There are a large number of people who bird these days and many of you may not be familiar with the aspects of documenting rare bird sightings. "Why should I bother?" is one often asked question. One of the major reasons to do so is that it generates a permanent record of your observation for use in research projects by future ornithologists. While this may or may not be of significant importance to you, it can contribute in a valuable way to the preservation of avian species. A bird that for you is just an interesting species to add to your list may in fact be a rarity for everyone. Your sighting can expand the data available for determining the range, time period and extent of migration or nesting for birds that there are currently little or incomplete data on. Documenting rare or out of season species provides a written record that can be examined and evaluated in future years by anyone with the interest in doing so. Another advantage of documenting your finds is that it allows for objective evaluation of the field marks noted and helps to keep unintentional errors in information out of print while making sure that the valuable contributions made are put into print.

A situation that has arisen in the past is the "Someone else will document it" mindset. I'm sure that most of us have been guilty of this at some point. Unfortunately a number of important records have been excluded from print because everyone thought that someone else would take care of it. Even if this were the case, your documentation could very well supply the one field mark that could clinch a difficult identification that might otherwise be inadequate. Having had the pleasure of reviewing a number of documentations, it is pretty remarkable how differently two persons observing the same bird at the same time can describe what they saw. The more information available about a sighting the better, as it gives a more complete picture of what was actually there.

Okay, now you've decided that maybe you better start keeping records of anything that seems out of place. How do you go about it? A good start would be to carry a notebook and pen with you every time you go into the field. An excellent alternative is to carry a tape recorder and blank tape with you. "Why mess with it?" you ask, "I'll just write it down when I get home." Well, quite frankly if you're like me, by the time you get home late from a day in the bush, you can't even remember what you had for breakfast, much less whether or not a bird's rictal bristles are charcoal gray or ash gray. By taking notes in the field, you not only get it down while it's fresh in you mind, but you don't run the risk of forgetting to do it or putting it off until later. Memory is at best a tricky way to document birds as the tendency is to remember more than you actually saw.

One important thing to remember is to include only those field marks that you actually observe, not what you think should be there or what someone tells you that they see. These are your notes after all, so why confuse the issue by including things that should be there but that you can't detect. Things to look for are numerous in some situations and less so in others, but it's important to record even the most minute details, as they may matter in differentiating one species from another. Body size is always a handy thing to know. When birding, this virtually always means a relative size. It's as big as or as small as other birds it's with. Actual sizes are always subject to challenge unless you have the bird in hand and measure it. Since the most difficult identifications are often a matter of fractions of an inch, guessing at a birds dimensions are worthless. Shape is also useful in differentiating some birds so include this in your notes, but use terms that will mean something to others. Shaped somewhat like Aunt Martha may mean something to you, but is of little use to anyone else. Be specific. Plumage coloration is one of the most diagnostic marks available in identification of avian species. Take meticulous notes on the colors of the back, underparts, wings and tail of the bird being studied. Be as accurate about the colors as possible. "Is it light gray or dark gray?", or better yet, if you're familiar with color charts, use those to pin down the exact color of gray. Just be sure to include who's color chart you use. All of the field guides out there give a description of the various parts of the bird, use them. There are differences between wing bars and wing stripes and eye brows and eye lines. Improper use of terms can lead to future confusion on the part of everyone. Soft part size, shape, and color are also vital pieces of information to persons evaluating sightings. Soft parts include the bill, legs, and eyes of birds. All of the above information that applies to plumage is relevant here as well.

Bird flight can tell people a lot about what a bird is. Is the flight rapid and smooth or slow and floppy. Does it hover? Are the wings pointed or round? Is the tail forked or square? Are any additional marks observable when the bird is flying that you couldn't see on the sitting bird? Did the bird vocalize while you were watching it? This doesn't mean just singing, but did it make any calls such as chips or alarm calls? What did the bird do while you watched it? Was it feeding? If so, on what if you can tell. Was it gathering nest material? Did you find a nest? Was it interacting with other species of birds? If so, what kind and how many? What type of habitat was it located in; old field, deep woods, march etc.? While habitat is not diagnostic, it is an indicator in certain situations.

Additional details to record include, but are certainly not limited to, the date and time of day, how far from the bird you were, what type and power of optics you were using, lighting and sun position in relation to both you and the bird, who was with you and did they agree with your identification, and if anyone got pictures of the bird.

Now you've seen that rare Monkey-eating Eagle in University Park and taken excellent field notes, what next? You had first better call us (just kidding) and then you need to acquire or formulate your own documentation form.

Now referring back to your field notes, fill in as much of the documentation as you can, without the aid of other references which could influence your writing. Once this is done, you can dig into your reference library and compare the bird that you saw with other similar species. Explain, as fully as possible, why the bird that you saw cannot be any of these. This is where all of the detailed notes that you took will be invaluable. List the materials consulted to eliminate similar species.

So you say "Great, now I know how to do it, but do I document everything, or should I be more selective?" For your own notes, that is a personal decision to make, but for the purpose of publication, a more selective approach is required. For the objectives of the Indiana Bird Records Committee, you need only document those species for which there are less than ten accepted records in the state of Indiana, or species that are out of season. While many of us know what these are, there are also many people who don't. In an effort to make this knowledge more widely available, check the Official Indiana Bird List

So far everything is going as planned. You've located a bird that has never been recorded in Indiana. You took good notes and filled out the appropriate documentation. Now where do you send it? If you are doing a spring, summer, or Christmas count, you should give a copy to the count compiler that you report to. Otherwise forms should be sent to the appropriate field notes editor for the Indiana Audubon Quarterly, the state compiler for North American Birds, and the Indiana Bird Records Committee. Consult this list for names and addresses.

Now you know the importance of documentation! You've been given a rough outline of how to do them, and you know where to send them. Why not give it a try! Just going through the process can teach you a lot about birds that you might otherwise miss. Making comparisons to similar species can help to ingrain fine details of plumages that normally can be difficult to remember and you can personally make a contribution to Indiana's ornithological record.