tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post9065301303321038430..comments2024-03-24T13:38:03.683-05:00Comments on Adventures with Olaf: Free the NippleOlaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-88051158721559979402016-05-24T16:01:01.716-05:002016-05-24T16:01:01.716-05:00Hmmmmmmmmmmm.........
"The fact that birders...Hmmmmmmmmmmm.........<br /><br />"The fact that birders are saying he's employing secrecy, and that this is suspect, simply sounds stupid."<br /><br />My experience of twitching and yearlisting is not based on movies. It is based on thirty years' twitching experience and detailed knowledge of thirty years' yearlisting competitions. So notwithstanding your characterisation of the comments as stupid, it is exactly how such an approach would be construed in Britain. If that individual had been in the presence of yearlisters without declaring his yearlisting and had been from say America or even Australia, I know exactly what the chap would have been called.<br /><br />All the best<br /><br />PaulPaul Chapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01391529540436226930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-36274408606449628662016-05-24T02:01:44.421-05:002016-05-24T02:01:44.421-05:00Firstly, good luck Olaf, you seem to be doing fant...Firstly, good luck Olaf, you seem to be doing fantastically!<br /><br />As an Australian (well a New Zealander actually, but I live in Australia), re comments made about John Weigel, I think you'll find there are no doubters at all about either of John’s two Australian Big Years. On the first Big Year, he travelled with several well-respected companions, including a well-known Australian television wildlife presenters. He smashed the previous record. On his second Big Year, he wanted to do the year independently. All his birds were verified, and he saw virtually all the hard to get species and vagrants either with other people (such as on a pelagic trip), or at known twitch sites where a rarity turned up, and other Twitchers were presents. John's character was shown to be exemplary, and the amount of research and planning he did was mind-blowing. As an aside, it's worth noting that he is very well-funded, and that he's also an American birder who happens to live in Australia.<br /><br />In terms of secrecy, he's not being secretive - just cautious at first, somewhat like those who appeared in the movie (exactly like them in fact). The fact that birders are saying he's employing secrecy, and that this is suspect, simply sounds stupid. Supply weekly updates via social media is just one way of doing a Big Year, and usually says something about a person’s ego than the race (no reflection on you Olaf!). If you're serious about competing in a Big Year, yes, good records are really important (and believe me John will have great records of everything he's done), but posting weekly blog updates is great fun, but for a lot of people completely counter-intuitive. If you're a 20s-something social network geek, maybe it's straight-forward, but for serious birders, you coud described it as a waste of valuable time, certainly at the beginning of the race, when time means everything. Knowing John, a full account of his race will appear soon, and it will be extremely well documentedTim Dolbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05959326240924026673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-85149057401589100532016-05-24T01:56:42.650-05:002016-05-24T01:56:42.650-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Tim Dolbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05959326240924026673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-29392416083317791472016-05-24T01:52:57.610-05:002016-05-24T01:52:57.610-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Tim Dolbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05959326240924026673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-44889521405075350952016-05-24T01:34:22.445-05:002016-05-24T01:34:22.445-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Tim Dolbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05959326240924026673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-20765019495681736822016-05-24T01:33:34.307-05:002016-05-24T01:33:34.307-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Tim Dolbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05959326240924026673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-88169693652166993742016-05-24T01:32:20.205-05:002016-05-24T01:32:20.205-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Tim Dolbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05959326240924026673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-14337128462922716992016-05-22T12:07:08.028-05:002016-05-22T12:07:08.028-05:00Why is the Willow Fly above not a Least?Why is the Willow Fly above not a Least?Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02089476193271787498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-84100619761727445002016-05-19T12:00:33.320-05:002016-05-19T12:00:33.320-05:00There is another byproduct of Mr. Weigel's str...There is another byproduct of Mr. Weigel's strategy that, while not unethical, is certainly undesirable among birders: By neither eBirding nor in any other way sharing info on his sightings, he is taking a ton of information from the community but giving nothing back.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13424544886582839938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-75440547188176161262016-05-19T07:47:12.738-05:002016-05-19T07:47:12.738-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13614609424008774360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-50076228640892738322016-05-19T03:01:10.441-05:002016-05-19T03:01:10.441-05:00Olaf, you are my birding hero. You have inspired m...Olaf, you are my birding hero. You have inspired many birders. Do not let anyone influence you to change your strategy or hold back on reporting. Forget that turkey from the Outback. You've got this! Go get 'em, buddy. We are behind you! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09599858953108349448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-30480166951942001562016-05-18T15:36:51.776-05:002016-05-18T15:36:51.776-05:00OK - I have re-read all the comments and I just wa...OK - I have re-read all the comments and I just wanted to select two quotes:-<br /><br />"Checking eBird I decided that between the Bahama Mockingbird in Florida and the Slate-throated Redstart in Arizona, the only choice that could get me to Alaska in time was the Mockingbird." (John Weigel e-mail)<br /><br />"I can't say why John waited to announce, but I suspect it was strategy." (Matthew Grube)<br /><br />I can't say the use of a source of information without contributing to it or the withholding of information for strategic reasons is within the spirit of twitching to which I identify.