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Re: Great Novice Mistakes and a persistent pigeon




I must also agree wholeheartedly.  If people are afraid to post or
otherwise share sightings for fear of being ridiculed by "knowledgeable
birders" we will lose the opportunity to share knowledge and maybe even
miss out on a really good sighting.  Even the most basic beginner can get
lucky and stumble across something interesting.

I remember my first "King Rail" from the saltmarsh at HBSP.  Of course many
of you can already surmise that I actually saw a Clapper Rail.  I proudly
mentioned the bird to a group of more experienced persons.  Instead of
rudely pointing out the flaws in the identification, the leader stated that
I had a very good bird and that most King Rails are found in freshwater at
that time of year (it was not during migration when they sometimes mix).
He went on to describe the differences.  I immediately realized my error
and in the process learned quite a bit about how to find a real King Rail.
I'm sure most of us have similar stories to tell.

Here's a little birding vignette from the weekend:
Tracy and I were on the auto tour road through Bombay Hook NWR when we were
approached by a Rock Dove (a.k.a. pigeon).  The bird landed on the hood of
the car and peered in through the windshield.  We immediately noted yellow
wire markers on each leg.  Apparently this was a racing bird, or some other
captive specimen.  Unfortunately there were no identification tags on the
bands.  Anyway, the bird was very persistent in trying to join us inside
the car.  We slowly pulled away hoping it would leave the hood and go back
to whatever it was doing.  Instead the bird flew alongside the car (at
speeds up to 35 mph) for over a mile.  The bird remained within 2 feet of
the passenger window for some time.  We finally lost him, but upon our
return past the spot where we first found the bird, saw it riding happily
on the roof of a mini-SUV.  The car's occupants seemed unaware of their
hitchhiker.  Hopefully it will find it's way home!

 I took a few minutes to load my VA Barnacle Goose pics from the weekend
onto the machine.  For those that have seen the bird (or not) and want a
keepsake memento, let me know and I'll forward a pic to you.

Best,
Steve Shultz
Apex, NC