Alaska's First 300 Birder
Being one of those ignoramuses who might not be able to distinguish between a pigeon and a sea gull, I'm the sort of person who appreciates jokes about birdwatching more than the activity itself. Nevertheless, I could not help getting caught up in the excitement of the moment when Dan Gibson, an ornithologist with the University of Alaska Museum, learned that he was Alaska's first 300 birder.
Dan's 299th and 300th sightings occurred recently in Juneau. A friend there tipped him off that two unusual birds were in town. Gibson flew to Juneau specifically to see the reported Mountain Bluebird and Evening Grosbeak. At the time, Gibson did not know he had broken the 300 mark. That news came later in a letter from the Smithsonian Institution informing Dan that a bird he had observed in the Aleutians and thought was a Grey Spotted Flycatcher was actually a Sooty Flycatcher from eastern Siberia. Not only did the news of the sighting boost Dan Gibson to the 300 mark, it raised Alaska's known bird population from 380 to 381.
In the whole United States there are over 800 known species of birds; worldwide there are about 8500. A past president of the American Birding Association evidently is the world's number one birder: he has seen over 5000 species. Dan Gibson, Alaska's number one birder, has seen over 602 birds nationwide. Alaska's number two birder, Terry Hall, has seen over 680 nationwide. This places him in the country's top ten. So far only three people have seen over 700 bird species in the United States and Canada.
Alaskan birding has gained new vigor the past few years. Just as canaries were used in the mines years ago to test for carbon monoxide, wild birds now serve as indicators of environment and its change. The increase in serious bird observation has increased the number of known species, at least twelve new species were added to Alaska's list in 1977. Between them, Terry Hall and Dan Gibson were responsible for spotting four of the new species.
