I just tuned in to tweeters to peruse the reports of shorebirds so far this
fall, for personal interest (vicarious shorebirding). I found a few items
that perturbed me.

A report of 30 Semipalmated Sandpipers from Bill's Spit on 15 July is way
out of line for everything we know about the species. It is a rare bird at
Grays Harbor, going unreported in some falls and rarely if ever with more
than 1 or 2 reported. In my most intense surveys at Grays Harbor in fall for
several years, I rarely saw a Semipalmated, and I have had the same report
from others who have spent much time there. The species is not uncommon in
the Vancouver area and regular in small numbers in northwestern WA, but I
would say that a number like that at Grays Harbor is unprecedented and needs
thorough documentation.

A report of a juvenile Bar-tailed Godwit at Bill's Spit on 21 July is
similarly problematical. Juveniles of large shorebirds don't usually show up
in Washington before mid August, and that should surely be the case for this
species. The earliest juvenile listed in Shorebirds of the PNW was exactly
one month later. The bird was seen only in flight, and the record must be
considered questionable.

As no one else has ventured to question these records, I fear the birding
community has become less critical, and with no quality control we will have
a collection of bird reports on the internet some of which are at best
unsubstantiated and at worst incorrect and misleading. Although it comes
naturally to me, I am sorry to have to play the devil's advocate even as
much as I do, and I would love it if that role were split among a half-dozen
expert birders. Bird reporting is something that very much needs quality
control if we are going to take it seriously and use it as it should be used
- as an indication of the status of bird species in our region.

Dennis Paulson
--
Netta Smith and Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115