[wisb] Re: Warbler Quiz (long, no sightings)
- From: Edward Keyel <dolichovespula@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2012 12:47:38 -0500
Hi all,
I think that Ryan brings up a very important point here. Why are written
descriptions so bad? Or, phrased slightly differently, why are they
written so poorly? I know that it's certainly something that I struggle
with, and if photos are better 95ish% of the time, then I'm not the only
one. Some of the questions I'd like to bring up are what makes for a good
write-up as well as what makes for being able to make a good write up? Is
it enough to say that a bird belongs to a given order//family, or should
those traits be explained as well? How much attention has really been paid
to the bird itself? Are you learning what the bird actually looks/sounds
like (be it shape, color, behavior, etc), or are you just recognizing it?
As Ryan mentions, the advantage to photos is that not everyone describes or
sees things the same way. Photos (or recordings) give the outside
observer(s) a better connection to the subject matter. We also know that
photos can be misleading, due to angle, light, behavior, etc, but some of
that information can be provided as well to help reduce that. I tend to
try to take photos because I know that my written descriptions are weak.
Is this a crutch I'm leaning on?
It's easy to look in a book, see what traits are pointed out there, and
then go ahead and describe those characteristics in a write-up. How does
one write a reliable write-up, that doesn't sound like it's taken directlly
from a book (be it because a book was directly used or effectively
memorized), yet the key points are still addressed?
It seems to me that field notes are enormously important, yet I very rarely
take them. I'm not sure if it's because I'm too lazy and don't want to
take that much time to do so, or if I'm too daunted at the vast task of
attempting to write down a myriad of information about one bird, let alone
trying to do so for multiple birds. Is my lack of artistic ability such a
significant handicap because I'm unable to make accurate sketches and may
not be able to process and absorb color and shape behavior well enough? Is
my vocabulary also limiting me, because I used choppy instead of snappy?
Are there some sample write-ups available for viewing somewhere? Better
still, sample write-ups with explanations as to why it is good or bad?
What are some of the most frustrating phrases? I have to imagine only
getting information like "good view" or "great light" could be very
irritating (my apologies for past uses of such simple (for me) and
frustrating (for the reviewer) descriptions). Some bad descriptions seem
fairly self-explanatorily bad. Look at page such-and-such in so-and-so's
book and it looked just like that. Are there others that people seem to
think are good descriptions that really aren't?
I find that I'm always frustrated when my records are not accepted.
However, it's not because "the grumble, grumble records committee didn't
accept my record" or because "the stupid e-bird reviewer hates me," but
because I couldn't write well enough to convince a group of very
experienced birders that I saw the bird I claimed. Especially if I had
"good looks" and "great light", one would hope that I should be able to
provide the salient points as to why the species is what I say it is, yet
sometimes that's not always the case.
I suppose that's the beauty of birding though, is that there's always more
to learn and people to help you learn it. My apologies if this is too
rambly/incoherent.
Good birding,
Ted Keyel
Sun Prairie,
Dane County
On Tue, Aug 21, 2012 at 10:13 AM, Ryan Brady <ryanbrady10@xxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:
>
> Sorry Al but photos are better than written descriptions 95-99 times out
> of 100. Same as seeing the bird in the field? Absolutely not. But
> conclusive in many, many, many more cases than written descriptions. And
> the alternative is no photo, which yields zero accountability and little
> opportunity for anyone to advance on difficult identifications.
>
> Sorry for the mini-rant, this is one of my pet peeves.
>
> Ryan Brady
> Washburn, Bayfield County, WI
> http://www.pbase.com/rbrady
>
> > From: alschirmacher@xxxxxxxx
> > To: wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject: [wisb] Re: Warbler Quiz
> > Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2012 06:40:15 -0500
> >
> > While I enjoy warbler quizzes (far more than empid quizzes!), this
> series of photos brings a discussion point to mind:
> >
> > * Relying on photos as the ultimate identification tool is nearly as
> fraught with peril as a written description.
> >
> > Yet it is so tempting!
> >
> > Al Schirmacher
> > Columbus, WI temporarily
> > Princeton, MN again next week
> >
> > PS Many thanks to Wisbirders for their recommendations, directions and
> encouragement during my return to Wisconsin. Had the opportunity to get
> away on occasion to a variety of spots from Horicon to Madison, resulting
> in 100+ birds and 30+ butterflies, including a life bird, two state birds
> and six year birds. Mom passed yesterday, anticipate returning to Minnesota
> Sunday.
> >
> > Special thanks to Peter Fissel, he's a trooper!
> >
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