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What Would You Do: Someone badly misidentifying birds on a list (1 Viewer)

Hauksen and Jurek have really provided 'best in class' models for addressing mis-identifications by other birders.
Highlighting the evidence is vastly preferable to 'proof by assertion', at least if one is trying for agreement. That applies even to the BF discussions of bird IDs from photos, an explanation of the reasons for a conclusion is enormously more valuable than the ID itself.
 
Actually, I most often correct people who know very little about birds. They see a coot and say: 'this is not a duck. Maybe this is a wild goose? Not, this is a young cormorant'.

I feel it is not necessary to describe differences between a coot and a cormorant. Sometimes I wonder if it is a polite attempt to start conversation, but I usually prefer to move birding...
 
Attending crowded sites like Point Pelee during spring migration, you hear lots of misidentification going on and as has already been suggested, it's best to just ignore it. Sites that take such reports certainly know how to screen out the chaff and the errant people will either learn better ID or drop out. Speaking of Pelee, I once came across a couple of day trippers, a married couple, who had a female pheasant in view at a distance and were convinced it was something new to science. Since they spoke to me about it, I was on that occasion able to tell them what it really was.
 
andyadcock said:
I don't want to be disrespectful but, in the identification thread, someone has posted a pretty good picture (Wb Nuthatch) and cannot even get the genus right. If they hadn't got the shot for others to confirm, it may have gone to ebird or similar as Bc Chickadee?

It illustrates my point that some people just aren't very good and possibly never will be.



A
Click to expand...

Someone posted a picture of a marsh tit on Twitter the other day, asking for advice on whether it was a marsh tit or willow tit, and tagging '@Nature's_Voice'
The reply from RSPB identified it as a blackcap....
 
kb57 said:
Someone posted a picture of a marsh tit on Twitter the other day, asking for advice on whether it was a marsh tit or willow tit, and tagging '@Nature's_Voice'
The reply from RSPB identified it as a blackcap....
Click to expand...

One can only hope it was someone at the RSPB with a sense of humour....cos if it wasn't :eek!:

I must confess that I find these reported "grossly misidentified ID's" at variance to the norm and as such.....help to re-enforce the notion that general ID is down to having a very exacting skill, that which is a difficult and hard won experience to acquire, something I'm sure a lot of birders would want to subscribe to?

A degree of experience is certainly helpful, but at day end, cross referencing colour, tints and tones to a pre ordained shape in a field guide...is not exactly rocket science! However, taking ID to female/immature/ageing status, can and is often difficult, particularly if not seen well, perhaps in these cases best forgotten.

.....anyway confusing a Pheasant with a species "new to science"....am still trying to digest that one. :eek!:
 
KenM said:
One can only hope it was someone at the RSPB with a sense of humour....cos if it wasn't :eek!:

I must confess that I find these reported "grossly misidentified ID's" at variance to the norm and as such.....help to re-enforce the notion that general ID is down to having a very exacting skill, that which is a difficult and hard won experience to acquire, something I'm sure a lot of birders would want to subscribe to?

A degree of experience is certainly helpful, but at day end, cross referencing colour, tints and tones to a pre ordained shape in a field guide...is not exactly rocket science! However, taking ID to female/immature/ageing status, can and is often difficult, particularly if not seen well, perhaps in these cases best forgotten.

.....anyway confusing a Pheasant with a species "new to science"....am still trying to digest that one. :eek!:
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure that applies to people when they first start birding. I'm sure I'd have been more than capable of making a mistake of the Blackcap/Marsh Tit type, for many months after getting into birding. The person who made the Blackcap/Marsh Tit mistake could easily get the hang of it after a bit more experience.....if they're not put off birding by people scoffing at them when they've just started the hobby.
I identified a Hedgesparrow on the garden fence as a Grasshopper Warbler using the field guide I had when I first started. I like to think I wouldn't do that now.
 
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My dad heard someone (a non-birder, thankfully) referring to Pied Wagtails as "baby Magpies" recently.

We let these people vote. A scary thought.
 
Strontium Dog said:
My dad heard someone (a non-birder, thankfully) referring to Pied Wagtails as "baby Magpies" recently.
.
Click to expand...

I've come across that too. When I first started birding I was told this by another kid my age. When I tried to put him right, he told me I was wrong, because his dad said so.
 
Larry Sweetland said:
I've come across that too. When I first started birding I was told this by another kid my age. When I tried to put him right, he told me I was wrong, because his dad said so.
Click to expand...

A-h-h-h! Dads have got so much to answer for....very much a case of ''Sins of the Fathers''

I suspect you were very young at the time Larry with the Gropper/Dunnock mishap....leafing through the Observers Book of Birds with one mit and holding nappy with tother. :-O
 
KenM said:
I suspect you were very young at the time Larry with the Gropper/Dunnock mishap....leafing through the Observers Book of Birds with one mit and holding nappy with tother. :-O
Click to expand...

I was struggling to hear Lesser Whitethroats over the sound of my own rattle ;)
 
Strontium Dog said:
My dad heard someone (a non-birder, thankfully) referring to Pied Wagtails as "baby Magpies" recently.

We let these people vote. A scary thought.
Click to expand...

First time I heard that particular work of genius it was a primary school teacher who wouldn't listen to the correction from her (birding family) pupil. I suspect it is actually true in every instance as many humans make the erroneous assumption that the human development/growth model applies to everything.

John
 
At university I once witnessed a special case of how to misuse a identification key.
Some one got a stuffed oystercatcher and had to ID it.
Long red bill, red legs, black & white plumage.
Obviously a White Stork. Made me speechless.
 
Larry Sweetland said:
I'm not so sure that applies to people when they first start birding. I'm sure I'd have been more than capable of making a mistake of the Blackcap/Marsh Tit type, for many months after getting into birding. The person who made the Blackcap/Marsh Tit mistake could easily get the hang of it after a bit more experience.....if they're not put off birding by people scoffing at them when they've just started the hobby.
I identified a Hedgesparrow on the garden fence as a Grasshopper Warbler using the field guide I had when I first started. I like to think I wouldn't do that now.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, the person who posted the photos was aware it was either a marsh or willow tit...it was the RSPB who suggested blackcap! I'm guessing they probably had someone inexperienced responding to Twitter posts, perhaps looking at a 'garden birdwatch' crib sheet which may not have had marsh / willow tits on it.

Totally agree though that even putting birds into the right family is difficult at first, and we should all be tolerant of mistakes.
 
kb57 said:
Totally agree though that even putting birds into the right family is difficult at first, and we should all be tolerant of mistakes.
Click to expand...

Keeping clearly focused on the idea that being tolerant of mistakes does not mean that they should not be corrected. Every day's a school day.

John
 
Farnboro John said:
First time I heard that particular work of genius it was a primary school teacher who wouldn't listen to the correction from her (birding family) pupil. I suspect it is actually true in every instance as many humans make the erroneous assumption that the human development/growth model applies to everything.

John
Click to expand...

Indeed. My neighbor was recently going on about the "baby Sandhill Crane" walking around in her yard - she had a bit of trouble with the phrase "juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron" but at least she seemed happy to learn something new.
 
I agree with the previous poster, that sometimes the best way of correcting someone, is to come back enthusiastic with a response along the lines of "oh that is neat..where was it?" and then lead with questions such as "what makes you think it is this bird". And unfortunately large number, and a growing number at that it feels, can not take any suggestion that they might be wrong, and challenging is going to just cause them to double down. Especially if there are witnesses.
 
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