Greetings All

With a new batch of rarities arriving late this spring, the question of how
to properly document a rarity has popped up often recently. So, I thought a
post on this matter would be worthwhile. This task, which can appear
daunting, is actually fairly easy and straightforward. Looked at simply,
there are only three parts to documenting a sighting.

1) DESCRIBE THE BIRD
This seems so obvious, stating it sounds almost ridiculous. Nonetheless, this
is the part of the documentation that is most often lacking. The problem is
often not in critical field marks, but in the general description. Observers
are often so excited about their find, that they fail to describe the bird as
a whole but focus in only on key marks.
To properly describe a bird, paint it with words. Start with the outline
? describe the shape, size, movements. Then fill in the colors and patterns.
Describe the head, the back, the wings, the tail, the legs, etc in as much
detail as you can. Often such an organized approach to describing the bird
will make your description easier for the reader to understand. Finally, add
in any sound, if the bird was so kind as to vocalize. In general, the more
detailed a description provided, the better.
Abbreviated descriptions can lead to uncertainty as to which species, or
even which order of bird, was seen. A friend of mine in Texas once received a
call about an Elegant Trogon in a backyard in the Hill Country. The observer
described the bird as having a green back, a red belly, a red eyering, and a
long tail. It was said to be sitting upright in a tree and singing loudly.
My friend couldn't imagine what else it could be. Upon arriving he found a
locally common bird ? a Painted Bunting. People reading your description now,
or 50 years from now, may not know you and your skill level. A complete
description will give total strangers more confidence that a correct ID was
made.

2) DESCRIBE THE CONDITIONS
This can be brief. The goal is for readers to know how well you saw the bird..
Simply state estimated distance, lighting conditions, optics used, and
duration of observation. Also, ma

3) DESCRIBE HOW YOU CAME TO YOUR CONCLUSION
This is not intended to be a didactic lesson on the identification of the
species involved. Rather, a simple rundown of how an observer identified a
bird tells the reader much about the sighting itself. This is a good place to
mention any previous experience with the species in question and similar
species.

And that's mostly it. Often, observers state how much time passed between the
observation and note-taking. Also, committees typically are curious if any
guides were consulted before the description was committed to paper (or for
some I know, dictaphone). Other experienced birders would undoubtedly vary
here and there from what I've outlined above, but I think the basics are the
same.

With an organized approach, the process of writing a documentation is usually
easy and effectively communicates what you saw. And after all, that is the
point of this business.

WHY BOTHER?
Good question. The possible answers are many. Partly, the goal is to create a
standard by which sight records can be considered as reliable as specimen
records. For those studying status-and-distribution of species, following
range expansions, etc. these data are of great importance if a certain degree
of accuracy is assured. By documenting a sighting, you are contributing to
the scientific record. By not documenting, you are missing out on the
opportunity. By documenting what you see, you also contribute to your local
birding community, keeping the flow of information away from the realm of
rumor and speculation.
Are bird records committees and editors of journals (North American
Birds, WOSNews, etc) perfect? Definitely not. Politics, uninformed
decision-making and other foibles raise their ugly head now and again. This
is, after all, a human endeavor. Overall, however, the system works pretty
well, and does so better in Washington and Oregon than many places.

So, if you are fortunate enough to find a rarity, please help out and
document it. The task is, in reality, not a difficult one.

Cheers
Steven Mlodinow
SGMlod at aol.com
Everett WA