The Listers Corner feature of our website continues to substantially increase in popularity. Questions and suggestions may be directed to any member of the IOS Listers Corner Committee: Joe Lill, Mike Madsen and Jim Mountjoy.
With so many new birders joining the Listers Corner clan the IOS Board thought it would be timely to restate and clarify the procedures and rules governing the submission of totals.
Since this is a ‘for fun’ activity, not a scientific database, the rules are few:
- The Listers Corner Committee (LCC) does not vet submitted lists, except for mathematical errors, the presence of birds not on the IOS official state checklist and to determine whether a single-observer sighting of a Review List species has been documented to IORC in a timely manner (within one month of the sighting). The Review List, available on the IOS website, contains those bird species on the Illinois Checklist that require documentation to the Illinois Ornithological Records Committee. Final totals may change over time as listers make adjustments to their totals; for instance, in response to decisions by the Illinois Ornithological Records Committee related to sightings of review-list species.
- Listers are urged to abide by the ABA Code of Ethics and the ABA Recording Rules and Interpretations.
- In most cases, listers only need to send in their numerical totals, not their species list. However, when list totals reach thresholds that vary by category, a list of species may also be required.
- The 95% Rule, adopted by the American Birding Association, applies to all Team Big Days. 95% of all species must be identified by all observers.
- All submissions should be sent to the LCC by 1/31 of the following year. Lists sent after that will be added to Listers Corner solely at the discretion of the LCC.
Here are a few Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I still count Hoary Redpoll on my 2024 lists? There have been a number of questions from the Illinois birding community about the handling of Hoary Redpoll with regards to list submission. The Listers Corner Committee will be handling the Hoary Redpoll question in this manner:
1) Hoary Redpoll will be countable for all 2024 Year Lists (state, county, etc.) Technically, one shouldn’t count it if it is first found after July, when the IOS Records Committee amended the official state list. The updated state list is available here. (link to: http://www.illinoisbirds.org/the-birds-of-illinois/)
2) Hoary Redpoll will be countable for all Big Days and Big Months through July 2024, but not afterwards.
3) Hoary Redpoll should not be included with any submitted life lists (state, regional, county, sites, buddy, etc.). This pertains to any total submitted in January 2025 for inclusion in the 2024 Listers Corner.
4) The LC Committee will not be going back and vetting any lists from the past. Even though we know for certain that some birders have Hoary Redpoll on their lists, it would be impossible to apply retroactive adjustments in any kind of equitable manner. If a birder does not submit an updated number, the number on record will not be changed.
For my Listers Corner lists, should I record where I’m standing or where the bird is? Listers are urged to abide by the ABA Code of Ethics and the ABA Recording Rules and Interpretations. It may be helpful to highlight ABA’s Recording Rule 1: “The bird must have been within the prescribed area when encountered, and the encounter must have occurred within the prescribed time period.” The example given by ABA may also be helpful: “Within” means that the bird must be within the prescribed area when observed, although the observer need not be. For example, if an observer on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande identifies a bird across the river on the Mexican side, the bird may be counted on their Mexican list but not on their ABA Area list. For our purposes, a bird that is in Iowa, but seen while the birder is in Illinois, should not be added to the birder’s Illinois list. The same goes for county lists; the simplest guideline, both for ABA and IOS, is “it’s where the bird is, not the birder.” Rule 1 applies to most lists published by Listers Corner; exceptions would include Yard Lists, Big Sit Lists and Local Patch Lists.
I saw a Whooping Crane fly past. Can I count it? As a result of the ABA (American Birding Association) ruling on the countability of Whooping Cranes, you may, if you wish, add that species to your state and county lists, as long as the sighting is after June 2006, when the first chick from the Wisconsin flock was hatched in the wild. We will not be going back and changing list totals from past years. As always, the ultimate decision to list the species is yours. We asked the ABA committee about the scenario of seeing cranes following the ultralight plane. They prefer to have one standard for countability, and mentioned that the decision to count the species in that situation is up to the birder.
Can I count that Budgerigar that occasionally shows up at our feeders? Exotic species, not on the Illinois Checklist, cannot be included in lists sent to LCC. If/when an exotic is added to the Checklist, it becomes countable.
What about European Goldfinch? On January 9, 2024, the Illinois Ornithological Records Committee (IORC) voted to add European Goldfinch to the state checklist. The American Birding Association Checklist Committee uses a rubric of a 15-year breeding period as one requirement before considering an exotic to be established, and a paper by Craves and Anich (2023), concludes that breeding has occurred continuously since 2003. Hence, any European Goldfinch identified from 2018 to the present is eligible for a birder’s Illinois Life List, along with other life lists such as County or Site lists. Year lists from 2018 to 2022 will not be updated by the LCC. However, the LCC has decided that it can be counted for 2023 year lists, and, of course, going forward.
What about heard-only birds? The short answer is yes. Most listers count the regularly-occurring owls and nightjars by sound only. Beyond that, it becomes more problematic, dealing with mimics, the very similar sounding songs of vireos and warblers, etc. If it’s a relatively common species in an expected location, sure, go ahead and count it. However, be very cautious when making an ID based on sound, especially if it’s a Review List species, or a species far out of season or out of its normal range and habitat. Making an ID based on a call or chip note only is often not a reliable method.
Can I count a bird when I use an audio recording to lure it into view? Some specific locations prohibit playback. Using this technique in those places is a clear violation of the ABA Code of Ethics. Otherwise, be very judicious in using this technique – frequent, constant audio playback is known to be disruptive to many species, common and rare.
While birding alone, I saw what I think was a Bohemian Waxwing, mixed in with some Cedar Waxwings. It appeared to be grayer, looked a little bigger, but it was pretty far away, and I never saw the undertail. Can I count it? Do what you can to get a better look, call your birding friends to get other sets of eyes on the bird, etc. But if you’re still not sure, there’s a simple mnemonic – When in doubt, leave it out!
Why do I have to document rare or unusual birds? Documentation records sent to the Illinois Ornithological Records Committee form an important part of the scientific literature of bird occurrence in Illinois. Documenting a bird adds to that literature, even if your documentation is not accepted by the IORC. Within this broad question, there are several subcategories, such as the look-alike species problem, or addressing a sighting of a dramatically out-of-season species; for example, a Yellow Warbler in January, or a Black Vulture in Stephenson County, far north of its normal range. Both definitely should be documented. Common sense is the best screener in your decision to document. Is the species itself, or the date/place where you saw it unlikely or unexpected? Then documentation is appropriate – a diagnostic photo helps a lot! If you have a question along these lines, don’t hesitate to contact the Listers Corner Committee.
2023 IOS Lister’s Corner |
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Illinois Life Lists (PDF) |
Total Tick Lists (PDF) |
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Big Year Lists (PDF) |
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Big Month Lists (PDF) |
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Big Day Lists (PDF) |
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County Lists (PDF) |
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Miscellaneous Lists (PDF) |
Illinois Regional Map (JPG) |
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Site Lists (PDF) |
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Yard Lists (PDF) |
Submitted Lists (HTML) |