Thought I would give my take on the current thread regarding birding info/data on the internet.  When I got into birding in the 1980's, the only way to get fresh news was via the telephone rare bird alerts/hotlines.  This was helpful, but very limited.  The vast majority of info on bird ID, numbers, distribution, and birding sites came from magazines, journals, and books.  Even today, there is just no substitute for the wealth of CAREFULLY VETTED data in publications such as Peterjohn's Birds of Ohio, The Cleveland Bird Calendar, The Bobolink, The Ohio Cardinal, etc.  Internet sites such as this listserv, Rarebird.org, blogs, etc. etc. contain boatloads of information also; but also some misinformation.  I look at this listserv more as a place to share and promote the "joy of birding" than as a database.  I've been turning in written reports every season now for about 20 years, and I've always considered that to be the best use of personal birding
 data.  E-bird is certainly a great way to put your observations to good use also, but it only has a fraction  of all the data currently being gathered.  It also is sorely lacking in pre-twenty first century data.  I hope it can turn out to be a force in bird conservation, but frankly right now oganizations protecting/acquiring habitat such as The Nature Conservancy, Audubon, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, etc. are far more important to the birds.  Yes ODOW does this too, but they are dependant upon hunting and fishing revenue and cater to those interests by necessity.  For example, once again last fall outstanding shorebird habitat during peak migration was briefly available (probably as an unintended consequence of duck management) at Western Basin sites such as Pickerel Creek WA.  And once again, while large numbers and variety of shorebirds were still present, ODOW purposely inundated this critical stopover site and drove the
 shorebirds away because teal season was more important...........anyways, when it comes to reporting bird sightings I believe regional journals and The Ohio Cardinal are most important on the state level.  By the way, where IS the Cardinal?  And for a great example of how bird-watchers, serious birders, the internet and the printed word CAN all come together for the sake of the birds, check out the ongoing OBBA2 project.  Everyone interested in Ohio's birds should be involved in this remarkable project!!!!!!   Craig Holt, Lowellville




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