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We always get excited when we have the opprotunity to
add new birds to our lists and logs, but its really exciting
to meet with fellow birders to compare and share all your
field notes.
Check out these events coming this summer and get out
there and share all your hard work, get tips from fellow
bird watchers. Make friends and share all those secret
birding spots.
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Audubon's mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems,
focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the
benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.
The Audubon Society has a large network of community-based nature
centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and
advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations.
They engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in
positive conservation experiences.
At some point, all birders have probably been guilty of observing
a rarity for which they have never written notes or supplied
any documentation. Many undoubtedly valid records have not been
documented beyond mention in the local newsletter or American
Birds, if the record even made it that far. Numerous historical
sight-records, especially those prior to the mid-197Os, are
missing supporting details. Many others are supported by details
gleaned from observers' rusty memories decades after the observation.
Although the recent trend is toward more and better documentation,
some birders are still not recording information on their sightings
beyond keeping simple lists of species and numbers. This omission
is unfortunate because each observation of an unusual bird could
become an important contribution to the ornithological record;
unsupported "hearsay" records (e.g., "tick marks"
on checklists) must remain hypothetical or be ignored. If observers
make no effort to document unusual birds, then they should not
be surprised if these records fail to gain acceptance or be
published.
Birders now generate many of today's data on species' distributions
and field-identification aspects of North American ornithology.
Most professional ornithologists recognize that the large volume
of data generated by birders, especially that involving extralimital
records, cannot and should not be ignored just because most
of it is not based on specimen evidence. There has been considerable
debate, however, over what sorts of other documentation are
acceptable. In recent years, rare-bird committees (RBCs) have
been formed in most states, provinces, and many foreign countries
(Roberson 1990) to help bridge the gap between specimen and
non-specimen records. RBCs are composed of experienced amateur
and professional ornithologists. The RBC process includes acquisition
and protection of rare-bird documentation, evaluation by a panel
of knowledgeable peers, and publication of proceedings. Many
RBCs that must limit the volume of records they receive (or
be overwhelmed) compile a review list. Review lists typically
contain species that average only a few occurrences annually,
representing the rarest of the rare species. Documentation for
"lesser" rarities may be requested by some RBCs, as
well as by regional ornithological societies and bird clubs,
American Birds regional editors, and Christmas Bird Count compilers.
Although a particular species may not be on its respective state
or provincial review list, records pertaining to unusual seasonal
occurrences (e.g., early or late migrants, unusual summer or
winter records) may also require documentation for evaluation
and subsequent acceptance. |
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| Bird rescue & bird adoption;
parrot refuge/rescue & placement for unwanted birds. |
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| Check out our list of local
birds broken down by your state and different types of
species. |
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| Migrating birds stay on track
because of chemical reactions in their bodies that are
influenced by the Earth's magnetic field... |
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