Kevin S. Lucas
04 Tricolored Blackbird at Toppenish Creek, Yakima County, Washington 2013-05-10 ©Kevin S Lucas
ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S14064687
I'm really glad I was able to photograph this bird -- a life bird. I wish others had seen it too. It was Great to see this striking bird -- a wonderful surprise.
Scott Downes cited this photo in his checklist as if it were proof of his claim of seeing this bird on the next day. That's wrong. He took photos of the bird he claims is a TRBL. He should use his own photos. Maybe they're out-of-focus or improperly exposed. Maybe they show a Red-winged Blackbird. Since he cited my photos instead of his, and he was well into a Big Day attempt, and he had said earlier that day that he was already bleary, I wonder what he saw and what his photos show. If Scott does provide photos of a TRBL from that day, I'll eat my doubts about his reported sighting, and apologize here, but he still violated Big Day rules, violated eBird photo citing guidelines -- an example of his unethical behavior. It's dismaying Scott used this rare find to cheat on his Big Day attempt, then whined when I called him on it. Trespassing and calling in a Spotted Owl are also bad juju, doubly on a Big Day.
Scott is one of the pair of listers, who on the day after I'd found this bird, reported that he had re-found it. While Scott was taking photos of a bird (that he claims was a TRBL), his birding partner, Luke Safford, was talking with me on the phone. They were well into a long day attempting a Yakima County "Big Day".
John Hebert & I had run into Scott & Luke a couple hours before, at SVID Reservoir. Scott said he was already bleary, as they'd started very early, calling in owls. We stood around talking a bit. Scott acknowledged my correction of his identification of a grebe there. Luke quizzed me about my Tricolored Blackbird sighting. I answered his questions, and I asked him to phone me if they relocated it. I'd not realized that Big Day participants are not allow to solicit bird finding information according to Big Day rules. Luke did phone me later in the day, telling me they'd found it & that Scott photographed a Tricolored Blackbird.
Scott posted on BirdYak a couple of days later about the Big Day rules, specifically warning readers to not help out some other birders who were about to do big days on May 18th. Scott omitted mentioning that he had just violated those rules. Since Scott knew (according to Luke Safford, his birding partner that day, in a later email) he violated big day rules, he should not have submitted his Big Day list, and neither should have Luke. Since Scott posted about his "Big Day" in which he violated the rules, he should do follow-up posts explaining his wrongdoing, to correct the records on BirdYak & Tweeters, and he should remove his claim of his Big Day results from Washington Birder. His unethical behavior is shameful.
EDIT March 13, 2014: I see their Big Day report. I'd previously left out Luke's name, but think it appropriate that it appear here now.
He's now a Baptist preacher in Arizona.
In contrast Denny Grandstand said he & Roger Moyer were birding together on May 18th and thought they'd seen a similar bird or birds. Denny, like me, took photos & put his photos up for review. Denny said that Dennis Paulsen & and the author of Blackbirds of the Americas said Denny's photos were of a Red-winged, not Tricolored, noting among other things that median coverts appearing white were not diagnostic and the faint orangish tinge to the coverts showed it was a Red-winged. Denny even talked about this at our next monthly Yakima Audubon meeting. That was big of him.
Roger has kept his eBird sighting as being of 2 Tricolored Blackbirds, writing, "The bird (sic) had Blood red wing patch with white along the red border. Call was that of Tricolored Blackbird."
Eric Heisey also reported sighting a single TRBL flying by in a field on June 20th, "...White median coverts unmistakable (sic), with the thin bill and pointed wings that differentiate Tricolored for Red-winged...." with no photograph. Incredible observation.
No other reports of a Tricolored Blackbird in Yakima County have since appeared on eBird.
EDIT:
I believe all of this is accurate. If I'm shown there are errors, I will correct them here, and note the corrections.
I think it would be funny if experts agreed that this wasn't a Tricolored Blackbird after all.
