Serious first, fun second.

[Ron Gatrelle]

Chuck Vaughn wrote:


> Bob,
>
> Are you sure the Lorquin's Admirals were not California Sisters?
> I've been to Yosemite lots of times and have never seen Lorquin's
> Admirals there but California Sisters are everywhere.

This is a general editorial and not directed at Bob in any way. The masses
of birders that have come over into lepping have brought their entire
vocabulary and way of doing business into this arena - except for one very
notable item.  My understanding, as a non-birder, is that there are some
stiff requirements among birders to insure proper identifications. Top on
this list is confirmation of ID by an accompanying person AND expert
verification.  I often see bogus listings in their unilateral "sightings"
of leps. How many of these have now, or will, become dots on maps? No one
else present, no vouchers, and usually no pictures. BOY, what an honest and
accurate group. ?

Can I make an observation?  This indicates something more serious to me
though. It is that the majority of these folks remain primarily birders,
and thus serious about birds and not butterflies. This is evidenced by, and
why they are much more lax about, butterfly IDing than for birds. In other
words their interest in butterflies is largely a passing fad - something
they do on the side while being serious birders. This is evidenced by the
_fact_ that a very large number (have now completed their butterfly life
list) are now all "flocking" over to prey on the dragonflies. If they were
all so honest or accurate, Audubon would not have made any rules relative
to identification. So if Audubon doesn't blindly, naively, categorically,
trust their own members - and - are so serious about scientific bird
accuracy that they are not afraid to "offend" someone by questioning and
requiring confirmation of identifications - how much more should
requirements and safeguards be placed on these same folks who have now
moved over to our leps land?

Gosh, this is like a kid going to a neighbor's house where the rules are
not so tough. We can go over to leps land and all be instant experts. That
is a lot more "fun" than the rigidity of birding. Birding is serious,
butterflies are just fun. How many times has someone posted those exact
words to me here or in private.  Ron, lighten up, butterflying is just
fun... we are just having fun... Well, their "fun" is someone else's
science. There is plenty of fun in lepping. But not by sacrificing the
serious and scientific part of it. IDing and reporting living organisms -
as demonstrated by the Audubon rules - is not something to play with.

And people wonder why folks like myself or Chris are not big fans of NABA
or see a dumbing down of lepidopterology. Further, the NABA names list is
not The standardized list of common names. Far from it.

Ron

PS  I forgot to mention that I saw an Ivory Billed Woodpecker in the swamp
near my house last week. Yes, I was alone,  but what does that have to do
with anything.


 
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 

   For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:

   http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl