Let me remind everyone that a lot of people read this mailing list in
digest form, or on Web archives, so you are talking to them here as well
as to ohio-birds subscribers.
        I was pleased to hear from others on this topic. Bill Heck makes an
important point that quibbling with the study risks sounding like one
disagrees with its intent. I remember as I wrote about the possible
cyclical abundances of evening grosbeaks in the east how much my words
resembled those of the bad guys, who are always saying nonsense like
"Don't worry about the horseshoe crabs; they're just at the low point of
a natural cycle!"
        I continue to think we need to supplement what we learn from studies
like the CBC and the BBS with those that might not have the history, but
are deeper. Breeding Bird Atlas studies are an example, as are--in a
very different way--mass compilations like eBird, especially for the
"common" birds that may be increasingly at risk. The BBS protocols don't
allow one to wait till that 200-car freight train passes before
listening for grasshopper sparrows, but a BBA visit encourages one to do
so. And few Ohio CBCs reliably report grasshopper sparrows, needless to say.
        Casey Tucker supplies some interesting information about how press
releases were developed. Apparently the data were adapted to appeal to
ordinary folks who may not be familiar with the changes in bird
populations. They are of course the majority: I just tried
http://stateofthebirds.audubon.org/CBID/ on the National Audubon Web
site, and it took me 2 minutes and 19 seconds to get the page--on a
cable modem. Unless there's a problem in the internet, the publicity
about this study is generating a lot of interest, and that's all for the
good. In this case, pinpoint accuracy is less important than stirring
concern about bird populations among the general public.
        I'm not upset about how the study's results were prepared for the
media, but readers of this list tend to be a lot better informed than
folks who learn about birds from watching TV and reading daily
newspapers. Many of our questions are answered by Casey's explanation of
how results were tailored to influence less well-informed readers. A
decision has been made, and I don't have many arguments with it, that
persuading a hundred more or less ignorant but well-meaning folks that
birds are disappearing is more important than just repeating the same
old story for one of the initiated.
        Those of us who think about these sorts of things often should probably
back off from unconstructive criticisms. If there are some anomalous
results, and if results are presented mostly to influence J.Q. Public,
maybe it's not a big deal. The motivation is entirely benign. August
Froehlich makes this point well. We can wait till its eventual
publication in a scientific context, and talk it over then, probably
mostly amongst ourselves.
Bill Whan
Columbus


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