Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 23:48:02 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Marshall Iliff Subject: Re: For 1 million $$, my final answer MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Time warp to tv-studio in LA .... [no bells, no cheering] Regis: Mr. WC, it must be painful to risk it all, be so close to the right answer, and see it all slip out of your grasp. For a coot no less! Mr. WC: [sigh] Regis: I am sorry, but the judges have also ruled that we will have to withhold the $65K to cover the legal fees for so besmirching the names of the esteemed authors of the Yellow Book, on national television no less! Mr. WC: "But.." Regis: And furthermore, the aforementioned authors have informed us via satellite phone from Garrett County that they made an editorial decision to not to list Common Yellowthroat as breeding in Worcester County lest the known pairs be unduly harassed by tape-player wielding county listers that might interrupt its breeding cycle. You have now let the cat out of the bag and personnel are in place to protect its remaining breeding locations from the expected weekend onslaught of birders. Regis: But lest your precious Worcester County June list suffer further, we refer you, for the answer, to page 373 of North American Birds 53(4), where you find reference to a bird seen 1 Jul at Vaughn (JLS, MHa)... Wait, one moment, I am being told by our panel that that record, also, did not make it into print. And Mr. WC, I must apologize as we now realize that your current knowledge of the county extends scarcely beyond what appears in print, your first-hand knowledge being limited to a bit of March Madness and a day spent studying plumage variation and avian mimicry in Glossy Ibises. A single typo or inadvertent omission renders you helpless to answer even so simple a quiz question. The producers of Who Wants to be a Millionaire wish to apologize for not realizing that your expertise in the county extends only through 1995. Given that the recent precedence for the occurrence of this species in the E.A. Vaughn area in mid-summer was not broadcast through the appropriate channels, and given that you have had no recent opportunity to study the county birdlife yourself, we withdraw the question and recognize it as completely unfair. While we cannot offer you the $1 million prize, nor reinstate the $65K, but we can offer you some compensation for your well-thought-out answer, which drew admirably on the published record and internet reports through the current day. Today, for you, we grant three "Bird WC guilt-free" cards, valid at any county hotspot and good through 22 June of 2000, with bridge fare included. These cards have been signed (forged?) and approved by one Amy Hoffman and should be ample compensation for the lost million. Enjoy your prize and perhaps you may still have the honor of documenting that first coot nest, since it was a female Hooded Merganser with 9 ducklings (7 hoodies, and 2 woodies!) at Vaughn central that established the most recent Worcester County first! Yours, RF > Regis: Ok, Mr. WC. you've won the $500,000 prize, want to gamble it all for= > 20= > a=20 > cool $1 million: > > Mr. WC: Sure, what the heck, its only money!! 20 > in audience, murmuring "who is this man?"> > > Regis: Here we go =E2=80=A6 > > "What new species did Marshall and Jim confirm as breeding in Worcester=20 > County on June 11, 2000" > > A. American Bittern > B. Mute Swan > C. Northern Shoveler > D. Hooded Merganser > E. Ruddy Duck > F. Peregrine Falcon > G. Sora > H. American Coot > I. Black-necked Stilt > J. Common Nighthawk > K. Blue-winged Warbler > L. Common Yellowthroat > M. Dickcissel > N. Vesper Sparrow > O. Swamp Sparrow > > Sorry, you have no life-lines left. Remember you used your last one to call= > 20 > Bob Ringler regarding the Kent County high-count for House Finches in July= > =E2=80=A6 > > Mr. WC: Wait a minute Regis, I thought I only had to pick from four=20 > possibilities?? You gave me a list of 15! > > Regis: For a million dollars, we are going to make it a little more=20 > difficult. That cash comes right out of my bonus! > > Mr. WC: Ugh! And something is screwy with the answers, that "L. Common=20 > Yellowthroat" can't be right, yellowthroats are one of Worcester's most=20 > common breeders. > > Regis: Hold on, I'll confer with our panel of experts. =E2=80=A6.. We are us= > > ing that=20 > authoritative publication, the Field List of the Birds of Maryland by Iliff,= > > =20 > Ringler and Stasz as our data source. On page 41, it clearly shows no "B" in= > > =20 > the Worcester box for Common Yellowthroat. > > Mr. WC: Take it from me Regis, remove it from the list. Did you note the=20 > authors?? > > Regis: Point well taken, we'll remove the masked-bandit bird. The clock is= > 20 > now ticking =E2=80=A6 > > Mr. WC: Let me think =E2=80=A6 > > American Bittern-may have bred historically, less common in MD than in the= > 20 > past, no reports from Vaughn, not likely. > Mute Swan-very likely, but given this species was Marshall's 300th Worcester= > > =20 > County bird, I think he would still be too embarrassed to highlight another= > 20 > ornithological milestone with the white terror bird. > Northern Shoveler-have not seen any late reports from Vaughn. =20 > Hooded Merganser-ditto. > Ruddy Duck-ditto. > Peregrine Falcon-none have been hanging around any OC hotels lately. > Sora-have not seen any late reports from Vaughn or Truitt's. > American Coot-very likely, at least one in Vaughn in late-May on multiple=20 > occasions. > Black-necked Stilt-Very possible, but Marshall's late-May bird was probably= > 20 > not in a breeding location, no reports at the West OC pond or Vaughn. > Common Nighthawk-much rarer now, probably bred on AI historically. > Blue-winged Warbler-not confirm from Colburne area, no reports this year. > Dickcissel-Very likely, WC had a late summering bird during the last "big=20 > dick" year. Have not heard of any WC singers this summer, but Jim and=20 > Marshall love driving around unknown back-roads looking for field birds. > Vesper Sparrow-Possible, but mid-shore population never seems to get this fa= > > r=20 > south. Plus Marshall still needs it for his Worcester list!! His ego would= > 20 > have gotten the better of him and he would have posted the details. > Swamp Sparrow-Very possible, breeds just to north and west. > > Regis: Enough analysis, give us your answer! > > Mr. WC: I'm ready. My answer is American Coot. > > Regis: IS THAT YOUR FINAL ANSWER? > > Mr. WC: Yes, for the cash (and reputation), American Coot. And I don't know= > 20 > why Marshall implied no one would want to chase it, I need it for my June=20 > Worcester County list!! > > > Regards, > Mark Hoffman > Best, Marshall Iliff miliff@aol.com Annapolis, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================