Other than a short interlude, Linda and I’ve owned an RBA pager for over thirty years: it has been a useful software in serving to us each to life lists that stay spectacular even when in comparison with those that, in contrast to us, are nonetheless ready to drop every little thing for an American warbler on a distant island!
RBA, like the opposite related outfits, depends upon its subscribers to ship in sightings and, if attainable, pictures of uncommon or uncommon birds: this I’ve performed for a few years (though, not having a cell phone, this tends to occur through my PC after I’m again house!)
When Linda and I visited Arundel this week we have been happy to return throughout a flock of fifteen Cattle Egrets proper by the highway. I am effectively conscious that the species is nowhere close to as uncommon as after I drove from Nancy’s to Hykeham in Lincolnshire to see my first: I’ve seen flocks of ten or extra on many events – however they’re nonetheless good birds to see and stay scarce in lots of components of the UK. Accordingly, I reported the very confiding Arundel flock to RBA, offering a few pictures of those and of two close by Nice White Egrets.
I used to be a bit stunned that neither species appeared on the pager nor the RBA on-line map – although I might reset each to ‘Sussex’. I made a decision to e-mail them to seek out out why: the reply was:
Expensive David
Thanks very a lot in your e-mail. As species reminiscent of Cattle Egrets have develop into far more
widespread now in some components of the nation than they was it turns into extra
troublesome to supply a balanced line on how we report them.
Finest needs
I replied, saying that though Cattle Egrets are usually not as uncommon as they as soon as have been, they might nonetheless be of nice curiosity to birders visiting from areas the place that wasn’t the case. I reminded RBA that they did report some Spoonbills flying previous Selsey, in addition to a Little Stint at Shoreham: neither of those are precisely troublesome birds to attach with!
I reckon RBA must rethink its method: I’m sure that birders who take their pagers on vacation or seek the advice of the web RBA map assume they’re going to obtain information of semi-rarities like Shiny Ibis, Spoonbill, Nice Egret and Cattle Egret within the space they’re visiting: not all sunscribers are hard-core twitchers!
