What an excellent post!  

Some years ago in Burlington, Vermont, I had the opportunity to spot a Red
Bishop in the wetlands at the mouth of the Winooski river on Lake Champlain.
While it was certainly an interesting bird to observe, and I do believe it
was not a released bird, I decided not to list it on my life list.  I guess
my rationale is fairly straightforward; the Bishop obviously was an
aberration, and although not quite the same as a Eurasian Collared Dove it
has become established in some parts of North America, but it didn't belong
that far north and it certainly wouldn't last the winter (it was fall);  

I won't list the dove, either - it was seen regularly not very far from
where I live here in W. MD.  Now, the EUCD may indeed become established
here (and elsewhere), but I am not a "twitcher" and the thirst for listing
just isn't in me, I guess.  I love birding for birding's sake - it gets me
outdoors, and on the rare occasion that I have the time (and money!!) to
take a birding trip I still don't focus all that much on adding birds to my
list.  For the vast majority of birders, I think that listing and enjoying
bird identification strike a balance.  

In other news, here at Bent Willow the Hummers are still flying, and our
resident Cooper's hawk has become much more active in the past few weeks.
Saw about 10 Common Nighthawks flying over our pasture Friday at dusk.  The
Screech Owls and Great Horned Owls have become more vocal of late.


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Frank Boyle
Rohrersville, MD

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