Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
facilities. The competitive sport of birding involves seeking out and identifying birds in
the natural world. Birds that are captive don't meet that requirement.
Of course, your bird lists are your own personal business, and if you want to count
birds you've seen in zoos and aviaries, or even birds you've seen on TV, you can do so.
But when someone asks, “What's your life list at?” or “How many birds have you seen?”
your answer won't necessarily make sense to anyone but yourself if you aren't following
the rules of the American Birding Association (ABA).
The ABA keeps track of birding lists for people who want to bird competitively. At
the top of their 2007 list is Tom Gullick of Spain, who has seen 8,702 birds in the world.
Macklin Smith of Michigan tops the North American (north of the Mexican border) list
with876species,andalsotopsthelistofbirdsseenintheUnitedStatesincludingHawaii
with 921 species. (Canada has very few birds not found in the continental United States
and Alaska, but Hawaii adds a great many to the list — not only native species but also
the many birds that have been introduced and become established there, as well the pela-
gic birds seen along the coast.)
TheABA'sannuallistsofrecords,includingtoplistsforeveryU.S.stateandCanadian
province and every continent and country, can be found on the Internet, indexed at
www.aba.org/bigday. Tomakealevelplayingfield,birdershavetofollowthesamerules
of listing, which are available on the website.
Q What should I do when I see a rare bird?
A While you're in the field, write down every single field mark, posture, and behavior
you observe, as well as size comparisons with objects or other birds near the rarity. It's
bestifyoucandrawor,betteryet,photographthebird.Writedownyourthoughtprocess:
how did you come to think it was X rather than Y or Z, and be sure to explain how you
excluded every similar species. If your state has a rare bird report form, keep a copy of it
tucked in your field guide for just this occasion and fill it out as you watch the bird.
Don't shy away from using your field guide after getting a thorough look at the bird,
but be sure to read the text to make sure you're noticing all the important field marks and
comparing your bird with every similar species. Advanced birders say you'll lose cred-
ibility if you say that your bird “looked exactly like the picture in the topic.” If you do
compare your bird to a field guide illustration, be sure to point out the specific ways that
your bird did look like the picture, but also how it differed.
Afterthebirdleaves,checkyourreferencestoensurethatyouhaven'tmissedanything
youshouldhaveseen.Whenyouarecertain aboutyouridentification, letyourlocalbird-
ing hotline know about it unless the bird may be vulnerable to spooking under pressure
by a lot of birders gawking at it. Also, report the bird to www.ebird.org and your local
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