Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
University of Illinois sweatshirt, and a Red-winged Blackbird that waged a brief but
fierce territorial battle with my red-striped bicycle helmet. That affirms that birds do, in-
deed, notice bright colors. But keep in mind that for every bird attracted to a bright color,
another bird might have been alarmed after spotting you and stayed out of sight.
Many birders consider white the single worst color to wear because pure white is so
conspicuous. Many animals, from white-tailed deer and cottontail rabbits to Dark-eyed
Juncos, take advantage of the conspicuousness of white to flash it when running away,
which may serve as a warning to others in its group to also flee. Remember, it's not the
color that birds are afraid of — it's you. So it's probably prudent to wear inconspicuous
field clothing when possible.
Of course, even if we're wearing camouflage, it's hard to believe that birds, with their
superior senses of vision and hearing, aren't aware of our presence; although most bird
photographers affirm that they get the most reliable opportunities for photos when they
blend into the background as much as possible. Many field trip leaders ask that parti-
cipants dress in dull colors. Whether or not you agree with their reasoning, it's a courtesy
to comply.
Muchmoreimportantthanclothingchoicesarewalkingfairlyslowly,notmakingsud-
den quick movements, keeping your voice down, and stopping often to quietly look and
listen.
Q I saw a rare bird but no one in the local birding club believes me. How come
birders are so arrogant?
A
Don'tfeelbad—birdersquestioneventhemostexperiencedbirdersamongus!Itisn't
a matter of arrogance; it's a matter of ensuring that every single bird recorded by a state
or local birding organization has been identified with as close to 100 percent certainty
as humanly possible. To get a rare bird included in the body of records for most birding
or ornithological organizations, you need to clearly show that you've seen all the critic-
al field marks and excluded every possible similar bird. Because it's becoming so easy
to take photographs in the field, more and more organizations are now requiring photo-
graphic evidence to accept exceptionally rare or new species on their lists.
THE ALL-IMPORTANT LIFE LIST
A life list is the list of all the wild bird species seen during a birder's life. Most birders
count only birds they see in nature, not zoo or pet birds, or birds at wildlife rehabilitation