04 Tricolored Blackbird at Toppenish Creek, Yakima County, Washington 2013-05-10 ©Kevin S Lucas
ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S14064687
I'm really glad I was able to photograph this bird -- a life bird. I wish others had seen it too. It was Great to see this striking bird -- a wonderful surprise.
Scott Downes cited this photo in his checklist as if it were proof of his claim of seeing this bird on the next day. That's wrong. He took photos of the bird he claims is a TRBL. He should use his own photos. Maybe they're out-of-focus or improperly exposed. Maybe they show a Red-winged Blackbird. Since he cited my photos instead of his, and he was well into a Big Day attempt, and he had said earlier that day that he was already bleary, I wonder what he saw and what his photos show. If Scott does provide photos of a TRBL from that day, I'll eat my doubts about his reported sighting, and apologize here, but he still violated Big Day rules, violated eBird photo citing guidelines -- an example of his unethical behavior. It's dismaying Scott used this rare find to cheat on his Big Day attempt, then whined when I called him on it. Trespassing and calling in a Spotted Owl are also bad juju, doubly on a Big Day.
Scott is one of the pair of listers, who on the day after I'd found this bird, reported that he had re-found it. While Scott was taking photos of a bird (that he claims was a TRBL), his birding partner, Luke Safford, was talking with me on the phone. They were well into a long day attempting a Yakima County "Big Day".
John Hebert & I had run into Scott & Luke a couple hours before, at SVID Reservoir. Scott said he was already bleary, as they'd started very early, calling in owls. We stood around talking a bit. Scott acknowledged my correction of his identification of a grebe there. Luke quizzed me about my Tricolored Blackbird sighting. I answered his questions, and I asked him to phone me if they relocated it. I'd not realized that Big Day participants are not allow to solicit bird finding information according to Big Day rules. Luke did phone me later in the day, telling me they'd found it & that Scott photographed a Tricolored Blackbird.
Scott posted on BirdYak a couple of days later about the Big Day rules, specifically warning readers to not help out some other birders who were about to do big days on May 18th. Scott omitted mentioning that he had just violated those rules. Since Scott knew (according to Luke Safford, his birding partner that day, in a later email) he violated big day rules, he should not have submitted his Big Day list, and neither should have Luke. Since Scott posted about his "Big Day" in which he violated the rules, he should do follow-up posts explaining his wrongdoing, to correct the records on BirdYak & Tweeters, and he should remove his claim of his Big Day results from Washington Birder. His unethical behavior is shameful.
EDIT March 13, 2014: I see their Big Day report. I'd previously left out Luke's name, but think it appropriate that it appear here now.
He's now a Baptist preacher in Arizona.
In contrast Denny Grandstand said he & Roger Moyer were birding together on May 18th and thought they'd seen a similar bird or birds. Denny, like me, took photos & put his photos up for review. Denny said that Dennis Paulsen & and the author of Blackbirds of the Americas said Denny's photos were of a Red-winged, not Tricolored, noting among other things that median coverts appearing white were not diagnostic and the faint orangish tinge to the coverts showed it was a Red-winged. Denny even talked about this at our next monthly Yakima Audubon meeting. That was big of him.
Roger has kept his eBird sighting as being of 2 Tricolored Blackbirds, writing, "The bird (sic) had Blood red wing patch with white along the red border. Call was that of Tricolored Blackbird."
Eric Heisey also reported sighting a single TRBL flying by in a field on June 20th, "...White median coverts unmistakable (sic), with the thin bill and pointed wings that differentiate Tricolored for Red-winged...." with no photograph. Incredible observation.
No other reports of a Tricolored Blackbird in Yakima County have since appeared on eBird.
EDIT:
I believe all of this is accurate. If I'm shown there are errors, I will correct them here, and note the corrections.
I think it would be funny if experts agreed that this wasn't a Tricolored Blackbird after all.