Interesting topic here. I too am guilty of "suppression", including but not limited to, for my own selfish reasons (I had a rare finch visit my feeders a couple years ago and invited a few friends but did not want to be deluged with visitors). Sharing is a wonderful part of birding of course and generally speaking I think it is a good thing. But I don't know that there is a bad or wrong reason for suppressing a sighting. If the individual feels there IS a reason, then so be it. I know chasers/listers will get ticked at these instances, and I have been on that side of the fence as well.
Frankly, listing ain't what it used to be. Nowadays, usually the only thing a long list says is that you have the means and the time to drive around the state and look at a bird someone else found. I often grouse about this....for example, why would I feel the need to drive 3+ hours to see Roseate Spoonbills in Ohio, a species I have seen often? Well, if the reason is because I like spoonbills and think they're cool birds, well that's a good reason. The idea to expend so much energy and resource for a checkmark seems a bit outdated to me. Green Violetear in MI? Well, unless it's down the street from my house, no thanks. If it were a life bird or if I loved violetears, then I'd probably go.
I'm not judging anyone for chasing or listing; I sometimes wonder - do others feel as I do, that the personal reward of discovery is much more gratifying than pulling up to a pre-destined location and looking at a bird someone else found? Like Bill says, nothing wrong with following - but understanding habitat preference, seasonality, behavior and tendencies of species is information that is readily available and goes a long way to being able to enjoy discovery of your "own" birds.
Sure I mostly trust birders. I just think we'd benefit as a whole if more people did their own thing (and still shared the sightings).
Greg Links
Somewhere Near Toledo
--- [log in to unmask] wrote:
From: Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [Ohio-birds] No Nelson's Sparrows, Snipe Marsh, Delaware + word of caution
Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 09:18:30 -0400
It is disheartening to see wetland habitat being trampled in the
selfish interest of listing. If the observers were doing something more
important and thoughtful, they surely would not have done so in a public
way. In this case the harm to these Nelson's sparrows is probably not a
big deal--they simply abandoned this little marsh and continued their
migration--but the site is degraded for other plants and animals. And a
very public bad example is set.
There are lots of followers out there. Nothing wrong with that, but too
few learn what habitats certain species prefer, then locate some and
explore them with care. Too many invent excuses why the check-mark or
the photo matters more than the birds themselves. We hear a lot on this
forum about what species people saw, but a lot less about what else they
learned, if anything.
Well, most folks know these things already, even if some find it too
easy to ignore them in the pursuit of the check-mark. My question for
readers is this: have you ever withheld news--in whole or in part--of an
interesting find because you feared the bird or its habitat would be
disturbed by other observers? If you haven't, might you do so in certain
circumstances?
I certainly have. I wouldn't bother if, say, a rare gull had showed up
in a flock on a beach. Some selfish observer wanting a closer look might
spook the birds, but damage to the habitat or the birds would seem to be
a remote possibility. Of course it might deprive others of a look at the
bird, too; we all have our opinions about how hurtful that might be, but
it is at least selfish and impolite. A roosting owl can be another
matter entirely, however, as is the chance that nesting rails might be
disturbed by relentless interruptions, or scarce habitat degraded. It
was not all that long ago that Ohio birders actually kept some sightings
less than public for fear birds would be shot by scientists, and I guess
this is still the case in other states. But as for fellow birders, do we
instinctively trust them to behave responsibly? In what cases might we
deprive them of information about locations of interesting species in
the interest of the birds themselves?
Only a bit crabbily,
Bill Whan
Columbus
Sean Williams wrote:
> Birders,
>
> Since last Wednesday, Sep. 22nd, I have heard no positive reports of the
> Nelson's Sparrows, or even of any Ammodramus species.>
> However, every day many birders (3+) have been present. What bothers me is
> that every day I see one or more birders freely walking around in the marsh.
> This is not how I originally found the birds, so you may not be improving
> your chances. Admittedly, before I found the birds and before there were
> other birders, I braved the cold wetness once every two weeks. I'd like to
> caution birders that if multiple people tromp the marsh every day, there may
> be no Nelson's Sparrow habitat left!! We're talking about a very small
> marsh, possibly only an acre. There are now obvious walkways through the
> cattails and wet grasses. Please be respectful of the birds on their great
> migration to wintering grounds. I hope I'm not sounding too crabby! :P>
> Thank you!
> Sean
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