Where can I find guidance to author a rare bird report?
One of the unfortunate mistakes that observers make when preparing a rare bird account is to describe everything about the event in wonderful detail…except for what the bird looked like! It is not sufficient to comment that “the bird looked just like the drawing/photograph in field guide X.” Individual birds possess their own distinguishing characteristics when carefully studied; field guides represent a common ground or a blend of how a species of a given age/sex will likely appear. Remember, too, that future researchers and record committees may reference your report, but may have no idea of your skill level. The GOS Rare Bird Report Form is designed to assist observers to describe the topography, behavior and sounds of the species that they are reporting. The GOS Rare Bird Report Form is available in two versions: • HTML (print this form and fill it in by hand). • Microsoft Word (save this document to your PC/Mac and use Microsoft Word to edit the template).
