[mou] Our experts

[Mike Hendrickson]

Since birding is rather dull here in northeastern Minnesota I have time to respond this thread on this listserv.

If anyone wants to know how to write up a good documentation report, all you need to do is go to the MOU website and click on MOURC documentation and review some documentation that have been submitted by Minnesota birders this year or last year.  This should give you a pretty good idea how to submit a record to MOURC.

Also I think, most of the MOURC members had records rejected one time or anther.  Hopefully this will make some birders feel better or more comfortable about submitting records to MOURC. Even I had two records that got rejected (Long-tailed Jaeger and Pomarine Jaeger).  So yes, even the "High Priests" get records rejected from time to time.  Happens to us all!

But we should thank the MOURC committee because without them we wouldn't have the official Minnesota Checklist, we wouldn't have an accurate historical records of birds that occurred in Minnesota and we wouldn't have a range maps of Minnesota birds, county records, late date records, early date records or in other words we birders wouldn't have clear picture of birds in Minnesota.

When I got started in birds in the 3rd grade, all the bird books talk about having a notebook & pencil to take notes of birds in the field.  Well you might have to toss those notions away and tell young birders they should buy a digital camera instead.  I still prefer sketching birds and documenting birds the "old fashion" way but it's a lot easier to just take a digital these days. I think birders who are new to the hobby well get a better understanding of how to take notes buy not using the digital camera at first and try to take field notes instead.  I just believe this habit of taking notes in the field will make you a better birder or the start of becoming a "high priest or priestess" in the birding community. LOL

I am also getting tired of seeing people on this listserv making weird comments about our local birding experts!!  I also do not understand why people feel they are so scared/intimidated in sharing their sightings on this listserv or any listserv.  If some one questions you its not because we think you are lying or we are picking on you its because we want you to think of other possibilities.   For example a young Killdeer running around from a distance looks a lot like a Snowy Plover.  

Also Tom Bell is right when he said, "If your record is rejected look at it as a learning experience. The committee does not say that you did not see the bird they are just saying that more or better documentation is necessary to enter into the states records".  Minnesota has a pretty nice records committee compared to some other states records committees where you have to have a digital photograph or a video for them to even consider voting on your record.

Good birding and hoping this fall migration is full or exciting birds.  By the way I have plenty of room on the Lake Superior Birding Trips.  If you want a chance to bird on Lake Superior and look for Red-throated Loons, Pacific loons, Parasitic Jaegers, Pomarine Jaegers, Long-tailed Jaegers, Arctic Terns, Sabine's Gulls or Little Gulls, please visit my website to learn more about it.

Thanks
 
Michael Hendrickson
Duluth, Minnesota
Lake Superior Boat Trips
http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tom Bell 
  To: MOU Net 
  Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:37 AM
  Subject: [mou] Our experts


      The committee in Minnesota that is responsible for deciding what the status of a particular species should be for our state is the Minnesota Ornithologists Union Records Committee (MOURC). I know the members of this committee and have been with most on birding events and they are all much better birders than I am and I am glad they make the decisions. This committee over the years has made us better birders for by necessity they have to be fussy about the documentation supplied. One should never feel intimidated about submitting a record of a bird one feels is unusual for time and place. If your record is rejected look at it as a learning experience. The committee does not say that you did not see the bird they are just saying that more or better documentation is necessary to enter into the states records. It is a good experience just to complete the documentation information to learn what is called for. 

  Tom Bell
  on Grey Cloud Island
  5868 Pioneer Road South
  Saint Paul Park MN 55071-1143
  651 459-4150
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