I still have my often embarassing birding notes from
the 1960's when I was a novice visiting major
shorebird habitat for the first time in my life at
Chincoteague, MD. Funniest description was of a darn
Willet. They are so non-descript until they lift
their wings. I was trying to make it into a Hudsonian
Godwit.

On the other hand, I did spy a state record Bohemian
Waxwing in Virgina in my first year out there.
Fortunately my reputation was saved when the head of
the ornitholgy section at the Smithsonian corroborated
my sighting .

RCC

--- Martin Muller <martinmuller at msn.com> wrote:

> Tweeters,
>
> As most of you know, in the past I've led many bird
> walks around Green Lake, Seattle.
> Many times someone would approach and interrupt
> whatever was going on with an opening salvo like:
> "Question!"
> Often these identification challenges were
> interesting and not impossible. Occasionally though
> you get someone who is so eager to have seen
> something interesting; they loose sight of reality.
> To wit: the gentleman who stops me and tells me he's
> seen a crane at the lake the other day in
> late-February (for non-Seattleites; a very unlikely
> scenario. Green Lake is in the middle of the city
> and Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) although
> locally abundant in migration, are rare in winter on
> the west side of Washington). So while not
> impossible, it's also not likely and definitely
> noteworthy. I'd never seen one at the lake in more
> than twenty years of frequent -almost daily- visits.
> So I ask some questions. As the conversation goes
> on the observer is gradually divulging more and more
> field marks. Those, to me, all add up to Great Blue
> Heron (Ardea herodias) a regular year-round at the
> lake. No mention of red on the head, but the long
> feathers on the breast and head were mentioned.
> I asked if it could have been a Great Blue Heron, to
> which the indignant reply was "no, I know my birds!"
> I pulled out my dog-eared National Geographic field
> guide and thumbed through it. Showed the plate with
> the cranes and asked if it was on that page. "No."
> Looked up the heron page with the Great Blue Heron
> and he immediately pointed at the Great Blue Heron
> image. "That's it!"
> "Well, I'm sorry, but that's a Great Blue Heron.
> Nice observation. I always like seeing them......"
> To which his reply was: "Your book is wrong."
> I guess some people simply won't listen to reason
> once their minds are made up.
>
> Still chuckling at the memory of the incident.
>
> Martin Muller, Seattle
> > _______________________________________________
> Tweeters mailing list
> Tweeters at u.washington.edu
>
http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters
>


Richard Carlson
Full-time Birder, Biker and Rotarian
Part-time Economist
Tucson, AZ, Lake Tahoe, CA, & Kirkland, WA
rccarl at pacbell.net
Tucson 520-760-4935
Tahoe 530-581-0624
Kirkland 425-828-3819
Cell 650-280-2965