Hi Everyone,

So I wasn’t going to weigh in on this issue, but after careful consideration I've decided to add my own 2 cents for what little it’s worth.
 
As someone who began to get more into hardcore birding during the “good old days” of the 90’s, I relied heavily on the Ohio Bird Listserv as a tool to learn about Ohio’s birds and their occurrences. I read every posting, no matter how far the report was from where I lived in southwest Ohio at the time.

 As a new birder back then, whenever a new rare species was reported I took the time to look it up and read what I could about it; how to identify it, its distribution, its biology and whatever else I could learn.

 I especially looked forward to April 1st because it was a great learning opportunity.  The unusual and absurd postings were not viewed as a joke on me, as a new birder, but a fun and funny opportunity to learn.  I not only learned about new birds, because I spent the time to look them up rather than blindly chasing after them, and I learned critical thinking skills.

 Developing critical thinking is an important skill for new birders.  As we experience new bird species critical thinking helps us realize that the bright orange oriole we’re seeing in Ohio for the first time is probably a Baltimore as opposed to a Scott’s.  It helps us recognize when we’re seeing a common species in aberrant plumage rather than a new rare species, and it helps us go through the necessary mental exercises when we do potentially find a vagrant or rare species for the first time.

 As my own birding skills improved I looked forward to eventually participating in April’s Fools postings myself.  Even that was a learning opportunity.  I had to look at Ohio’s lists, Peterjohn’s book, and then look for a species that had didn’t have a high probability of showing up in Ohio, but had the right believability, and familiarize myself with the different birding locations in the state to pick the least probable location.

 I respect those of you who think you’re looking out for new birders, and perhaps a warning message like Kathi’s should be sent out as a caveat first thing on April first, but I don’t think those who post April Fool’s sightings necessarily have any malicious intent or are targeting new birders specifically.

 A lot of other more serious information outlets have participated in April’s Fools, like this article about dragons in the scientific publication Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v520/n7545/full/520042a.html
 
Should they not do that because novice readers might take it seriously?

 Whether we want to recognize it or not cliques still exist in Ohio’s birding community.  It’s not just a small group of serious birders anymore.  Ohio’s Birding Listserv is one way of communicating with the birding community as a whole and breaking down the barriers of cliques, unlike social media sites that reinforce cliques. I know a lot of people who have stepped away from birding in Ohio because of these cliques.

 So I would encourage new birders to consider participating in April’s Fools postings the next time you have a chance. It can be fun and a great way to build your skills as a birder and participate in a larger birding community.

Casey Tucker                                      
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