For the experienced birder as well as the novice, one of the greatest pleasures of birding is the sighting of a rare bird -- a bird seen far from its normal range, a visitor from Mexico or Asia, or a species that for any other reason can be said to be "rare." Aside from the personal satisfaction, such sightings are of value to ornithology only when a complete report has been made and accepted.

AVIAN RECORDS COMMITTEES
To facilitate making reports, certain guidelines have been established, and numerous committees have been formed in many states and provinces. These committees usually consist of five or six expert birders whose aggregate knowledge enables them to evaluate the reports of rare birds submitted to them. If the avian records committee decides that a particular report represents a bona fide record of a bird that is rare in the state or province, the record is accepted and becomes part of that area's published avifauna. A bird may be considered rare because it has occurred at an unusual time of year or in an area where the species does not normally occur at all. All such records are suspect if not supported by a specimen. Since it is usually impossible to collect the bird, sight records should be accompanied by convincing and unimpeachable details. Otherwise no avian records committee or regional editor of a local or national publication will accept a sight record. No one should consider this requirement an affront, and every birder, regardless of his level of expertise, should be willing to submit the specific details of his sighting to scrutiny by others. This is, quite simply, the only way to validate a record.

A birder who wishes his records to be of scientific value and his observations to be included as part of an area's written ornithological history should include meticulous details. These sightings and supporting documentation should also be submitted to the editors of state journals and the National Audubon Society's Field Notes.

RECORDING A SIGHTING
In the event of spotting a rarity, you should be equipped: The basic rule is never to go into the field without a notebook and pen or pencil. To prepare yourself, go into the field often and practice by scrutinizing any bird and writing down its characteristics as you look at it. Learn the external features of a bird so that you can pinpoint field marks with precision and speed. Try to standardize your note-taking in the field, always using essentially the same format and shorthand notations. Learn to make fast sketches in the field, indicating features with arrows. Always keep in mind that memory is not infallible: There is no substitute for a description and sketch made on the spot, with the bird in front of you.

When submitting a report to an avian records committee, be sure to indicate your distance from the bird, the exact location of the bird, as well as the date and time of the observation. Mention the duration of the bird's stay and details concerning any other species present for the purpose of size comparison. Include the names and addresses of other birders who saw the rare bird and indicate the type and power of optical equipment used by yourself and by them. Note the conditions of light, cloud cover, and weather at the time of the sighting. Include a description of the habitat in which the bird was seen.

FEATURES TO NOTE
A convincing description of the bird itself plays the most critical role in a report of a rarity. Include as much detail as possible on the bird's appearance, with emphasis on the color and pattern of plumage, size, shape, posture, behavior, voice, and any other pertinent data. If possible, describe the bird both at rest and in flight. Take note of the head and neck areas, mentioning the forehead, crown, ear coverts, and malar region; discuss the presence or absence of a median crown stripe. Describe the eyes and lores, noting eye-rings, eye stripes, and eyebrows. Note the color and shape of the upper and lower mandibles and the color of the legs and feet. The bird's upperparts (crown, nape, back, trump, and uppertail coverts) and underparts (chin, throat, breast, belly, side, flanks, and undertail coverts) should be fully detailed. The wing description should include notes on color, shape, relative length (comparison to tail length is often helpful), wing bars (if present), coverts, wing linings, and leading and trailing edges. When describing tail feathers, be sure to note the color, pattern, and shape of the innermost, middle, and outer feathers.

After you complete all of the above, add a final note on your previous experience and your familiarity with the reported species and those similar to it. State your reasons for the identification you have arrived at and how you eliminated similar species. If possible use a camera or tape recorder to amplify and support your field description, but remember that a photograph or tape recording is no substitute for a written field description. These records are considered supplemental, not the basis for a submitted report.

Finally, encourage those who witnessed the rare bird with you to submit their own written reports to the committee. A report from an independent observer will greatly aid the committee in its deliberations.

RARE BIRD ALERTS
Rare Bird Alerts are recorded telephone messages that announce recent occurrences of rare and unusual birds within the area covered by the sponsoring agency -- usually a local Audubon chapter or ornithological society. The operation of a local Rare Bird Alert is largely a labor of love on the part of the volunteers responsible for the regular (usually weekly) updates of the recorded message. The messages vary from brief announcements to lengthy descriptions of the birds, complete with detailed directions to the places where the birds were last seen. Some Rare Bird Alerts cover only the immediate vicinity of a single city, while others cover an entire state or province. Sometimes the reported message will refer you to another Rare Bird Alert telephone number for particularly noteworthy birds.

The following list of telephone numbers is the latest as of early 1995. The numbers occasionally change, and new Rare Bird Alerts are being added as birding becomes more popular. New Rare Bird Alert telephone numbers as well as changes in existing numbers are reported regularly in "Birding."