<br /><br />The commoner species are almost exhausted. Olaf will need to roll up his sleeves and twitch hard but I am sure that many will look to support him in that regard.<br /><br />Very good luck again<br /><br />All the best<br /><br />Paul ChapmanPaul Chapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01391529540436226930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-82367895231416801002016-05-18T15:16:30.716-05:002016-05-18T15:16:30.716-05:00Apologies to Ian for not addressing his question i...Apologies to Ian for not addressing his question in my last post. Wasn't sure whether he wanted me to e-mail him directly or respond using this site. Couldn't figure out the former, so am trying here. In a nutshell, and I could be wrong, as I wasn't there, but it appears that Mr. Weigel followed a similar strategy when doing his Big Years in Australia;i.e., bird first and report sometime later, perhaps near the end of year. Mr Baxter seems to confirm this above. This may be okay in Australia, but for the last number of years, this hasn't been the way it has been done in North America. Even on the world stage Nohan Stryker, the current World Big Year birder who just set the record in 2015, did regular public reports despite the fact that he was traveling all over the world. One comment that I can remember reading from an Australian birder during one of Mr. Weigel's Big Years to paraphrase was: Who is this guy?, why isn't he reporting to Ausbirdlife, and why isn't he a member, or something to that affect. That is what I meant by a similar question being asked. To finalize my feelings on this topic, because I think ( I hope ) I have said everything I need to say is that going forward, my wish would be for Mr. Weigel to report regularly about his Big Year. Despite the fact there are no hard and fast rules about this, this, to me, is the fairest, and, in the spirit of fair competition, the most sportsmanlike way of doing things. thorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04735492479164864510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-54499058820124335472016-05-18T12:54:16.932-05:002016-05-18T12:54:16.932-05:00I have it on good authority that John has a super-...I have it on good authority that John has a super-secret plan involving Mexican bird smugglers to have numerous prospective ABA-first-record "vagrants" released just across the Rio Grande river in mid-December, with John "coincidentally" stationed just on the ABA side of the river to provisionally "count" them on his year list. Devious, yes, but also so crazy it just might work!!<br /><br />This is all shaping up as the perfect sequel to The Big Year movie...<br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13424544886582839938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-42043529399161692842016-05-18T10:25:32.978-05:002016-05-18T10:25:32.978-05:00I tend to disagree with Mr.Baxter, although I don&...I tend to disagree with Mr.Baxter, although I don't doubt the authenticity of his analysis. If you have been following Olaf's blog, his schedule is also brutal, and yet he still finds a way to produce regular detailed blogs. As others have said there are often long waits at airports, wifi is available on the plane itself, etc. As I have said above, all the Big Year birders in recent years have produced regular blogs. The birds may come first, but if you want your Big Year to be taken seriously in this very interconnective world, in my mind, it is imperative that you not only keep a running count, but you inform the birding world about what you are doing in a timely fashion. <br />Commentators have reported positively about Mr Weigel's character, his charitable work, etc, and I accept those as being representative of the man. However, I had second hand information this time last year that the " Australian Big Year Birder " was going to do an ABA Big Year this year. I waited to see his reports starting in January and, as we know that they were not there. Some have portrayed the lack of same as a time issue, which I don't accept. Others have said that this was a strategic move. In the meantime Olaf has been producing detailed reports of where, how, with whom, which birds, etc, from day one. I assume Mr.Weigel is aware of Olaf's blog, and yet, he has still waited this long to produce a kind of list. If the analysis of why is that this was a strategic move as some have suggested, then the only way to describe this in my mind is being sneaky. Also, as Mr. Chapman points out, if this behavior causes Olaf to be more circumspect in his reporting, that would really be too bad. Big Years, despite being competitive, should also be cooperative in the spirit of what we hope is the true nature of the sport/hobby that many of us have devoted many hours of our lives to. <br />I have had the privilege of birding with the declared no 2 and 3 ABA lifetime list birders. Even though their numbers are only separated by a couple of birds, they often bird together, share information, and generally help each other out. To me they represent what is best about the so called competitive birding world, and I would hope that this kind of mutually respectful and cooperative behavior would be the norm rather than the exception. thorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04735492479164864510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-12117201636377406942016-05-18T08:27:11.683-05:002016-05-18T08:27:11.683-05:00Olaf there is a little confusion in the writeup. I...Olaf there is a little confusion in the writeup. I think Mourning Warbler was #664 so Canada Warbler should be bumped to #665. Same total. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03485918551516333059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-71796982185465848052016-05-18T08:27:05.320-05:002016-05-18T08:27:05.320-05:00Ohhhh you guys don't know John like we do back...Ohhhh you guys don't know John like we do back here.<br /><br />He documents it all. He photographs it all. And if he misses a photo, he gets the details of the person standing next to him for a written statement.