Unedited eBird reports pose pitfalls
Did three or four Scarlet tanagers really appear in a Parma backyard earlier this month? Photo by Gary Meszaros Enjoy birding during the pandemic, but be careful of whacky IDs During this unprecedented worldwide pandemic, the opportunities are increasing to escape our self-imposed quarantines and explore the parks and trails available for spring birding in Northeast Ohio. The joys of birding are increasingly being discovered by new birders – a fabulous trend that occasionally can lead to problems with identification. Consider this a cautionary column, not a finger-wagging critique. We’ve all been there; It can take years to hone our birding skills. But for some, there are embarrassing slips along the way. I wrote about these issues more than a decade ago during my career at The Plain Dealer. One of those Aerial View columns appears below. I was reminded of this recently, as the problems have cropped up again in spectacular fashion. Broad-winged hawks likely won't ret