Fun question which should generate a lot of opinions! Personally, I think skill gives you the tools to find your own luck.
Chris Hobbs
<chobbs.f1...>
From: <cobirds...> <cobirds...> On Behalf Of Eric Dinkel
Sent: Friday, September 19, 2025 8:55 AM
To: <cobirds...>
Subject: [cobirds] Luck or Sheer Skill?
Hi Fellow Birders,
I don't often post, but I have been contemplating luck in birding all week.
See, earlier in the week Norm Erthal (who I have only met once and I know to be a very good birder), had two Denver county record birds on one list! It has left me endlessly pondering: what role does luck versus just plain old skill play here?
On the skill side, I know I miss birds often. For example, a few years ago, I heard and recorded a sedge wren in Denver and just stood there scratching my head wondering why this "marsh wren" sounded funny. It didn't occur to me that I was actually hearing a sedge wren until Chris Wood posted one in the exact same spot the next day. I then reviewed my audio and realized my mistake.
But on the luck side, I believe that this is Norm's 5th county record! Congratulations on the exceptional feat in a well birded county. What makes me wonder about the luck here is that no other birders had the good fortune of also finding any of those birds, even if they were there minutes later. Take the RTHU and PABU that Norm found this week. Some of Denver's best birders were on the scene very fast (maybe within the hour) and no luck all around.
So, I am curious, do people have luck rituals like some professional athletes? This is especially true in golf where players are known to pick golf balls ritualistically, etc. I am a scientist at heart, but hey, I am willing to put a rabbit's foot in my pocket to find a Painted Bunting!!
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