Comments on Night of the Kingfisher: Requiem for the Dead

It looks like my spotted cucumber beetle: http://s...

2005-11-30T11:27:00.000-05:00

It looks like my spotted cucumber beetle: http://snailstales.blogspot.com/2005/09/backyard-bugs-i-spotted-cucumber.html

Nannothemis over at Urban Dragon Hunters has sugge...

2005-11-16T15:57:00.000-05:00

Nannothemis over at Urban Dragon Hunters has suggested that this beetle is a Spotted Cucumber Beetle http://bugguide.net/node/view/29805
The information that I read didn't indicate that they ate anything other than plants and that has kind of thrown me off. I'll see if I get other confirmations or suggestions.

But no one answered your beetle question! I don't ...

2005-11-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

But no one answered your beetle question! I don't bird watch but I'd like to learn how. I love birds. I want to know about that beetle! I had no idea. I think I'm glad I've never seen one of THOSE before!

I only count non native birds if they have an esta...

2005-11-13T14:12:00.000-05:00

I only count non native birds if they have an established feral populataion. I don't therefore, count any bird that is an escapee, or enclosed in a zoo, or someones pet.

I guess that rules out sightings at the zoo as wel...

2005-11-12T11:37:00.000-05:00

I guess that rules out sightings at the zoo as well. I think with regard to the peacock though I would engage in civil disobedience and add it to the list.

Another ABA rule that I find confining at times is...

2005-11-12T11:18:00.000-05:00

Another ABA rule that I find confining at times is that the bird must be native or at least naturalized. The joy you might feel at spotting an unexpected peacock in the middle of the forest (which I've done) is tempered considerably by the fact that the sighting won't officially count until you see one in India or Asia.

Thanks for this disappointing info. He stays off ...

2005-11-09T07:13:00.000-05:00

Thanks for this disappointing info. He stays off the list, only the official rules for me. This is a serious site and we won't mess with the rules.

Really you can make up whatever rules for counting...

2005-11-08T22:28:00.000-05:00

Really you can make up whatever rules for counting birds you want, if it is for your own list. (Just be consistent.)

But officially dead birds are not counted. For example, the ABA Listing Rules state that "The bird must have been alive, wild, and unrestrained when encountered." The NJ Audubon Society's rules for the World Series of Birding (pdf) make the same point.

Of course, both of those are setting standards for competitive listers. If you want to use different ones, that is up to you, and long as you adhere to the standard ones if submitting lists to birding clubs, etc.

By the way, I love the photographs here. The last beetle shot was interesting.