Hello all,
Drue, thank you for opening up this topic.  I've enjoyed the thoughtful and
respectful responses as well.

I realize I may be skating on thin ice in that there may be a more
appropriate forum than this list to ask my questions, so please respond
off-list directly to [log in to unmask] regarding the following.
 This discussion just opened up the topic so well that I couldn't resist...

I am a relatively new naturalist at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
(Cleveland area) and have been brainstorming new programming ideas to
propose to the center.  As birds were my first love in nature (received my
first bird field guide at age 5 and have been hooked ever since), my
thoughts turn to this topic first.  This area is rich with great birding
--AND great birders!!!

I would like to invite feedback (again, off the list) if anyone can envision
a birding need which could be met at the NCSL, either for youth or adults.
 We are eager to find out what the community wants and needs, but please
know this invitation comes from me personally, not from the nature center.
I just had the impulse to try to tap into the always-enthusiastic minds of
this birding community.

Regarding YOUTH AND BIRDS:
Do any of you in the area have children, grandchildren, neighbors, etc. who
would enjoy a series of youth birding hikes this spring around Shaker Lakes
and the Doan Brook Gorge?  (a magical place to explore under any
circumstances!)   I'd like opinions on what type of activities would be most
enjoyable and whether we need to come up with any kind of "cool" angle to
market them these days.  As a kid, creeping around the woods, fields and
lakes with binoculars was enough for me, and I've met some youth who feel
the same way, but they do seem to be in the minority.  I'd love to connect
all the youth in the area who DO feel that way, though, and help lead some
grand adventures.

Also, I think our youth could benefit from and be inspired by many of our
local veteran birders.  Those of you whom I've met are amazingly
knowledgeable and generous.  If anyone would be interested in volunteering
and joining me in these efforts, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks, all.  Any input from any angle is appreciated to aid the endeavor to
increase enthusiasm for all things outdoors in the younger generation.

Wishing great birding to you all in 2009,
Katrina Heinzen

[Also, if anyone has an idea for a speaker/topic for our Environmental Town
Hall series, I'd be happy to pass that along to the appropriate staff.  Feb.
13 we do have a birdwatching-related guest speaker.]



On Thu, Jan 8, 2009 at 11:30 AM, Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Drue & all--
>   You say "When I report my sightings to older birders, they are
> skeptical, because I am young." Well, those sound like some
> narrow-minded birders. With 14 years of birding experience you may have
> more than they. True, no 18-year old has 50 years of experience, but 14
> years should be more than enough to qualify one to identify the common
> birds of one's surroundings.
>   Hermit thrushes, catbirds, and brown thrashers are indeed unusual--I
> think your word is apt--in winter in these parts, but they are seen
> often enough--in appreciable numbers every year--that reports of them
> shouldn't automatically result in skepticism. A reported winter
> bobolink--particularly one identifiable as a male--on the other hand, is
> extremely rare, so rare that no one should be surprised if others raise
> eyebrows (both, not just one, if you know what I mean) and ask for
> details--no matter how old they, or you, are.
>   Ohio has only a handful of bobolink records for CBCs, and because by
> that time bobolinks have been in South America for a month or more these
> records are presumably backed up by accepted documentation. As for
> sexing a December bobolink, the best criterion is that the males average
> 20% larger. This can be difficult to apply in the field, of course.
>    I recall some of Ohio's birders, many of them now well-respected in
> the field, used to sign their internet posts with both name and age when
> they were in their teens. There's no special reason one's age need be
> obvious from the contents of one's message, but perhaps one reason they
> did so was a desire to be cut some slack. Or perhaps they were just
> thumping their chests. Fair enough either way, but overall I'd advise
> folks in general  to take advantage of the relative anonymity of the
> internet and let your reports--and what you might need to back them
> up--speak for themselves.
>   I am somewhat embarrassed young birders feel they need age-based
> clubs at all.  Are age groups acting unwelcoming to one another?  Are
> there "young butterflyers' clubs", "young surfers' clubs," or "young
> stamp collectors' clubs?" I suppose so, but I can't help regretting the
> necessity.  If you have to have them, go for it. I admit I feel even
> more ambivalent about young birders' clubs that are founded and
> sustained and hoorayed by older birders, though, and often wonder how
> young birders really feel about that.
>   Anyway, one really expeditious way to acquire experience without
> years and years of trial and error to acquire it is to use the published
> works.  Written by birders with lots of experience, they are a shortcut
> to expertise. Frequent reading of Peterjohn's "The Birds of Ohio" and
> the "Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Ohio" from the Ohio Bird
> Records Committee (or equivalent works in other states) will teach what
> species are normal/unusual/rare/absent at any time of the year.
> Bill Whan
> Columbus
>
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