Young Birder Blog: A Troglodytes Mystery

I would be derelict in my duties in running this blog if I didn't occasionally turn the spotlight over to the ABA's other, excellent, online initiative. The ABA's Young Birder's Blog, The Eyrie, has been revitalized under the excellent tutelage of Jennie Duberstein with regular posts of the sort of quality you might be surprised to see coming from teenagers.  That is, unless you've met some of these kids.

A recent post by Texas-based Sam Fason is an excellent example.  Sam goes from the dizzying highs of finding a potential first state record (for Texas, no less) in an apparent Pacific Wren, to the horrifying lows of realizing your bird can probably never be definitively identified, all the while keeping the experience in perspective.  He gains an insight into that lesson even the best of us learn from time to time, that even if you do everything right, birds are nothing if not humbling and there is always something new for them to teach us.  

In his own words:

This still didn’t necessarily convince me that the bird was a Winter Wren, but it left me dazed and confused. I was uncertain of the ID, in every respect. My spectrogram, at one point considered conclusive evidence, might as well have been another tawny orange feather on the bird: useless in identification until proven otherwise. Experts that originally agreed with me that it was a conclusive Pacific now were either dumbfounded, as I was, or were wholeheartedly convinced this bird was a definite Winter Wren

Sam's story is a gripping one, and is perhaps most remarkable for its unremarkability among the excellent writing at The Eyrie.  Support our young birders by checking it regularly.  You won't regret it. 

Comments

[Jennie Duberstein]

Thanks for the support, Nate! The back story for this post is that Sam started working on it before the identification controversy began, when he thought he had a first state record. As he wrote his post, the rest of the saga began to unfold. Instead of saying, "Oh well, I don't have an article to write," Sam was able to perfectly capture the dizzying ups and downs of the situation and spin his article into an experience to which almost all of us can relate: a bird which just cannot be identified, despite our best efforts.

On a more general note, as you say, we've had some really great posts on the blog in the last few months, thanks to a combination of the five student blog editors (Sarah Toner, Alexandria Simpson, Tristan Weinbrenner, Eamon Corbett, and John Shamgochian) and some really great guest posters. Thanks again for sharing the writing of these talented young people with ABA Blog readers, and we'd love to see you all over at the Young Birder Blog!

[Mel Cooksey]

Many of the Winter Wrens that winter in Texas appear to be darker than illustrations in field guides, which only adds to the confusion. Most of our birds are darker than the plate of adult bird in the new Nat Geo, and slightly darker than the plate in Sibley. I think that good recordings of vocalizations are the only methods that will allow us to get this bird nailed down. When I look at Pyle's data, it appears that even structural measurements only have the slightest variation between the Pacific and the hiemalis race Winters. So, can we even ID a mist-netted bird with confidence?

[Pam Toner]

Jen, Nate, et al,

What amazes me about so many young birders I've encountered (especially when I listen to them talk as I chauffeur them to see birds) is not only their tremendous intelligence, knowledge and expertise; their vocabulary and articulate use of language; their amazingly sharp eyes and ears; and their drive to find, observe, and understand birds and nature, but also--and especially--the way that their passion and commitment to accuracy and honesty guide them. Debate and disagreement so often carry on in a climate that remains more about the birds than about them, with a spirit of civility that is unusual to see even among adults in our society these days. It's a joy to be with these young people, and to read their writing! Thanks to everyone!

Pam Toner

[Clifford Hawley]

Well there is one way to know for sure. Some bander needs to set up a net and get a sample for DNA analysis.