Re: Common Gull Identification Issues

Marcia Watson-Whitmyre (mww@UDel.Edu)
Thu, 12 Feb 1998 09:59:02 -0500 

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I like Norm's idea of posting pictures of the gull on the internet, if someone has photos that he/she is willing to share. Thank you, Norm, for offering to do this.  I never did get to see the bird, despite looking for it several times;  nevertheless, having a chance to look at the photos and review some expert opinion on them would be a tremendous learning experience.
 
I also share Paula's sense that the MD/DC Records Committee deliberations and the informal sharing of opinions are 2 different things.  Once again, I think "learning" is the operative word here - I trust that we can all learn from one another without jeopardizing the workings of the committee.

Marcia Watson-Whitmyre
Ornithological Society of Cecil County
  

Rick or anyone,

I must have missed the point on this one. I see absolutely no connection
between birders discussing, forming, and sharing an opinion of the ID of
any
bird any place any time any way, and the workings of the MD/DC records
committee.

Can someone please explain the connection, whatever it may be????

Gull species works for me for this particular bird.

Paula Ecker
Columbia, MD
Paulae2156@aol.com
 

Norm Saunders wrote:

I'm enjoying the give and take on the Common Gull issue enormously.
Many of us saw this bird but did not see the field marks which some
are saying are diagnostic.  Those who are pronouncing are basing that
on photographs taken by Mark Hoffman and possibly by others and on
videotape taken by Bob Ringler, and possibly by others.

Those of us who were not privileged to participate in those
discussions are somewhat left in the dark.  If Mark or anyone else
can provide (on a loan basis) a few good prints of the bird in
question, we could scan them in and make them available at the
MDOsprey website for a period of time to allow everyone here to join
more fully in the discussion AND in the learning experience.

Making pictures of puzzling birds available on the Internet is
becoming a more and more widely used approach to eliciting comments
from a broader audience.  See the Frontiers of Bird Identification
listserv.  We clearly have some extremely accomplished birders here
in Maryland, but there may be birders in Europe, or on the West
Coast, say, who may have had direct experience with the type of bird
that was seen at Conowingo Dam.

What better way to elicit comments than to post the pictures on the
Internet?  Of course, if comments aren't desired......

Norm Saunders

===============
Norm Saunders
Colesville, MD
osprey@ari.net

  

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