26 ILLINOIS AUDUBON BULLETIN 
Psychological Factors 
A particularly dangerous psychological phenomenon, and one that I find I 
have to guard against, is that of “‘seeing’’ what you expect to see. If you know 
that an unusual bird has been seen in a certain area, it somehow becomes much 
easier to mistake a more common species for the rarity. Such a phenomenon was 
at work in the case of the Spotted Redshank mentioned previously. It can also 
manifest itself in other ways. Thus there is a tendency to agree with the judgment 
of the group one is with. Or, sometimes a whole group of birders can be swayed 
by the pronouncements, right or wrong, of one individual who has a reputation as 
an expert. I have seen all of these things happen in the field more times than I 
would like to remember. 
Finally, although I am not a psychologist, I would imagine that there are 
uncommon cases where an individual’s personal psychological needs interfere 
with his field identifications. From a desire or need to tick off another species, 
standards are either consciously or unconsciously relaxed, or in some other way 
an incorrect identification is accepted by the individual. 3 
Dealing with these psychological factors is part of developing the critical 
attitude | mentioned earlier. Set high standards for your own observations, and 
maintain them. Be prepared to say, *‘I don’t care what others say that bird is, I 
want to identify it myself, and Unless J see everything I want to, I’m not going to 
count it.’’ The right attitude towards rarities is also important. Remember, by 
definition a rare bird is one you are most unlikely to see. So think, ““Just a 
moment, this bird isn’t supposed to be here. I’d better see everything I can and 
not accept the identification unless everything fits in.’’ Adopting these statements 
as part of your general attitude towards field identification will make you a better 
and more reliable observer. Accepting only those identifications you can make 
with certainty, even if you have to let some birds go, is far preferable to trying to 
identify every bird, with the risk of error. 
I could briefly summarize this article by saying that the road to success in 
field observation requires knowledge, experience, and a critical attitude. Only 
the first of these comes from a book. And the last is most important. Without it, 
even a knowledgeable and experienced observer will never be an expert ob- 
server. 
— 4333 N. Kedvale 
Chicago, IL 60641 
Educate the ignorant. Curb the selfish. 
