ILLINOIS AUDUBON? BU bea 
ile PEER bn ‘S Message 
Fall is here and Winter is not far behind and with it comes the 
annual event called the Christmas Bird Count. Everything 1s 
becoming more complicated and so are the Counts. We now must 
verify all birds which are unusual to the area for any of several 
reasons: the bird may be here at the wrong season, it may be far 
out of normal range, or possibly, it is a rare or endangered species. 
When these birds are reported without several observers seeing them 
and without written verification, it puts a great deal of pressure on 
the people who are responsible for the accuracy of the Count: the 
Count compiler, the area or state compiler, and the editors of those 
publications recording and publishing the data. With this in mind 
I would like to urge all participants to use extreme caution in 
recording their observations and to have as many observers as 
possible see any and all unusual birds. 
This same idea also holds true for the number of birds seen. 
While this may not seem as important as finding and recording the 
highest number of species, it is in reality of equal or even greater 
importance as this is the data used by people who may not have 
the best interests of our wildlife at heart. Let me tell you about an 
article which appeared in the Wednesday, September 29, 1975, 
edition of the Chicago Tribune. A Mr. Ronald Kotulak, Science 
Editor authored an article entitled “The Encephalitis War May 
Fell Birds.” In this article he states and I quote, “We may have to 
start killing birds next year” and “The annihilation of large bird 
flocks has become a distinct possibility because many common 
varieties of birds harbor the encephalitis virus.” Among the reasons 
given are, and I quote again, “Some experts believe there are more 
birds now as a result of an increase in bird sanctuaries.” Mr. 
Kotulak has even singled out finches, thrushes and warblers as 
especially dangerous. 
I guess what I am trying to impress on you is the fact, and this 
time I will paraphrase a quote from our law enforcement officials, 
“Any information that you gather and submit for publication can 
and will be used against you.” 
I responded to Mr. Kotulak’s article to the best of my ability 
by sending the letter on page 3 to Mr. John McCutcheon, Editorial 
Page Editor of the Tribune. I also contacted the United States 
Department of Public Health and was told that they would not 
allow this to happen and that they would back us if necessary to 
stop any mass killing of songbirds. 
