A Bird Count Interrupted by One Dog

Every month, volunteers counted birds in a small wetland beside the town. They followed the same route and recorded what they saw during one hour. Alice enjoyed the quiet work, although she was still learning to recognise several species. She usually walked with an experienced volunteer called Dan.

Halfway through their latest count, a dog ran along the path and barked loudly. Several birds flew away before Alice could record them. The owner called the dog back and apologised. Afterwards, Alice suggested writing the numbers from the previous month because today's list would otherwise look unusually small.

Dan explained that their job was to record what happened, not to make the numbers look normal. They wrote down the birds they had actually observed and added a note about the interruption. Alice felt foolish for her suggestion, but Dan said that asking before changing a record was exactly the right thing to do.

Back at the volunteer centre, they entered the list with its note attached. The coordinator thanked them for explaining the conditions rather than hiding the problem. Alice's notebook now contained fewer birds than usual and more information about the visit. On the next count, she paid attention not only to what she saw, but also to what might affect the seeing.