Oh, please. Just look at Tyler's notes again if you care. His notes do not convey every detail of his encounter (an impossible task), which is what leads us to fill in the gaps. I have postulated an aerobatic maneuver many birds use to gain altitude rapidly at the expense of air speed which agree with Hicks' notes and diagram. Your 1/16 of a second dorsal view does not agree with his diagram. That does not mean I am right, but at least I did not impugn the character of someone I don't know by extrapolating from a poor assumption.
We can argue all we like about Tyler’s notes, which are ultimately so riddled with holes that they put Swiss cheese to shame and makes it impossible to work out what he actually saw. Fundamentally our dispute hinges on whether or not I should extrapolate to impugn Tyler’s character. You are of course entirely right. I am extrapolating and I am impugning (although
comments in
Tom Nelson’s blog, by those that have birded with him suggest I was being rather kind).
The question is really whether I should do it. So let me defend why I think I should. A bit long-winded, but stay with me.
I know lots of birders. I myself am a birder and although I’m not the keenest or the best, I still haul my arse up
Blakeney Point once or twice a week in Spring and Autumn, even if on occasion, despite my
predictions of rare, I don’t quite get out of bed in time to find the bird. I know plenty of people who are a lot keener and dedicated than me. Virtually every one of them accurately identifies the birds they see and ultimately spend much of their time birding in the hope of finding a rare bird. In fact many spend hours and hours and hours looking for rare birds and then more hours and then more hours. When they do, they spend time taking detailed field notes, photograph the birds or ensure that others have seen it to. What would these people love to find? What would be the best bird of them all to find? What would be the ornithological discovery of the 20th century. Yup, you’ve guessed it, an IBWO. Some would give their right arm to discover an extinct bird. Cos virtually everyone reckons they're extinct. Yes actually almost everyone! Then along comes a young chap like Tyler Hicks’s and says to everyone - guess what I’ve found one! 3 Times!!! Only I can’t provide you with any evidence and the best I can do is come up with some p*ss-poor field notes that could be put to shame by a novice kid lister in this country. You’re just going to have to trust me though he says. Trust me so much that you should put your academic career on the line for me Dr Hill and get thousands of dollars of tax-payers money to find the bird again so we can get some evidence. Only they can’t. In two years!
Well, sorry for being blunt, but quite frankly Tyler’s sighting and subsequent documentation makes a mockery of the ornithological world. If you read this Tyler and think I’m being harsh, come up with the goods. Get some
decent photos like everyone else does when they find rare birds. If you can, I’ll personally fly over to the US and buy you as much beer as you can drink. Alternatively I’ll fly you to the UK and I’ll take you out birding in Norfolk with some of the people I go birding with and we’ll see what you’re really made of.
For anyone else that thinks I’m being harsh, then fair enough, but at least cut through the bull and realise that Tyler’s sightings are stringier than
Rab C Nesbitt’s vest. If you disagree, put you money where your mouth is. Donate what you want to the ABC / OBC or NBC and I’ll refund you and double your money and donate it to IBWO conservation if the Lord God Bird rises from the grave.
p.s. Top respect to those that have already
