Birding story

[albionmoonlight]

I know there are a few birders here. Thought you would appreciate this story from my priest.

Interesting experience: I was at a local biological reserve yesterday morning, all by myself, when I heard the chilling, and UNMISTAKABLE calling of an Eastern Screech-Owl. Exciting because I was now able to "list" the bird. It's relatively uncommon for our area. (I had heard them before, but not since I've been keeping track). So I sent off my checklist to eBird with the EASO happily included, a lifer for me.

This morning, as in the very next day, I was on an outing with the Chapel Hill Bird Club and I told another member about the owl I had heard. I told him because I knew he would want to know. His response? After confirming the time of my encounter, he revealed that the vocalizing I had heard was an EASO recording that HE HAD BEEN PLAYING in the hopes of calling one in himself. So, off it comes. Now, however, he owes me an owl!

[Julio Riddols]

Owl be damned.

[Izulde]

I'm not a birder, but appreciate the hilarity of this story.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

Owl be damned.

Nicely played, sir. It was a real hoot!

[QuikSand]

There is a little bit of debate within the birding community about "heard birds" and whether they should be counted as confirmed for various purposes. The strongest argument against usually comes down to this sort of thing.

[Butter]

Why am I not surprised that Kickstand knows things about the birding community.

I guess that's a question but I ended it with a period?

[albionmoonlight]

I am not informed enough to understand the significance of such things, but this same guy is on vacation in Europe and was just very excited to see a Spanish Imperial Eagle in the wild. Apparently only ~600 or so left.

[Toddzilla]

Originally Posted by Butter

Why am I not surprised that Kickstand knows things about the birding community.

I guess that's a question but I ended it with a period?

I can't believe you didn't know this. He's spotted 2/3 of known species.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

There is a little bit of debate within the birding community about "heard birds" and whether they should be counted as confirmed for various purposes. The strongest argument against usually comes down to this sort of thing.

I would agree that hearing is not seeing; two different senses. Since it's called bird watching I would think the whole seeing thing is what counts.

[QuikSand]

Outsiders call it birdwatching. Insiders call it birding. I'm sure, in part, to try to skip past that exact argument. If the objective is essentially to verify that the bird is present, then hearing a clear call is enough information/evidence to do so, for nearly all purposes. In some cases, a call is a far more reliable indicator of the species than the visual appearance.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Outsiders call it birdwatching. Insiders call it birding.

So basically, the pompous ones call it birding and everyone else calls it what it is?

[corbes]

No, he's telling you that the act of identifying a bird does not rely on visual clues alone.

[chesapeake]

My last house backed up to a county park with an unlit running path. We'd been there less than a month when we heard a bloodcurdling scream from the path in the night. I ran out there with a hefty flashlight to provide help. After the adrenaline ran down a bit, I realized I'd been duped by an owl. I'd hear owls a couple times a year at night while we lived there, and every time it would freak me out.

And hearing a bird absolutely counts. How else would you acknowledge nocturnal birds like owls?