Phil and all, everyone gets it wrong sometimes. And of course sometimes we get it right when everyone thinks we were wrong! Such is life and such is the human experience. The only point at which we stop making mistakes is when we die. I hope to keep on making mistakes for a bit yet. Dave

Thanks for your nice comments (sent to me personally). I want to state for the record that I appreciate all the reports of sightings this list generates. Because of my former ( but long-standing) position as secretary on the Rare records Committee, I might have a different take on published sightings. Putting things on the web, as part of a list serve, is putting them into the public record. A researcher doing a literature search about a particular species has access to these well-intentioned and honest reports and has no way to ascertain whether the sightings are correct or not. A March Veery in Ct is a significant sighting. I, for one, am not doubting your sincerity in making this report and at the same time, I am pleased to see the subsequent discussions that allow for more debate. These also enter the public record and allow for a more balanced evaluating of research material. Perhaps we all should get into the practice of substantiating our significant sightings with corroborating details. Not only would this make subsequent discussion more meaningful, it would add tremendously to what we know about birds in CT. This list was initiated to sponsor discussion of birds and birding in CT. I hope no one refrains from posting interesting sightings but at the same time I hope the discussion they prompt will not be seen as demeaning or overly critical. We all benefit from all the debate...this is geek-level fun and important for what we know. I would be interested in hearing details of the Veery sighting and how you came to that ID. Stranger things have happened! Mark Mark S.Szantyr 80 Bicknell Road Apt. 9 Ashford, CT 06278 USA Birddog55@Charter.net 860-487-9766 ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Provencher" <davidprovencher@sbcglobal.net> To: "CTBirds" <ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 2:35 PM Subject: Re: [CT Birds] They are watching > Phil and all, everyone gets it wrong sometimes. And of course sometimes we > get it right when everyone thinks we were wrong! Such is life and such is > the human experience. The only point at which we stop making mistakes is > when we die. I hope to keep on making mistakes for a bit yet. > > > > Dave > > _______________________________________________ > This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) > for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. > For subscription information visit > http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org >