Mike you couldn't possibly have had a MacGillivray's Warbler on Saturday. Don't you know it's a western bird. It's not like we've had any western birds show up here in the Mid-Atlantic lately. (CINNAMON TEAL, SELASPHORUS hummingbird, WESTERN TANAGER, WILSON'S WARBLER, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, LARK SPARROW, DICKCISSEL, PACIFIC LOON, WESTERN GREBE, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, etc...) Last fall we didn't have any either :-) (They were all at Cape May!) Also, didn't you know that the hoteline is not a place for questions? ("There were no subsequent reports of this bird, and a species this rare on the East Coast, especially in the spring, would need further sightings to be confirmed." -- VOICE 5/19/98) In all seriousness, Jane and Steve do a great job compiling the report each week. What we probably have here is just poor communication. BTW, I have seen a MacGillivray's Warbler in the area before. September 14, 1992 at Loch Raven Reservior. I wasn't with anyone and I had just started attending Baltimore MOS meetings so I didn't report it. I should have. Keep sending those reports to this list. This Saturday I plan on making a trip to Wakefield. See you there. __________________ David Gersten gerstens@erols.com Herndon, VA 07:14 PM 9/22/98 -0400, you wrote: > >Greg's and Tyler's posts have struck a nerve. So let me put >out a "soapbox message" of my own. > >It's important to be skeptical about rare bird reports, but >there are times when arrogance comes into play. I've had a >few experiences of the skeptical kind lately regarding my >reports from Wakefield Park. I don't mind skepticism because >it's an important part of the process of verifying reports >as much as possible. I actually expected it because I couldn't >believe some of the birds that kept showing up. I had hoped >that the skeptics would go silent after other birders who >were attracted to Wakefield Park by my reports saw Sedge Wren >and Connecticut, Mourning, and Brewster's Warblers. But then I >saw a MacGillivray's Warbler on Saturday. Having recently >experienced skepticism, I was extremely reluctant to report >this bird. But I did and my report to the hotline was completely >ignored. You'd think it would have at least warranted a few >questions. > >How many other reports of MacGillivray's Warblers in this area >have been squelched? I'll bet a fair number of them find their >way to the east coast every year. Good numbers of Mourning and >Connecticut Warblers stray far to the west of their ranges. >About 80 of them have been observed at just one site in California. >Why wouldn't one expect similar numbers of MacGillivray's Warblers >in the east? And if one were to show up, wouldn't Wakefield >Park--which has had 9 Mourning Warblers and 5 Connecticut Warblers >this year--be a reasonable place? > >To end on a positive note, I'd like to add that it's been a lot >of fun meeting those of you who have stopped by to check out >Wakefield Park. Hopefully we'll get another front and more good >birds in the next few days. > >Mike Collins >Annandale, Virginia >collins@ram.nrl.navy.mil >