by Lou Ann Harris
For every bird lovers’ story, there is a beginning. For Robin Wolcott, a slow day of fishing with her husband Richard on the Madison River started her on the road to becoming a serious birder. Since then she has studied birds both at home and abroad, discovering rare birds in six states. The biggest find was a very rare Crescent-chestnut Warbler (a Mexican species), while birding in Arizona’s Madera Canyon. It turned out to be only the sixth sighting ever in North America. Quite the feather in her birding cap.
Photo by Richard Wolcott
Robin and Richard moved from Sacramento to Montana in the early 1990s. Too many people in CA and better fishing were the reasons. After making their way to Bozeman in 1997, Robin began attending monthly Sacajawea Audubon Society meetings at the Emerson, back when John Carlson and Eric Lichtwardt were involved in the chapter. Soon, Robin was leading field trips. She noted that she has led the Mission Creek trip for 20 years. The first time was during the State Audubon Bird Festival in Livingston (2004).
But that was just the tip of the avian iceberg for Robin. In 2009, she took over as compiler for the Ennis Christmas Bird Count. To help bolster participation, she added a dinner gathering the night before, as well as a post-count gathering at the Sportsman’s. As a result, the Ennis count is always well-attended and known for seeing some rare species, such as the Barn Owl that Ed Harper found in 2011.
Robin was one of the earliest users of eBird in Montana. She remembers sending a complaint to eBird about Common Grackle being flagged as a rare bird in Bozeman. As a result, she landed the job as the eBird editor for the entire state. When she took over, there were 1,000 sightings to review. She quickly realized that she was in over her head, not knowing anything about the birds in places like Plentywood or Ekalaka. Eventually, the job of editing (now called reviewing) was divided up by counties and is now administered primarily by members of the MT Bird Records committee. Robin is still the reviewer for Madison and Gallatin counties, thus her handle: “MadGal.” The job of being a regional eBird reviewer is to act upon records flagged by eBird filters (i.e. a rare or unusual sighting; large numbers of a species; early or late date; etc.). This usually includes communicating with observers and using eBird data to determine if it’s a correct observation. When Robin responds to a flagged sighting, she often has to deal with birders who describe their rare bird with statements like “perched on the fence” or “soaring above the canyon.” Robin says bird status and distribution are key elements to consider when a sighting is flagged. Is this the right area or the right season for this bird? A good rule of thumb is to consider the common species currently present before considering the rare bird. Another major task Robin faces as an eBird reviewer is setting and updating the filters for each species in both counties. She says she needs more “snow days” to get this accomplished.
Robin is particularly interested in helping beginning and less-experienced birders become more proficient at hearing, locating, and identifying the many exciting birds of our area. She is capably assisted in her birding and all other efforts by her personal assistant, driver, and husband—Richard.
Thank you Robin and Richard for your long service to Sacajawea Audubon Society and helping add to our knowledge of the birds that make their homes in southwest Montana.
