12 replies to this topic

[MotherGoose 8Nuts]

I am starting a Life List for the third time.

What are the rules for adding a new bird to the list? I've seen some comments about varification of the bird required by another person. If we are in a group and someone points out a bird and says it's a Yellow-rump Warbler, can we count it even if we don't see the identifying marks? Can we count a bird if we hear it and someone says it's a Song Sparrow but we don't see it? If we are by ourself and identify a bird using a field guide, can we count it?

Or is the life list rules based upon the owners own personal guideline? We didn't count the Downy Woodpecker until we actually saw a Hairy Woodpecker. The Greater and Lesser Scaup are still on our "Wait and see" list since they are always too far away. And why do the Pied-billed Grebes look so much larger down in Texas than they do in Illinois?

[ivmeer]

I asked this question a few months ago, and I was told that it was my list, so I could make my rules

I never photograph (I'm no good at it), so all of my bird photos are taken by my husband.  If I were to rely on someone else for verification, I'd have a very short life list indeed, since I make most of my sightings when he's at work!  I generally include things on my list if I've looked at photos (Google images helps a lot) and am reasonably confident that based on looks and behavior, this is what I've seen.  I trust my own instincts more often than not.  There are birds that I've seen that are not on my life list even though I may suspect what they are.  If I didn't get a good enough look at them to ID them via photos or field guide, I can't reasonably include them.  Some people include only birds they've photographed.  Some people include birds in captivity at wildlife preserves (I do not).  Your list, your rules.

[dklucius]

i never have been good with Rules. If i am confident that i saw a particular bird the that is my call. I never kept a lifelist and only started keeping my yard list after i retired and started keeping feeders and water baths and bird friendly plants ect. My yardlist is birds i have seen either in my backyard or seen flying over my yard.I do have a point and shoot camera and several good bird books. I post on these forums and ask questions and do the same on Nature Web. My list is from a checkoff list in my bird book and is birds from my area. and if i see one i'm not sure of i post a photo on here or the other website and have the other people confirm what i have photos of. I do check on the Cornell Lab web site or the Audobon web site. so far i have a total of 63 different species. With birds such as juncos where there are lots of variations i count only one as Dark eyed Junco. but with woodpeckers i list each kind. Such as Downey or Hairy Or Lewis's or Flicker or Red Naped sapsucker. if i see hawks or falcons or owls or any other species that i don't have a definate kind on. i have a seperate page listing unknown Hawk or sparrow or whateer.

[creeker]

Your list, your rules. Personally, if I was in a group, and did not see the ID marks, I would make sure I saw them or wouldn't count it. I would be depending on another's ID. I do not count hearing a bird, if I did I would have Northern  Saw-Whet Owl and Spotted Owl on my list. I have heard them both, but haven't seen. If I didn't count birds I saw and identified by myself, my list would be almost zero, since I almost always bird by myself. You have to be confident in your ID's. If I see one I'm unsure of, I usually keep going back to that area until I can get a positive ID. I always have a small field guide with me ( I like the Golden Books A Guide To Field Identification Birds of North America ). It's small and fits in a cargo shorts pocket. When I get home I finalize with the Smithsonian Handbooks Birds and Stokes Field Guide. I also use Peterson Field guide as well. If I'm still having problems, I will Google it, and look at all the photos. Even after all that, I do still have a short list of wait and sees.

[JI Bird Guy]

MotherGoose, go by whatever rules you feel work best for you. Plenty of people here post there numbers but it's not a competition.

[MotherGoose 8Nuts]

Thanks everyone. Since the Life List is not a compititon, I figured that my personal rules would be ok, but wanted to verafy with others.

[Jim Penny]

Your right there are no rules that a person has to adhere to in order to count a bird on their own List.  Unlike, the very specific rules or requirements that are expected should you what to submit an observation to a Records Committee or some similar external group.

However, you have to decide what is your purpose for creating a List of birds in the first place.  Sounds like you are taking a wait and see approach for those you are unsure of.  For me, I have to physically see the bird and to such an extent that I can enjoy seeing it's uniqueness which seen for the first time.  Cage birds and zoo birds don't count but naturally occurring birds in parks and at feeders, etc., do count.

