Records Committtee and Gyrfalcon

paul and cecily (waggap@idt.net)
Sun, 15 Feb 1998 08:43:18 -0500 (EST) 

Hi! As a new subscriber to Md Osprey please forgive me for being slightly
behind in discussions. I'd like to reply to Mary Gustafson's opinion as
stated by her, "this record will be reviewed in the appropiate venue, which
is the Maryland DC records Committee.  Identifications of this magnitude
should not be decided on the internet or at a bird club meeting". 

I find her opinion to be both elitist and arrogant, and hope her ideas are
not representative of the records committee. ( Unfortunately this kind of
talk is why the records committee is sometimes referred to as the "bird
police", or even worse, the "avian gestapo").  If you doubt there are those
who perceive it as such, note that this subject was covered in at least two
articles in Md. Birdlife.(Vol.48, No.1, March 92 and Vol.52, No.1, March 96)
Ms. Gustafson's attitude might explain one of the reasons why more and more
amateur birders do not bother with reporting unusual sightings to records
committees or even Hotlines. I am still amused that a former local hotline
operator doubted and questioned my large accipter sightings at length, yet
was infuriated when I pointed out the same hotline had reported many
erroneous raptor sightings such as "female merlins" and "male ferruginous
hawks".  I find it interesting that critiquing someone's ID only goes
one-way!  Of course legitimate sightings are often not reported when people
feel intimated or ridiculed and the whole birding community loses when this
happens.  

As far as the recent discussion on the New Design Road gyrfalcon, in my
opinion Daniel Eberly has made some excellent points.  My guess is 300+
raptor enthusiasts saw the gyrfalcon and it is no closer to being passed
then when it was seen years ago.  I submit that had it been seen by only the
original observer,(even though the falcon was in hand) it would never have
stood a <chance> of passing the records committee.  Please note that the
state of Virginia has had two reputable gyrfalcon sightings.  I also find it
interesting that the people who tell me if <my> sightings are correct are
never seen at area hawkwatches.  BTW, the Bird Banding Lab has never
questioned the validity of the Md. gyr's I.D., and their data will be surely
used by future researchers.  

Let's hope in the future that all birders' opinions will be encouraged and
respected by fellow birders.
                             
                               Paul Fritz