Back to lifer 249

Yesterday I wrote about my day of birding trip, and announced lifer #250, Pigmy Nuthatch…

Well, on further review….

In discussing the bird with one of the senior birders, he pointed out that this species is quite rare at that location. We talked over why I made that ID and what field marks I used for the identification. Since I have no photo of the bird, field marks are crucial as a way to help other birders accept your call as the eye witness. I went and did more research on the species and alternatives last night as well.

I’ve decided that given the species would be a special find there and that it’s a lifer bird for me (officially, my first ever confirmed sighting), I don’t think the sighting meets the burden of proof I’m comfortable with to make that call. I’ve removed the bird from the list and left it identified as a nuthatch, but not as either a Pigmy or as a White-Breasted (the likely alternative).

This is obviously a compromise position — I feel comfortable with the call, but in describing the bird last night, I found I couldn’t describe what I felt was the absolute required field mark (the black mask across the face and eyes); all of the other marks (lack of red around the vent, relative size) to me left the bird ambiguous. Since I didn’t get an extended look at the bird, it’s possible I didn’t see the marks properly. Since it’s a lifer, I can’t claim familiarity with it, and I try to be really strict about declaring a lifer bird. If this had been a more common bird in the area, I’d accept this ID; since it’s not, I don’t feel like I got a good enough look at it to make the call against the historical evidence, but I also don’t feel that it’s clear I made a mistake and mis-called the white-breasted as pigmy.

If I’d realized the bird was a potential rarity, or even if I’d realized it was a life bird for me (I didn’t), I would have stopped and tried to chase it down for an extended look and photos. Since I didn’t, it’s going to remain ambiguous and anonymous. this is actually a part of birding I really enjoy — the challenge to get it right. and the more I work at my birding, the more I realize just how complicated it is to do well — if it was easy, we wouldn’t bother…

So I’m off in search of #250 again. And I feel good that this is the right call and right decision…

 

 

You might also want to read:

  1. looking back, looking forward, looking at birds… Like much of life in 2011, what I thought I’d accomplish with my birding in 2011 and what I actually did were some significantly different....
  2. I think I’m back. at least for now…   I seem to be returning back to to the world of the blog. Apologies for the relative silence, but life’s been really busy, and...
  3. A last look back at 2010 A quick review of 2010 (and some history that leads into it, too) I’ve been trying to summarize 2010; it’s really the first year in...
  4. okay, I’m back. disappeared for a couple of days, but I think I’m returning to the real world again. Friday, I drove down behind the Orange Curtain to...
  5. Back to the way it was? I don’t think so… it’s the quarter point of the NHL season, and people, as usual, are starting to chatter that the refs are giving up on the new...