tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3364158.post115764412067843905..comments2023-10-26T09:46:09.197-04:00Comments on BIRDS ETCETERA: In the Blink of an EyeJohn L. Trapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14001532550767505335noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3364158.post-1157726026626406012006-09-08T10:33:00.000-04:002006-09-08T10:33:00.000-04:00I agree, Bill. It really boils down to the abilit...I agree, Bill. It really boils down to the ability of the observer to focus on the details of the bird that are most critical for "sealing" the identification, and adequately documenting the field marks that you have seen, whether in detailed field notes, photos, or video, so as to allow evaluation of the record by others. The elapsed time of observation is really immaterial. It's the quality of the information that counts. And nothing counts quite as much as experience in making quick bird IDs in the field. As the old adage says, "Practice makes perfect" (or as close to it as is humanly possible).John L. Trapphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14001532550767505335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3364158.post-1157725145640593072006-09-08T10:19:00.000-04:002006-09-08T10:19:00.000-04:00As a side note, I'm really beginning to pine for t...As a side note, I'm really beginning to pine for the olden days when discussions about the theory and practice of field ID didn't always wind up being about one woodpecker in one Arkansas swamp...Bill Pulliamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02333438671130100114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3364158.post-1157724787112826922006-09-08T10:13:00.000-04:002006-09-08T10:13:00.000-04:00My feeling is that the blink-of-an-eye ID is not t...My feeling is that the blink-of-an-eye ID is not typically adequate to <I>document</I> a rarity, but it can be key to detecting that "something different" that alerts you to the presence of a rarity. Two seconds, however, is not really an "eye-blink." It's actually about as long as (or even longer than) we probably look at a most of the birds we ID before moving on: "Nashville... chickadee... white-eye... magnolia..." When we pick up the "something different" THEN we linger to gather as many details as possible. And when you are dealing with a boldly and distinctively patterned species, you can actually acquire quite a bit of information in just two seconds. Perhaps one should focus on the overall quality of an observation, rather than being obsessed about its length.Bill Pulliamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02333438671130100114noreply@blogger.com