The discussion of listing and ethics is a good one, and one that is bound to be revisited many times. I would like to point out an interesting proposition in a letter published in the latest issue of Birding (Vol 42 No. 5), which introduces the idea of donating a set amount per life bird added to one's list to the property owner or manager where one makes that tick. $10 was suggested as a good donation, with the stipulation that the birder include an explanation of the reason for the donation (for example, if you add Orange-crowned Warbler to your list at one of the Columbus Metroparks, you'd include that information with your donation). If this were a widespread practice, then it could potentially raise a good chunk of change for wildlife refuges and the like, not to mention encouraging bird habitat management and feeding by private landowners.

As a side note, for those who aren't ABA members, Sean Williams and Edward Burtt have an interesting article in this issue about the effect of bill color on bird vision that is worth checking out. Congratulations to Sean for getting published!

Andy Sewell
Columbus, Ohio

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]