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As Ben Miller has already touched on this subject in his previous email, and
information is already in the public domain, I thought I would provide
further information to a wider audience detailing the length that certain
individuals go to try and hoodwink the birding society. In this case a poor Steller's
Eider photograph taken from the net, reversed and used to instigate an
Anglesey occurrence.
In good faith, the Anglesey Bird Recorder (Steve Culley) took this email
just over a week ago informing him of the presence of a female Steller's Eider
in North Wales
''Ive spent the New year with my family in Morfa Nelyn (which lies on the
west side of the Llyn Peninsula - off the b4411), and as a keen golfer took
advantage of the superb local golf course which over looks Caernarfon Bay. On
Saturday, whilst enjoying a round, I noticed a small sea duck(on it's own)
which had white stripes on its wings close in shore by the jetty on the east side
of the course. I haven't been birding for a good few years but it definitely
wasn't anything I remember seeing before. It was there again today but a
more distant than yesterday and I managed to take the attatched photo. I've
looked in my bird book tonight and i cant find anything that has wing stripes so
I haven't got a clue as to what it is and was hoping you could shed some
light for me. I saw the bird yesterday at around dinnertime when I was playing
golf & today I saw it early morning.
Hope you can help,
Kind regards,
Maurice Baker''
The reversed photograph, clearly depicting a female Steller's Eider, was
released to the internet and in turn, the information supplied with it, was
utilised by Bird Information Services and broadcast as fact. Unfortunately,
several twitchers drove long distances to search for the bird, including John Bell
(Glasgow) and Stuart Piner (Lancashire).
The key to this farce was the internet photograph (seen here on Alan Davies'
site at _http://thebiggesttwitch.com/391/article.aspx_
(http://thebiggesttwitch.com/391/article.aspx)
This photograph was actually obtained by Harry Lehto in December 2006 and
taken in Finland and was published here
(_http://users.utu.fi/hlehto/photo/rarit/rarit06.shtml_ (http://users.utu.fi/hlehto/photo/rarit/rarit06.shtml) ) and
within the image meta data, the following raw information can be retrieved -
image date: 2006: 12: 17 10:50:19
This scam is not unique and it is a tried and tested one which I have had to
endeavour when judging records of rare vagrants in the UK (particularly
Seabirds and mega-rare North American passerines). This makes it all the more
important that recorders should be extra vigilant when accepting records from
'photograph-only' submissions, particularly those from either unknown sources or
from those with more than chequered histories.
I work hard with RBA and Regional Birdlines in trying to break down these
scams but it is becoming increasingly harder to do because of the sheer volume
of record data being disseminated. Furthermore, some information services are
reluctant to divulge their sources, making it somewhat difficult to check
records out. Due to the competitiveness within the services, more and more
'unchecked' or 'unconfirmed' sightings are being broadcast. More care certainly
needs to be taken.
Lee G R Evans
British Birding Association
UK400 Club, Rare Birds Magazine, Ornithological Consultant and
Conservationist
Discussion Forum/Email Group: _http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UK400Club/_
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UK400Club/)
Rare Bird Alert:
_http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RareBirdAlertforBritainandIreland_UK400ClubBBA/_ (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RareBirdAlertfo
rBritainandIreland_UK400ClubBBA/)
Email Address: (email address filtered)
Website Address: _www.uk400clubonline.co.uk_
(http://www.uk400clubonline.co.uk/)
Blog Sites: _http://uk400clubrarebirdalert.blogspot.com/_
(http://uk400clubrarebirdalert.blogspot.com/) _ http://birdingamersham.blogspot.com/_
(http://birdingamersham.blogspot.com/) _ http://birdingtringreservoirs.blogspot.com/_
(http://birdingtringreservoirs.blogspot.com/)
_http://calvertbirding.blogspot.com/_ (http://calvertbirding.blogspot.com/)
Chaffinch House
8 Sandycroft Road
Little Chalfont
Amersham
Buckinghamshire
England
HP6 6QL
Telephones: 01494 763010 and 01494 581157
Mobile/Text Alerts: 07881 906629
(Lee Evans Enterprises incorporate documentation of rare bird occurrences in
Britain & Ireland and elsewhere in the Western Palearctic and in North
America; Rare Bird Information and Rare Bird Alerts; Rare Birds Magazine and other
related publications; Bird Tours for Birders)
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<DIV>As Ben Miller has already touched on this subject in his previous email,
and information is already in the public domain, I thought I would provide
further information to a wider audience detailing the length that certain
individuals go to try and hoodwink the birding society. In this case a poor
Steller's Eider photograph taken from the net, reversed and used to instigate an