<br /><br />He has all bases covered. And he is absolutely credible. And honest. <br /><br />I'm 26 years old a very fit. And I struggle to keep up with John over a few days. He is crazy! In the best way! <br /><br />And I know from his emails that he has been struggling to put together a blog in his time at airports. But the guy is so fast paced that these sorts of things will have to wait. Anyone who knows john will agree that he is a 'birds first, audience second' kind of guy. The people will get their accounts. But not while there is birds to find. And not until he runs out of days to find them.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13614609424008774360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-15517070593265841502016-05-18T03:18:18.657-05:002016-05-18T03:18:18.657-05:00Hi Thor, are you able to point me to any reference...Hi Thor, are you able to point me to any references to doubters from his Australian big years? <br /><br />"When you Google his name relative to his Australian Big Year (s, some of the local birders there also had similar questions."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00091144273129202910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-71940079013413324722016-05-18T00:46:51.274-05:002016-05-18T00:46:51.274-05:00Quite simply no axe to grind. I've twitched a ...Quite simply no axe to grind. I've twitched a bit in Britain and done a bit of European birding over the last thirty years. All tame stuff. My reaction to John Weigel's late entry was the same as set out here. It is inevitable if you choose to do that people will question your credibility. It is not in the spirit of the competition. Life and year listing have a curious collaborative element (or should have) that those outside of it do not understand. That said if Olaf now withholds sightings as he goes, all he will do is damage his own credibility. That would be a huge shame. If he maintains the correct approach, people will judge his total in the right way. If he withholds sightings, he may as well skip those long thankless trips, the occasional highs and the surging bursts of adrenalin when he sees the bird - as people will view his total sceptically in any event.<br /><br />Very good luck.<br /><br />All the best<br /><br />Paul ChapmanPaul Chapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01391529540436226930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-71394271641380897232016-05-17T21:35:36.012-05:002016-05-17T21:35:36.012-05:00I think Olaf is holding back for self-protection. ...I think Olaf is holding back for self-protection. If Mr. Weigel had kept his records straight in the first place there would have been absolutely no perception of stringing. However, with no facts and just a list, presumably an accurate list kept by a competent birder, which it now appears he is, what other conclusions can one draw? Sorry, but if you are doing a Big Year you should know that your records will be looked at and questioned if they are not accurate. I think holding back your numbers if you are doing a Big Year is somewhat akin to Sandbagging in golf. Chris Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05327061864505451785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-26492266298764019962016-05-17T20:51:15.977-05:002016-05-17T20:51:15.977-05:00William, thanks for a voice of reason.
FWIW, I to...William, thanks for a voice of reason.<br /><br />FWIW, I too have run across John a couple times this year, and I haven't had reason to doubt his numbers. As Olaf mentioned, John did not count the Great Skua when he was on the deck at the same time. He easily could have counted that and probably no one could have questioned him. He also apparently missed the Marsh Sandpiper. I saw him in Los Angeles when we both missed the Kelp Gull, which he then chased in Ohio.<br /><br />As Michael pointed out, John appears to have made a typo on the date of the Little Egret. Mistakes will happen, and he has already said that his blog was launched earlier than he would have liked.<br /><br />To claim that John is a stringer and a cheater who is only doing this for self glory is a premature and uninformed claim to make. If you have seen his blog, you will notice that a large reason for his big year is also to raise money to help save the Tasmanian Devil.<br /><br />I can't say why John waited to announce, but I suspect it was strategy. Olaf just admitted in this post that he will likely keep some secrets. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09290782447157081160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-4167312825546623642016-05-17T20:36:30.640-05:002016-05-17T20:36:30.640-05:00I guess my response to Mr. Brooks's comments w...I guess my response to Mr. Brooks's comments would be try telling Messrs. Hayward, Lehman, Van der Pol, Ake, and Ms. Barber, in addition to this year's Mr. Danielson that their Big Years pace was slowe(er ), and, yet they all managed to post blogs with pictures, other birders they birded with who witnessed their sightings, schedules, etc, more or less from the beginning of the year. Why can't Mr. Weigel do the same. At the very least start NOW. thorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04735492479164864510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-12023245434547559832016-05-17T20:31:04.369-05:002016-05-17T20:31:04.369-05:00All well and good, but one always waits in airport...All well and good, but one always waits in airports and most have Wi-Fi.<br />Just a little input is better than no input.Chris Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05327061864505451785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-87472184195500625882016-05-17T20:29:33.791-05:002016-05-17T20:29:33.791-05:00Fully agree. He might be a serious challenge, but...Fully agree. He might be a serious challenge, but he will be taken much more seriously if he opens up and gets his records accurate. People like Neil and Jon did great jobs, as did Jay Lehman. Everyone understands that these guys can't post all the time, and sometimes they are in places with no internet.. However, a weekly accurate update would sure help Mr. Weigel. Chris Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05327061864505451785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-65352531294229324682016-05-17T19:50:04.067-05:002016-05-17T19:50:04.067-05:00Anyone doing this for an official record should go...Anyone doing this for an official record should go public early in the process. It's to easy no a days to get word out. 5 mins a day. Secrecy is suspect.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09638059062260415039noreply@blogger.com