Greetings All

OBOL has had a recent debate about the need to age peeps (juv vs ad) for ID
purposes. I believe that Ruth and Patrick forwarded a couple of these posts
earlier. I thought that I'd pass along a most entertaining (and in my opinion,
absolutely correct) post by Alan Contreras (see below).

Cheers
Steven Mlodinow
SGMlod at aol.com
Everett WA


The Curmudgeon, having heard a Killdeer, declares himself an expert
onshorebirds and briefly sets aside the biography of Ulysses Grant that has distracted
him from the OBOL discussion of shorebird ageing and identification.The
Curmudgeon discerns three main approaches in this discussion. Approach number one
takes the view that shorebirds are inherently interesting andthat any observer
can learn from watching them, enjoy watching them anddiscern the basic
differences between them. To this, the I Can Tell aYellowlegs from a Pectoral
school, the Curmudgeon hoists a bottle of Outrageous Ginger Ale in support and
appreciation and emits a thunderous"AMEN!" Well, it may have sounded like a belch
but in any event it iswholly supportive. Shorebirds are a delight.

Approach number two takes the view that the correct identification
ofshorebirds, especially peeps, as to species is often complex, requires a certain level
of awareness of their plumages as adults and juveniles (not tobe confused
with juvenals) call notes and details of soft parts. To this assertion of moral
ascendancy by the astringent brutes of science,near-science and wannabe
science, The Curmudgeon nods sagely, says "hey,right-on, bros" and tries to avoid
spilling any Outrageous Ginger Ale on his often-opened but as yet unmemorized
copy of Paulson's Shorebirds of thePacific Northwest, recumbent in glory above
its padded knee-rest. The Curmudgeon found the state's only Eurasian Dotterel
(with help from hisfriends) so he doesn't HAVE to care, he thinks, reaching
contentedly for asesame cracker.

Approach number three appears to be that anyone can identify
shorebirdscorrectly as to species without reference to the characteristics through which they
can be distinguished from each other. Casting about in this suddenly rarefied
air for an appropriate label for this school ofproto-thought that would be
acceptable to his defense attorney, The Curmudgeon tentatively suggests that
this method might be called the Semi-Demimonde Least Resistance non-Western
Tantric Transferral method, orfor daily usage, the Osmotic Peepage Seepage school
of ornithopheromonology.To the latter method, the Curmudgeon frowns (well, he
always frowns so thisis not a change), rolls his eyes, shrugs to the extent
feasible withoutspilling any Outrageous Ginger Ale on the nearby poetry of Mary
Oliver, andmumbles "whatever" while casting a sidelong glance to make sure that
Theystay Over There lest any of That be absorbable through the skin.As he
writes this, a slithery organ transcription of Grieg's troll dance "In the Hall
of The Mountain King" comes on the radio. Ah, mood music.The Curmudgeon, done
with shorebirds for the time being, goes outside to prune an apple tree and
ponder the deeper meaning of Bushtit call notes.