"Selection of IBWO literature for German conference"

Here.

Mumpsimuses?

"Anonymous" recently added the following under the "Stubbornly boneheaded" comment thread:

Well, better late than never...

In answer to what we call the believers, mumpsimuses.

mumpsimus (pl. mumpsimuses) n.
•A person who obstinately adheres to old ways in spite of clear evidence that they are wrong
•A traditional custom or notion adhered to although shown to be unreasonable.
--a person who obstinately adheres to such a custom or notion.

source: Oxford English Dictionaries

IBWO survey

Here. Follow-up posts here and here.

Some 2002 thoughts from Alan Wormington are here.

...and more from Sibley and Bevier on ID-Frontiers

New Sibley posts here and here.

New Bevier post here.

An excerpt from Bevier's post:

I've come to learn that the very best sight records are those that involve reconfirmation of crucial characters. By this I mean one sees a bird, identifies it, and then resets their mind to look specifically for characters again, attempting to verify that what we thought we saw at first glance is indeed there. Sure it's possible to identify a bird in a single, fleeting glance of a few seconds; often we are correct. But if we want to be certain, then the circumstances need to allow reconfirmation. (In this regard, the published Ivory-billed sightings fail miserably.)...

Sibley and Bevier on ID-Frontiers

You should read this entire post by David Sibley on ID-Frontiers.

An excerpt:

Sight records are exciting and are fundamentally important to bird study. Written descriptions and sketches have value for the observer and for posterity. Both should continue to be encouraged as central to the hobby and the science of bird study. But we must accept that sightings will always be subject to some error, slightly less than proof, and that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof". This has been the standard for hundreds of years.

Sibley weighs in on the "Cuban mystery warbler" here.

More posts by Louis Bevier are here and here.

Florida rumor details!

Here; seems as plausible as that old "Area 51" rumor.

Smithsonian "Lost or Found?" display

From a reader's email:

I visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in D.C. today and saw something interesting. Thought you might find it worthy of mentioning in your blog (not sure if you have already or not). They have a small display in the main rotunda about the "rediscovery", which includes skins collected in 1898 of both an IBWO and PIWO. The title of the display is "Lost or Found?". The complete text contained in the display, along with some photos, can be found here.

I was surprised that they, an "official institution", speak of the IBWO as being "reportedly rediscovered" and its "possible survival". And they didn't tuck the display away in a corner somewhere. It's in the main area of the museum, not too far from one of the entrances...