16 ILLINOLS AULD U B'O NEB Ulta 
Notes and Feathers .. . 
by REBECCA MATTHEWS 
(Reprinted by permission from the MISSOURI BLUEBIRD) 
Once upon a time on a cool and cloudy day while we were looking at the 
birds, we discovered a blue Little Blue Heron perched in a tree across the 
lake. As we watched, a time-reverse miracle took place right in front of 
our eyes. The sun came out and to our amazement, the heron changed 
from blue to white! Imagine seeing a Little Blue Heron go from adult to 
youth in a matter of seconds. 
This sort of experience, with appropriate variations, has probably 
been duplicated by every birder at one time or another. Such events 
ought really to teach us that there are times when we can’t beheve our 
eyes. Occasionally however, we forget (especially those of us who have 
not been playing the birding game all our lives) that there are other 
criteria which must be considered in identifying a bird: habitat, voice, 
habits, season, locality, etc. Forgetting these things, we proudly announce 
to the world that we have seen this or that rare or exotic winged creature. 
If you say it loudly enough, someone is bound to hear you and say, 
“No way!” To have this happen is embarrassing, frustrating, disappoint- 
ing and confidence-shaking, but it 1s necessary. 
If we are going to play the game, we must play by the rules. If we 
eet out of bounds, it is important to have someone there to blow the 
whistle. We’re fortunate to have well-informed and dedicated ornitholo- 
gists and experienced birdwatchers in Missouri keeping their eyes on us 
as we learn. 
And we do learn. At least we should, and we can if we forget our 
injured pride and resolve to be more thorough in our next observation. 
To those who keep a watchful eye, we must say thanks for sharing your 
knowledge and experience. We only ask that you continue to be patient, 
understanding, and kind. 
If birding is a game, we who play it must realize that it 1s more than 
that. The scores we keep become a part of the permanent record. Al- 
though few of us are scientists, we are making a contribution to science. 
It is an important one, too, for scientists, unlike the birds we watch, can- 
not be everywhere. We are needed, but we must strive to be informed, 
careful, observant, and continually learning. 
We can look back with pride over our Society’s near seventy-five 
years of contribution to the science of ornithology. We want future birders 
to be equally proud of us. 
(Less than satisfactory identifications plague many editors, and 
probably always will; for additional comments concerning how and why 
such observations are reported, readers are referred to articles by James 
A. Tucker and G. Stuart Keith in the journal: “Birding”, Vol. 7, No. I. 
—d.) 
—Rt. 2, Box 128 
Springfield, Mo. 65802 
