on Delavan Lake one time, and failing to see the Green-winged Teal back in the reeds. Guess what? Yes, back home it was crystal clear that the teal was really there ... so I counted it for the day's outing.) Digital photography has helped me see better, quite a number of times. (Another case in point: Seeing a bird perched in a tree too far away to ID ... then photographing it with my camera and long lens, zooming in on the LCD, and seeing what I couldn't see with my bins! At least this occurs in real time, while actually birding.) All this might very well get more complicated to untangle when it comes to competitive birding - such as May Day or Big Day Counts. Where does/should one draw the line? What are the rules, and where are the boundaries? Any thoughts? Wayne Rohde Walworth, WI #################### You received this email because you are subscribed to the Wisconsin Birding Network (Wisbirdn). To UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn To set DIGEST or VACATION modes, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn Visit Wisbirdn ARCHIVES at: //www.freelists.org/archives/wisbirdn #################### You received this email because you are subscribed to the Wisconsin Birding Network (Wisbirdn). To UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn To set DIGEST or VACATION modes, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn Visit Wisbirdn ARCHIVES at: //www.freelists.org/archives/wisbirdn #################### You received this email because you are subscribed to the Wisconsin Birding Network (Wisbirdn). To UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn To set DIGEST or VACATION modes, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn Visit Wisbirdn ARCHIVES at: //www.freelists.org/archives/wisbirdn