Hello, tweeters.

I just wanted to post a note about the juvenile Stilt Sandpiper reported by
the Sullivans on 29 July at Jensen Access in the Skagit area. Ruth brought
several photos of the bird to me yesterday, and indeed they are of a
juvenile Stilt Sandpiper. So this should bring closure to a report that
caused a lot of discussion, and we can replace consternation with
confirmation. Some young birds do migrate ahead of the pack. And indeed,
the occasional Stilt Sandpiper considers that spot appropriate habitat!

I make a point of posting this just to underscore something many of us have
been saying for a long time: UNUSUAL SIGHTINGS SHOULD BE CONFIRMED WITH
PHOTOGRAPHS. In this instance, as good photos were taken, there was never
a doubt that the report could be either confirmed or refuted. If photos
had not been taken, even though the bird wasn't a new state record or
anything megacosmic, there still might have been doubts in the minds of
some, with accompanying frustration on the part of the observers. A good
way to avoid that frustration and doubt is merely to adequately document
all unusual birds. As collecting of rarities is mostly a thing of the
past, we now have to depend on photographs for that documentation.

None of us on the Washington Bird Records Committee really enjoys saying
"nay" to a record, but we do so regularly because we judge sight reports
very critically. I'm not sure I'm speaking for everyone on the committee,
but I would much rather throw out a good record than accept an erroneous
one. A recognizable photo or two makes that critical judgment unnecessary,
makes our lives easy as we can (usually) quickly determine the identity of
the photographed bird (whether it was what it was claimed to be or not).

There are now digital cameras and camcorders with zoom lenses that are
inexpensive enough to be used for documentation of bird records, or you can
stick with a standard film camera. If you plan to find a rare bird
tomorrow, please carry your camera!

Dennis

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 253-879-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 253-879-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html