Fwd: [TEXBIRDS] An Owl to remember(Long and tearful)

Phil Davis (pdavis@ix.netcom.com)
Tue, 17 Mar 1998 23:20:48 -0500


Ospreymundioians -

This has nothing to do with Maryland birds ... it's a cross-post from
Texbirds.  

It's entertaining in its own right, however, if you happen to be familiar
with the sighting of the December 1996 Bentsen State Park Stygian Owl (also
mistaken initially for a Long-Eared Owl), it's doubly interesting.

I enjoyed it ... thought you might, too.

Phil


>X-Sender: cybrbrdr@mail.trip.net
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>Date:         Tue, 17 Mar 1998 19:42:42 -0600
>Reply-To: Mel Cooksey <cybrbrdr@TRIP.NET>
>Sender: Audubon birding discussion list for Texas
>              <TEXBIRDS@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG>
>From: Mel Cooksey <cybrbrdr@TRIP.NET>
>Subject:      [TEXBIRDS] An Owl to remember(Long and tearful)
>To: TEXBIRDS@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG
>
>Texbirders,
>
>Did you ever dream of seeing a new North American record? Did you ever feel
>that you might have found a new NA record, but weren't certain of the
>identity? How about those of you who have studied a bird closely,
>photographed it, wrote detailed field notes during the observation, and
>still blew it?!? Stay tuned, I'm about to give you details on a real world
>class humility lesson that I recently received. Humble pie. A diligent
>exercise in retrospective.
>
>To set the scene, Arlie and I were birding around Bentsen on Dec. 9, 1994.
>Late in the day, we spotted an owl not far from the road which we both
>immediately ID'd as Long-eared Owl. After looking at the bird through the
>scope, taking notes and Arlie shooting two quick photos, other birders came
>along and shared views of the owl. Everybody was delighted to see a
>Long-eared Owl, this one likely an immature by it's undeveloped facial
>pattern, at Bentsen, and some of the observers had seen the Dec. 1989
>Long-eared Owl very near this spot,which we also saw and photo'd, and
>perhaps another record, I don't recall the date, also from Bentsen. That's
>the end of that portion of the story. One owl, fairly well seen, given the
>dim light of the late afternoon, about 5:30 PM, by several capable
>observers, including some well-knowns. Just another day at the office.
>
>Cut to March 15, 1998, and to my littered desk, where I am going through
>some old photos. There's the Bentsen 1994 Long-eared Owl photo.
>
>                    I freeze in my tracks.
>
>The areas where I used to have hair stand up on my head. My entire life
>flashes in front of me. This birds' likeness haunts me like some diabolical
>celluloid Medusa.
>
>              It.......has......blackish......facial.....disks...
>
>              It...has.....a...(groan)....white...spot...in the...middle
>              of...it's.....for................(pitiful gurgling noises...)
>
>
>It's a Stygian Owl. A Stygian damned Owl.
>
>
>This, of course, is an exercise in hind-sight. The first question was "How
>did we mis-ID this bird?" Well, I will take the credit for that one. (I now
>recall how Arlie had asked something like " Why does it have that face
>color?" or "Something doesn't look right". How absurd to be caught up in so
>much trivial
> detail!) Actually, I wouldn't have had the foggiest idea what a Stygian Owl
>was in 1994, it wasn't until Dec. 26, 1996 when most Texas birders were

>enlightened by the one day Bentsen sighting. My only experience regarding
>the species was a very unfortunate drawing in "Owls of the World" by John
>Burton, 1973, which looks absolutely nothing like this bird. The Stygian Owl
>plate in Peterson's Mexican Guide, plate 16, doesn't help much, either. The
>sighting date was pre-Howell and Webb by a few months, so I don't really
>feel so bad about the incorrect ID, as we were surrounded by people who had
>much more tropical experience than us, and they didn't have a clue, either.
>
>What I now believe, even more than ever, is that the birder needs to prepare
>for anything in South Texas in as many ways as possible. In my case, that
>includes re-reviewing old photos. It is becoming a little easier with all
>the tapes and books that are now available, to learn quite a bit about what
>Mexican strays look and sound like. The need to anticipate is a credo in
>birding. I hope I can practice what I preach. If we theorize a bit further,
>if Stygian Owl can occur, what about Vermiculated Screech-owl, Mottled Owl?
>A very good birder told me recently about a Barred Owl sighting in Bentsen.
>Brad McKinney shows Barred Owl as an Accidental in the valley. I was with a
>very good birder who called a Barred Owl at Salineno in 1993. Guess what is
>almost exactly that size?
>
>
>Kent Taylor and Patty Beasley have generously posted Arlie's photos to the
>Audubon Outdoor Clubs Website at:
>
>        www.electrotex.com/aoc/Images/StygianOwl1.htm
>
>The character after the "l" in "Owl" is the numeral one.
>
>That's the story....sad, ain't it?
>
>Just remember three things.
>
>1. If a bird looks funny, it probably is.
>2. Old photos should never be looked at on rainy days.
>3. If your wife asks you what's "wrong" with a bird, you better, by God,
>find    something wrong with it.
>
>Mel Cooksey
>Corpus Christi
>
>
>"..This story ain't got no moral..
> ..This story ain't got no end...
>...This story just go to show you,
>...That there ain't no good in men,...
>...He was her man, but he was doin' her wrong...
>
>     (Frankie and Johnny, Public Domain)
> 




================================================
Phil Davis

home:	PDavis@ix.netcom.com	Davidsonville, Maryland	USA
work:		PDavis@OAO.com        	Greenbelt, Maryland		USA
================================================