Subject: another Sibley comment
Date: May 20 08:48:42 2001
From: Netta Smith - nettasmith at home.com


Thanks for the info, Jerry. It dawns on me that indeed one of the things I
*didn't* read was the acknowledgements, or I would have picked up on that.
So I guess I've criticized more people than just David Sibley, including
Shawneen Finnegan and Paul Lehman, for whom I have the highest regard.
Whew! But Shawneen and Paul are among the many field-guide experts who
*haven't* lived in the Pacific Northwest - is there a pattern here? Do we
badly need a North American field guide by a Northwesterner (or a Canadian
Southwesterner), so New Jersey can be given short shrift in the range maps?
I throw this out for the contemplation of all of you with lots of free time
and the wish to do something exhausting with it.

Sibley did say, on his web site, that he is working on the map revisions
himself. But his apologies for the maps seem to be as restrained as his
apologies for the Orange Thrasher. I will admit that, like you, I've
noticed the cult factor in birding. I assume any book in which the author's
name is included in the title (in dramatic gold, no less) must be a superior
sort of book, and I think I'm going to talk to my publisher about this.

One more thing. I don't think I mentioned in my comments posted on the web
that I don't think it's possible for a single person to know everything
about even the identification of North American birds, but there is great
pressure on authors to finish books in a timely manner, usually precluding a
very lengthy review by very many colleagues. And the most highly qualified
colleagues themselves are usually busy with their own projects, making it
even more difficult to get the extensive, careful prepublication review that
any such book deserves.

Even critiques may be flawed - I just discovered I said nothing about the
fact that Sibley didn't mention that adult female Wilson's Warblers of the
Pacific subspecies often have a black crown and look just like males! I do
plan to add anything like this to my critique as it comes to my attention,
as web publication allows unending revisions.

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

----------
>From: Tangren family <tangren at crcwnet.com>
>To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
>Subject: Re: another Sibley comment
>Date: Sat, May 19, 2001, 9:27 PM
>

> As with most reference books today, the listed author probably should not
> receive all of the credit. If one reads the acknowledgements, they find
> that the range maps were done by a group of people with Gary Antonetti and
> Ortelius Design creating the final maps. The reference maps were obviously
> from some out-of-date database with green dots added based on information
> from regional experts. Perhaps someone who knows some of the USFWS
> publications will recognise the ancient maps.
>
> If Sibley says he is working on the maps, does that mean he's personally
> taking responsibility for the fiasco, or cracking the whip on someone else?
>
> My two cents: the Sibley book is to be appreciated for it's attempt to
> compile up-to-date information on bird identification to an extent lacking
> in other guides. Unfortunately, it's only an attempt and still falls short
> of the perfection we all demand.
>
> Much of the promotion of the book is based on selling David Sibley as a
> cult leader, like Peterson before him, and in that regard any errors are
> magnified and reflect on Sibley personally. But we demand our heroes to
> worship.
>
> Which brings me to my beefs with the National Audubon Society, whose name
> is also on the book, but then Dan would evict me from the list.
>
> --Jerry <tangren at crcwnet.com>