[CT Birds] They are watching

[Mark Szantyr]

Thanks for your nice comments (sent to me personally).  I want to state for 
the record that I appreciate all the reports of sightings this list 
generates.  Because of my former ( but long-standing) position as secretary 
on the Rare records Committee, I might have a different take on published 
sightings.  Putting things on the web, as part of a list serve, is putting 
them into the public record.  A researcher doing a literature search about a 
particular species has access to these well-intentioned and honest reports 
and has no way to ascertain whether the sightings are correct or not. A 
March Veery in Ct is a significant sighting.  I, for one, am not doubting 
your sincerity in making this report and at the same time, I am pleased to 
see the subsequent discussions that allow for more debate.  These also enter 
the public record and allow for a more balanced evaluating of research 
material.  Perhaps we all should get into the practice of substantiating our 
significant sightings with corroborating details.  Not only would this make 
subsequent discussion more meaningful, it would add tremendously to what we 
know about birds in CT.

This list was initiated to sponsor discussion of birds and birding in CT.  I 
hope no one refrains from posting interesting sightings but at the same time 
I hope the discussion they prompt will not be seen as demeaning or overly 
critical.  We all benefit from all the debate...this is geek-level fun and 
important for what we know.  I would be interested in hearing details of the 
Veery sighting and how you came to that ID.  Stranger things have happened!

Mark


Mark S.Szantyr
80 Bicknell Road
Apt. 9
Ashford, CT 06278
USA

Birddog55 at Charter.net
860-487-9766
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Provencher" <davidprovencher at sbcglobal.net>
To: "CTBirds" <ctbirds at lists.ctbirding.org>
Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 2:35 PM
Subject: Re: [CT Birds] They are watching


> Phil and all, everyone gets it wrong sometimes. And of course sometimes we
> get it right when everyone thinks we were wrong! Such is life and such is
> the human experience. The only point at which we stop making mistakes is
> when we die. I hope to keep on making mistakes for a bit yet.
>
>
>
> Dave
>
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