lrasmuss@nmsu.edu (Linda Rasmussen) (08/24/89)
On August 15 we caught a rare glimpse of the Plain-capped Starthroat, a
casual visiting hummingbird from Mexico. It was at the Coronado National
Monument in Arizona, about 20 miles south of Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca
Mountains. (The monument is right on the Mexican border.) It looks similar
to a Blue-throated in the shade, except that the white eye stripe is in the
wrong place; on the Starthroat it is a cheek stripe. It also has white
rump and base-of-wing patches.
The bird had been reported on the Tuscon Audubon hotline about a month ago
and we had gone over then too, but with no luck. It hadn't been reported
since, but when we were in AZ last week we went to the monument because
they have a nice observation window and other birds as well. 3 of us were
right at the feeder when it appeared, and the monument employee ID'd it
immediately while the rest of us were still thinking "huh..?"---but what
was strange--and the purpose of this little story-was that the first thing
the monument person said was "DON'T TELL ANYBODY." We found out that the
starthroat had been coming regularly for weeks.
Apparently the Natl.Monument wants to keep their bird information under
wraps because birdwatching is "not the purpose of the monument" and they
don't want lots of birders showing up looking for things (this despite
the fact that they have several feeders, a little pool, and an observation
window set up at the building).
Doesn't this seem a bit odd? Both times we were there there were no other
visitors in the building, and only a couple of cars in the lot. Any
business--whether for birds, or for the seeker-of-gold Coronado--I would think
would be welcome. But what is most disturbing is the attempt to strangle
the flow of information on rare sightings. This is public (national) property
is it not? Has anyone come across this before?
So...if you're in SE Arizona, be sure to check out the Coronado monument.
Just because nothing is on the bird alert tape doesn't mean nothing
is there.
Linda Rasmussen lrasmuss@dante.nmsu.edu
New Mexico State University (505)646-5598sandra@pyrtech (Sandra Macika) (08/25/89)
In article <309@opus.NMSU.EDU> lrasmuss@nmsu.edu (Linda Rasmussen) writes: >On August 15 we caught a rare glimpse of the Plain-capped Starthroat, a >casual visiting hummingbird from Mexico. It was at the Coronado National >Monument in Arizona, about 20 miles south of Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca >Mountains. > >3 of us were >right at the feeder when it appeared, and the monument employee ID'd it >immediately while the rest of us were still thinking "huh..?"---but what >was strange--and the purpose of this little story-was that the first thing >the monument person said was "DON'T TELL ANYBODY." We found out that the >starthroat had been coming regularly for weeks. > >Apparently the Natl.Monument wants to keep their bird information under >wraps because birdwatching is "not the purpose of the monument" and they >don't want lots of birders showing up looking for things (this despite >the fact that they have several feeders, a little pool, and an observation >window set up at the building). > >Doesn't this seem a bit odd? Both times we were there there were no other >visitors in the building, and only a couple of cars in the lot. Any >business--whether for birds, or for the seeker-of-gold Coronado--I would think >would be welcome. But what is most disturbing is the attempt to strangle >the flow of information on rare sightings. This is public (national) property >is it not? Has anyone come across this before? > >So...if you're in SE Arizona, be sure to check out the Coronado monument. >Just because nothing is on the bird alert tape doesn't mean nothing >is there. > > > Linda Rasmussen lrasmuss@dante.nmsu.edu > New Mexico State University (505)646-5598 Did you make any of these comments to the employee? What was the response? Was this just one employees ideas or the position of the Monument Keepers? Sandra