Anglesey occurrence.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In good faith, the Anglesey Bird Recorder (Steve Culley) took this email
just over a week ago informing him of the presence of a female Steller's Eider
in North Wales</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">''Ive spent the New year with my family in
Morfa Nelyn (which lies on the west side of the Llyn Peninsula - off the b4411),
and as a keen golfer took advantage of the superb local golf course which over
looks Caernarfon Bay. On Saturday, whilst enjoying a round, I noticed a small
sea duck(on it's own) which had white stripes on its wings close in shore by the
jetty on the east side of the course. I haven't been birding for a good few
years but it definitely wasn't anything I remember seeing before. It was there
again today but a more distant than yesterday and I managed to take the
attatched photo. I've looked in my bird book tonight and i cant find anything
that has wing stripes so I haven't got a clue as to what it is and was hoping
you could shed some light for me. I saw the bird yesterday at around dinnertime
when I was playing golf & today I saw it early morning. <BR>Hope you can
help, <BR>Kind regards, <BR>Maurice Baker''</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><EM></EM> </DIV>
<DIV>The reversed photograph, clearly depicting a female Steller's Eider, was
released to the internet and in turn, the information supplied with it, was
utilised by Bird Information Services and broadcast as fact. Unfortunately,
several twitchers drove long distances to search for the bird, including John
Bell (Glasgow) and Stuart Piner (Lancashire).</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The key to this farce was the internet photograph (seen here on Alan
Davies' site at <A
href="http://thebiggesttwitch.com/391/article.aspx">http://thebiggesttwitch.com/391/article.aspx</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>This photograph was actually obtained by Harry Lehto in December 2006 and
taken in Finland and was published here (<A
href="http://users.utu.fi/hlehto/photo/rarit/rarit06.shtml">http://users.utu.fi/hlehto/photo/rarit/rarit06.shtml</A>)
and within the image meta data, the following raw information can be retrieved -
image date: 2006: 12: 17 10:50:19</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>This scam is not unique and it is a tried and tested one which I have had
to endeavour when judging records of rare vagrants in the UK (particularly
Seabirds and mega-rare North American passerines). This makes it all the more
important that recorders should be extra vigilant when accepting records from
'photograph-only' submissions, particularly those from either unknown sources or
from those with more than chequered histories.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I work hard with RBA and Regional Birdlines in trying to break down these
scams but it is becoming increasingly harder to do because of the sheer volume
of record data being disseminated. Furthermore, some information services are
reluctant to divulge their sources, making it somewhat difficult to check
records out. Due to the competitiveness within the services, more and more
'unchecked' or 'unconfirmed' sightings are being broadcast. More care certainly
needs to be taken.</DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#ff0000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR>Lee G R Evans</FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR>British Birding Association<BR>UK400 Club,
Rare Birds Magazine, Ornithological Consultant and Conservationist<BR>Discussion
Forum/Email Group: <A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UK400Club/">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UK400Club/</A></FONT><FONT
lang=0 face=Arial color=#ff0000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR>Rare
Bird Alert</FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10">: <A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RareBirdAlertforBritainandIreland_UK400ClubBBA/">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RareBirdAlertforBritainandIreland_UK400ClubBBA/</A><BR>Email
Address: (email address filtered)<BR>Website Address: <A
href="http://www.uk400clubonline.co.uk/">www.uk400clubonline.co.uk</A><BR>Blog
Sites: <A
href="http://uk400clubrarebirdalert.blogspot.com/">http://uk400clubrarebirdalert.blogspot.com/</A><A
href="http://birdingamersham.blogspot.com/">
http://birdingamersham.blogspot.com/</A><A
href="http://birdingtringreservoirs.blogspot.com/">
http://birdingtringreservoirs.blogspot.com/</A><BR><A
href="http://calvertbirding.blogspot.com/">http://calvertbirding.blogspot.com/</A><BR><BR>Chaffinch
House<BR>8 Sandycroft Road<BR>Little
Chalfont<BR>Amersham<BR>Buckinghamshire<BR>England<BR>HP6 6QL<BR><BR>Telephones:
01494 763010 and 01494 581157<BR>Mobile/Text Alerts: 07881 906629<BR><BR>(Lee
Evans Enterprises incorporate documentation of rare bird occurrences in Britain
& Ireland and elsewhere in the Western Palearctic and in North America; Rare
Bird Information and Rare Bird Alerts; Rare Birds Magazine and other related
publications; Bird Tours for Birders)</FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>
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