Here's an excerpt (the bold font is mine):
...But due to the secrecy of our mission, we were forbidden to talk about it for more than a year. We had to distract and deceive. If pressed mercilessly, we had to lie outright to family, friends, and colleagues. My cousin jokingly told her family I was missing her wedding because of “some bird emergency,” not entirely out of character for me, I guess. We were advised to avoid discussing it with people “in the know”, particularly over radio, cell phone, email, and in public. It thus was given various code names including “snipe” and “Elvis” (being near Memphis furthered the Elvis illusion). Our mission was dubbed the Arkansas Inventory Project, and we were given cover stories to use if we were questioned.A similar version of LaBranche's story also appears on Cornell's web site here, but note that the "deception/lying/cover story" parts are missing.
In my humble opinion, lying about the perceived "little things" can grow into a habit that will eventually come back to haunt you.
2. In the "it's a small world" department: note that LaBranche co-authored this Red-cockaded Woodpecker paper (PDF format; 600kB) with Jeffrey R. Walters of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Jeffrey R. Walters is identified here as one of the peer reviewers of Cornell's original Science article.
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8 comments:
So overhead, at 100 meters, looking toward the sun, with every beat she tells herself, "white on top to the trailing edge" (whatever that means). I wonder if you can think that thought at eight and a half beats per second.
I wonder if you can think that thought at eight and a half beats per second.
No, you can't. And it was the largest woodpecker she had ever seen. Then she admits that it's really not that bigger than a pileated, but it's "apparent" size is much bigger.
Any birder, and I mean any birder, knows that size without a proper reference is useless.
When she was let off in that spot, she was primed to see. It was the best spot in the swamp, she says.
Gallagher had already told her they existed, because he saw one.
She was primed with Observer Expectancy Bias. How could she not see?
Most of the best birders in the world are perfectly willing to say, "that's what I think it was, but I can't be 100% sure." It's one of the main things that separate to field ID people from amateurs. And yes, in terms of field ID skills, many ornithologists are amateurs.
[Tom: You might just wish to make this a blog entry. No "hat tip" necessary.]
An excellent summary of the skeptic's position was made here on BirdForum. It is well worded, complete, and provides a nice retort to the sillier arguments made by true believers.
2. In the "it's a small world" department: note that LaBranche co-authored this Red-cockaded Woodpecker paper (PDF format; 600kB) with Jeffrey R. Walters of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Jeffrey R. Walters is identified here as one of the peer reviewers of Cornell's original Science article.
Nice.
OK, you are the editor of science, you are on a mission to fullfill a boyhood promise to Arthur Allen's, who once signed a letter, Love Arthur, you have to find "peer reviewers" for the paper announcing the how do you select your peer reviewers?
how do you leave Jerry Jackson out of the review?
Who made the call? Did Fitz "fix" the slate of reviewers? Did Kennedy come up with it on his own?
How did it happen that the peer review got so screwed up that sibley has to wade in a year later to try to save science?
cyberthrush said...
toward the end of Sept. I'll put a mention on my blog about the Oct. publication -- Congratulations!! -- (if I wait 'til Oct. to note it I'm afraid it'll get drowned out by some other birding news ; - )
9:47 PM
This is comment cyber left on Julie Zickefoose's blog. Notice the wink? Is there some ivory-billed woodpecker news or some big surprise that cyber is keeping under his hat?
Is there some ivory-billed woodpecker news or some big surprise that cyber is keeping under his hat?
To qoute Amy, "oh yeah, it's going to be huge." No, wait, she was talking about bigfoot.
Nah, Cyberhead ain't got nothin'.
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