You might not know this, but not every bird I see in Cache County will count towards my list. If I manage to find the two Mandarin Ducks that have been seen around Logan, they won't count. In the last few months, I've seen a Red-crested Pochard; an Indian Peafowl, a Mute Swan; and several Swan Geese, Greylag Geese, and Domestic Chickens, but none of these are included in the list at right. Why not? Well, believe it or not, there are rules about these things. According to the American Birding Association, the standard for competitive listers in the US, a species cannot be listed in a competition unless the bird is "alive, wild, and unrestrained." The rules go into great detail to specify, basically, that the bird must either be a native species, a natural vagrant, or an established introduced species; and the rules for "establishment" are pretty strict. So, while all those birds may be interesting to find and to watch, they are not known to be established in the area. Even if they are free-living, they depend on human handouts for survival or have not been able to successfully breed long enough to be considered established, so they don't count.
The species above, California Quail, is a bit trickier. Their natural range comes close to here, but not quite to Utah. It is plausible that a lost bird could end up here, but unlikely. However, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has been planting them along the Wasatch Front to try to provide opportunities for hunters (don't get me started on the idea of introducing non-native species for sport . . . ). Populations along the Wasatch Front have been established and self-supporting for some time now, even if they are non-native. A sighting in that area would probably "count." But as far as I have heard, DWR has not been able to get the quail to establish in Cache County, despite repeated attempts. After no reports of California Quail from the county all winter, suddenly this week at least 40 showed up in Benson by the river. Where did they come from? Can they be counted? My guess is that they were shipped here by DWR, although I don't know that for sure. Either way, I'm not considering them countable for now. But they were still fun to see.
3 comments:
Your sister used to love the quail she saw around the campus at WSU - they made her giggle! You should send her your picture.
UPDATE: I've been doing more research on California Quail and I'm now convinced that the species is in fact countable here. This was based on three new bits of information: First, a friend of a friend who works for Utah DWR assured him that no quail have been planted here lately. Second, I learned that UDWR bands all the birds they transplant, and none of the birds I saw had bands. Finally, I found an old report from UDWR indicating successful breeding in Cache County as early as the mid-1960s. With these points in mind, I think it's safe to count this species after all.
As of a week or so ago, I can add Helmeted Guinea Fowl to the list of birds I've seen in the valley that don't count. This species was wandering around a farm - not wild, but not exactly caged either. More like "tethered by the need for free food." Kind of like me and the Ecology Seminar receptions. . . .
Post a Comment