UNITED STATES

Alabama:
Statewide (205) 987-2730

Alaska:
Statewide (907) 338-2473
Kachemak Bay (907) 235-7337

Arizona:
Phoenix (602) 832-8745
Tucson (602) 798-1005

Arkansas:
Statewide (501) 753-5853

California:
Arcata (707) 826-7031
Los Angeles (213) 874-1318
Monterey (408) 375-9122; updates (408) 375-2577
Morro Bay (805) 528-7182
Northern California (510) 524-5592
Orange County (714) 563-6516 (weekly)
Sacramento (916) 481-0118
San Bernardino (909) 793-5599
San Diego (619) 479-3400 (daily)
San Joaquin/S. Sierra (209) 271-9420
Santa Barbara (805) 964-8240

Colorado:
Statewide (303) 424-2144

Connecticut:
Statewide (203) 254-3665

Delaware:
Statewide (215) 567-2473

District of Columbia:
Districtwide (301) 652-1088

Florida:
Statewide (813) 657-4442
Miami (305) 667-7337
Lower Keys (305) 294-3438

Georgia:
Statewide (404) 493-8862

Idaho:
Northern Idaho (208) 882-6195
Southeastern Idaho (208) 236-3337

Illinois:
Central Illinois (217) 785-1083
Chicago (708) 671-1522
Dupage (708) 960-5559
Northwestern Illinois (815) 965-3095

Indiana:
Statewide (317) 259-0911

Iowa:
Statewide (319) 338-9881
Sioux City (712) 262-5958

Kansas:
Statewide (913) 372-5499
Kansas City (913) 342-2473
Wichita (316) 681-2266

Kentucky:
Statewide (502) 894-9538

Louisiana:
Baton Rouge (504) 293-2473
New Orleans (504) 246-2473

Maine:
Statewide (207) 781-2332 (M-F 5pm-8am, 24 hours on weekends)
Downeast/Central Maine (207) 244-4116

Maryland:
Statewide (301) 652-1088

Massachusetts:
Boston (617) 259-8805
Western Mass. (413) 253-2218

Michigan:
Statewide (616) 471-4919
Detroit (810) 477-1360
Sault Ste. Marie (705) 256-2790

Minnesota:
Statewide (612) 827-3161
Duluth (218) 525-5952

Mississippi:
Central/Northern (601) 982-2850

Missouri:
Statewide (314) 445-9115
Kansas City (913) 342-2473
Saint Louis (314) 935-8432

Montana:
Statewide (406) 626-2473
Big Fork (406) 756-5595

Nebraska:
Statewide (412) 292-5325

Nevada:
Southern Nevada (702) 649-1516
Northwestern Nevada (702) 324-2473

New Hampshire:
Statewide (603) 224-9900 (M-F 5pm-9am, 24 hours on weekends)

New Jersey:
Statewide (908) 766-2661
Cape May (609) 884-2626

New Mexico:
Statewide (505) 662-2101

New York:
Albany (518) 439-8080
Buffalo (716) 896-1271
Ithaca (607) 254-2429
Lower Hudson Valley (914) 666-6614
New York City (212) 979-3070
Rochester (716) 425-4630
Syracuse (315) 668-8000

North Carolina:
Statewide (704) 332-2473

Ohio:
Cincinnati (513) 521-2847
Cleveland (216) 381-8325
Columbus (614) 221-9736
Blendon Woods Park (614) 895-6222
Southwestern Ohio (513) 977-6446
Northwestern Ohio (419) 875-6889
Youngstown (216) 742-6661

Oklahoma:
Statewide (918) 669-6646
Oklahoma City (405) 373-4531

Oregon:
Statewide (503) 292-0661
Northeastern Oregon (208) 882-6195

Pennsylvania:
Allentown (610) 252-3455
Philadelphia (215) 567-2473
Western Pennsyvania (412) 963-0560
Wilkes-Barre (717) 825-2473

Rhode Island:
Statewide (401) 949-3870; reporting (401) 949-5454

South Carolina:
Statewide (704) 332-2473

Tennessee:
Statewide (615) 356-7636
Chattanooga (615) 843-2822

Texas:
Statewide (713) 992-2757
Austin (512) 483-0952
Northcentral Texas (817) 329-1270
Northeastern Texas (903) 759-8989
Lower Rio Grande Valley (210) 565-6773
San Antonio (210) 733-8306
Sinton (512) 364-3634

Utah:
Statewide (801) 538-4730

Vermont:
Statewide (802) 457-4861 (M-F 5pm-9am, 24 hours on weekends); to report (802) 457-2779

Virginia:
Statewide (804) 238-2713; (301) 652-1088

Washington:
Statewide (206) 526-8266
Southeastern Washington (208) 882-6195

West Virginia:
Statewide (304) 736-3086

Wisconsin:
Statewide (414) 352-3857
Madison (608) 255-2476 (except 9-3 M-F)

Wyoming:
Statewide (307) 265-2473

CANADA

Alberta:
Calgary (403) 237-8821
Edmonton (403) 433-2473

British Columbia:
Vancouver (604) 737-9910
Victoria (604) 592-3381

New Brunswick:
Provincewide (506) 382-3825

Nova Scotia:
Provincewide (902) 852-2428

Ontario:
Oshawa (905) 576-2738
Ottawa (613) 761-1967
Sault Ste. Marie (705) 256-2790
Toronto (416) 350-3000 (pushbutton phones then enter 2293)
Windsor/Detroit (313) 477-1360
Windsor/Pt. Pelee (519) 252-2473
Hamilton (905) 648-9537

Quebec (in French):
Eastern Quebec (418) 660-9089
Sagueny/Lac St. Jean (418) 696-1868
Bas St. Laurent (418) 725-5118
Western Quebec (819) 778-0737

Saskatchewan:
Regina (306) 761-2094

Copyright 1996 Alfred A. Knopf. All rights reserved.

 

INTRODUCTION | IDENTIFICATION | FINDING | EQUIPMENT | RARE BIRDS