Misidentification.

Mistakes are a fact of life, but when it comes to birding they take on a different meaning. When pager services first began people were at great pains to ensure information was correct before "putting it out". Some would say that this was so certain people could get there first, but I honestly think that was never the intention, at least initially. When I found a Caspian Tern on my way home there was a delay of about 20 minutes before the news was put out. I subsequently found that phone calls had been made to ascertain who I was (thankfully I was already "known", it was just a matter of putting a face to a name). I wasn't offended, quite pleased in fact because I have always had a fear of making a mistake which causes others to waste time and petrol.

However, I am still very wary of making a mistake which inconveniences others, but it seems I am in a minority. Over the years, as more people take up birding it has not been possible to check on reports, since there are huge numbers every day, on "X" (what possessed him to think up that stupid name?), various WhatsApp groups and pager/phone app. services. Occasionally something is put on as an unconfirmed report because it is suspicious, but the commoner species aren't able to be checked. I'm not saying it's a huge problem, in fact it can be the source of some amusement for those not affected, but these days many people start birding one weekend and go twitching the next. Fine, that's up to you, but take reports with a pinch of salt. It's not so much the rarities, they normally get sorted quickly, but I once drove from Lowestoft to Titchwell to see a White-rumped Sandpiper which turned out to be a wet, bedraggled Sanderling (with no hind toe, as you would expect).

Several years ago Ann and I twitched a Yellowthroat in Wales. As Ann did the driving, once we had seen it she went back to the car for some sleep whilst I tried to get photos, during which time I saw a very pale Buzzard. As we were driving home I said "if anyone reports a Short-toed Eagle at that site I've seen it, but it wasn't one". Amazingly, about twenty minutes later a report of a  Short-toed Eagle appeared on the pager. To me, an amusing co-incidence, but someone else could have seen the bird and ticked it as an eagle. I always maintain it's your list, but if you can't be reasonably confident of what you're seeing keep quiet. Other sources of amusement, which didn't lead to twitches, were the famous cow-pat on Scilly which was identified as a Common Nighthawk (why not a Lesser Nighthawk or a European Nightjar?), and three Little Swifts in Highland which were reported just as a boatload of tired birders returned to mainland Wales after seeing the Indigo Bunting on Ramsey Island.  That was at the end of a period of twitching when we had gone from Scilly to Northumberland, back to Norfolk, returned to Cornwall, and then to Ramsey Island. Everyone had to wait for hours in the rain for it to be clear enough to take the boat across, we had the stress of not knowing whether the bird was there, but we got across, saw the bird and back in the late afternoon only to get that pager message.  Nobody was very eager to go anywhere except home. Thankfully it was swiftly refuted by the infamous "no sign of xxxxx but zzzzzz there" message. (In this case three House Martins).  It works both ways- how many people ticked the Red-footed Falcon at Tophill Low and didn't think to check for Amur? I can honestly say that I probably wouldn't have checked if I'd gone for it-I will now! However, when I hauled Ann out of the shower to twitch a Subalpine Warbler (1992-only one species then) we were both very glad to be at the head of the queue when it became a Ruppell's, literally as we arrived.

Most mistakes are honest, apart from the odd hoax which is usually spotted quickly and is often in the "so and so seen yesterday but no sign today" category, an obvious ploy to grip a mate off.  We did offer prayers when a Belted Kingfisher was reported on April 1st, since we were in the middle of the Atlantic. Unfortunately not an April Fool, had to wait another 18 years for one!  Problems arise when people are alone, but thankfully decent cameras help there. Personally if I found a rarity whilst birding alone and couldn't identify it immediately, I would report it as a possible or probable, or at least tell another birder. I no longer worry about making a mistake. I once identified a floating log as a Dwarf Sperm Whale, but several top birders were with me at the time, so we all do it! The issue is sending others on a "wild goose chase" which can be expensive nowadays. Obviously everyone is different, but what might be of interest to you isn't to others, and vice versa. I only report scarce or rare birds, not because I'm elitist but because I learnt so much when I started birding and info' was hard to come by.  If you just go to see birds you are informed about you lose out in terms of experience and learning, and who doesn't love finding and identifying their own?

I remember "finding" a Baird's Sandpiper at Staines Reservoir before I was twitching. As time went by I began to think I'd made a mistake. There was no-one to tell that I knew so I put it down to lack of experience. Years later, I had joined Reading Ornithological Society and was beginning to get to know some other birders. I got hold of a copy of the Berkshire Bird Report for 1984, and guess what was at Staines reservoir on the day I'd been there! I still remember the features I had noted that day, part of my learning process. I also remember, when I first started birding, identifying a Reed Bunting as a Bearded Tit! I just confused the names, and when I looked in my field guide realised my mistake. You learn by your mistakes, just don't involve others along the way. If you're not 100% certain, then say so. It's so much easier these days to get photos out there for ID's to be confirmed. 


 Many people will think this is all nonsense, but I have twitched Scilly several times over the years, and my experiences vary. Top of the list must be seeing a long-awaited rarity, such as Cream-coloured Courser, an efficient, if very wet, twitch and the bird was very approachable. Somewhere down the list come the dips, Caspian Plover, Cliff Swallow etc. but there was usually something else to see (a Solitary Sandpiper on one occasion). But the very worst, and costly to many people, was the infamous "spotless" Starling. To be fair, this was not a mistake, just a general unfamiliarity with the species shared by all of us at the time. It was only as we were all watching the bird, all of Britain's top listers, and a lone voice (Chris Heard) suggested it wasn't the "real deal" that the awful truth began to dawn. I don't think it was ever positively identified, hybrid or aberrant starling, but to me it ranks lower than birds I missed, even the Caspian Plover which was found by a friend of mine. Had a similar thing happened today, think of the cost and carbon footprint, you can't get £15 day returns on the Scillonian any more!



 


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