I have participated in the annual Christmas Bird Count a couple of times now and there is always someone there more experienced than I at recognizing bird calls and fleeting glimpses of a bird.  The is recorded and counted for the CBC.  However, I don't count it for my personal List.  This year I did get to add three more to my Life's List during the CBC.  I don't know if I will ever get some of the sparrows, wrens, and rails.

p.s.  For those close to Anahuac NWR, specifically the Skillern Tract, on 1/4, I saw a Golden-crowned Kinglet.  This was a new Lifer for me and an unexpected bird since I almost presumed it to be another Ruby-crowned.  But, I got an excellent view of it along with the White-crowned Sparrows and BG Gnatcatchers.

 

By the way, Texas does have the small Pied-billed Grebes also.  I see some that appear to be adults but are so much smaller than the norm that I almost believe it to be a Least Grebe based on the size.  Despite wanting it to be a Least, I proved it to be otherwise.

[creeker]

It's funny, I started my list when I was 7 years old, am now over 50, and have never counted how many I have. They are checked off (a few written in) in the back of my Golden Books Guide.

[Jim Penny]

creeker:

It's funny, I started my list when I was 7 years old, am now over 50, and have never counted how many I have. They are checked off (a few written in) in the back of my Golden Books Guide.

 

Sounds like we have similar backgrounds.  I switched from chasing butterflies and moths to bird watching in the 4th Grade. Now, I am 56.

We traveled alot during summer because my dad saved his vacation time for the summer when I got out of school.  Family always drew us back to Michigan and West Virginia to visit and then we headed North to fish which was often in remote areas.  There was always time to bird watch and I encountered some species I have yet to see again. 

My primary Guide for much of this time was the Golden Field Guide to Birds of North America.  I first wore the covers off of it and then the tape that put the covers back on it.  Enjoyed it so much that a couple of years ago I bought the exact edition off of Ebay.  I now have both a hard-backed edition and a paper-backed edition.  all of this was before Whatabird, Ebird, and the Internet.  I too was satisfied with simply checking the bird off in the back of the book and putting a date beside it.

[MotherGoose 8Nuts]

I started with Wild Flowers and wore the covers off two of the same book. Then I moved to Butterflies and Dragonflies. We've always enjoyed feeding the birds and day-tripping along the Mississippi River.

Now, we're retired and moved to a new area. We'll have to start everything all over. We recognize few flowers. There are more butterfly species here to explore. And the Birding is fantastic.

Now we should have time to identify those raptors, sparrows, warblers, and shorebirds that always threw us for a loop.

[Jim Penny]

MotherGoose 8Nuts:

I started with Wild Flowers and wore the covers off two of the same book. Then I moved to Butterflies and Dragonflies. We've always enjoyed feeding the birds and day-tripping along the Mississippi River.

Now, we're retired and moved to a new area. We'll have to start everything all over. We recognize few flowers. There are more butterfly species here to explore. And the Birding is fantastic.

Now we should have time to identify those raptors, sparrows, warblers, and shorebirds that always threw us for a loop.

 

Well, you certainly moved to an area that is full of birds.  You will even see some from across the Border.  I never been there yet but do want to plan a trip sometime soon.  You should get to see plenty of hummingbirds.

 

[BlueJayJoe]

As everyone said, when it comes to a bird list, don't worry about what other people do, just do what you want to do.  I am like a couple others, I always had this little field guide, with check boxes in the index.  I'd just check the birds I positively identified.  Now, I was never really into bird watching, so I never really saw anything that was too hard to ID, because I never really cared, until recently.  Not to long ago, I bought a new, large, extravagant bird guide, one that I won't mark up in any way, shape, or form.  So, I created a list on a spreadsheet, that automatically counts them as I add new birds, and I have a box to check if I have seen them in my yard, which is also automatically tallied up.  I don't talk to anyone about birding, or my life list, so I could care less is someones "rules" might be different.  I am would you would call a loner when it comes to birding.  I take it as my time to be alone, and get some peace and quiet, unless of course my daughters (3 and 5) want to go with......then forget about the quiet thing.  But, do what you want, and ALWAYS make sure you keep the fun in it.  No use in getting obsessed over the number on your list, and being competetive with others.

Joe

[ginspin16]

wow i did exactly the same thing.  i checked off the boxed in the back of the bird book, but it was too hard to count them so i also put them on a spreadsheet. and i also like to keep track of the ones i see in my yard, cause i live in a suburban tract house neighborhood, which also happens to be in a desert. so it always amazes me that i see anything at all in my yard.