> I was under the impression, perhaps an incorrect one, that GCB was judged
> the Best Bird overall in VIctoria. I can understand a particular team
> judging it as their best bird but has someone then sat down and decided
> that GCB was a "better" (or more difficult) bird to locate than another
> teams "Best Bird" be it Regent Honeyeater, Barking Owl or Willie Wagtail?
>
David
Simmer down! You misunderstood me!!! Each team nominates what it believes
to be its "Best Bird". Someone then makes a choice from the nominations -
ONLY from the nominations (as many as there are teams) - and not from a list
of all birds recorded in the Twitchathon. Such a list would be impossible
to compile in a rushed 30 minutes right at the end of the event anyhow.
.... and we didn't sit down either, we were standing in front of an
expectant crowd .......
> In respects my vested interest in having Regent Honeyeater judged "Best
> Bird", I'm not sure what I have to gain. I'm certainly not going to
> accept
> responsibility for any species inclusion on the endangered species list.
> I
> suppose my only selfish interest in the matter might be to raise the
> profile of the species in the hope that we can work out where the little
> sods go when they leave Chiltern.
>
And that would be fair enough too, but I was only teasing ......
> I raised the matter only because it seems an interesting choice to make,
> if
> one were being objective about it. Mind you, I'm not sure that any
> Twitchathon team I've been involved in has been terribly objective.
>
That hits the nail on the head. Try this for a combination of objectiveness
destroying circumstances:
* Find you've won the Twitchathon for the fist time;
* Whilst in a dazed & vulnerable state, get a list of 7 or 8 birds
thrust at you with the instruction "Choose the best of these";
* Look around to realise that 30 or so people are waiting anxiously
for your announcement.
When we got "Best Bird" a few years back, we took it as an encouragement
award (like "Most Improved Player" in childhood sporting circles). GCB got
it over RH this year - in 1997 Long-toed Stint got it over Barking Owl, etc.
It isn't a rational process ...... but it is part of the fun.
Cheers, Lawrie
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